Apple Said to Be Removing Headphone Jack From Upcoming 2018 iPad Pro Models

[pdaholic]

Yeah imo it’s not giving them away as you’re paying $1000 for a phone.

It’s a $1000 phone, we complain about it, and yet we still buy it! Why would Apple give anything away if we keep purchasing their overpriced (but excellent) products? It’s all about profit margins. Apple tends to have a larger one than most companies, because we support it.

 

[artfossil]

You are missing the point here entirely. My point has nothing to do with what the product is that a company makes, and more with the erosion of a brand. The fact that I used the word computer is irrelevant. A phone is still in many ways a personal computer. So is the watch. They are still in the computing business, it just looks different than it did before. Stop getting hung up on the specifics and focus on the main point...

You are the one who's missed the point completely so let me spell it out for you: the Apple brand is not "eroding."

 

[B4U]

Seriously? Steve removed the floppy drive and all legacy ports on the first iMac - all it had was a CD/DVD drive and a couple of USB ports. People were furious at first...and then low and behold the entire industry moved in the same direction. The MacBook Air removes the optical drive, and again many were screaming - in particular that Apple was chasing thinness over usability (sound familiar?)...and just as before, the industry has largely moved to removing the optical drive from laptops.

Take off your rose colored glasses. Tim Cook is far from perfect, but neither was Jobs. Apparently the reality distortion field he created lives on even after his death.

What about removing the SuperDrive on the iMac?

 

[Roadstar]

The latency in the AirPods is almost non-existent. And I do have a workflow that involves MIDI cables from my piano to the iPad and, for that, I do need no latency at all. All I’ll need to do is get a lightning splitter to use the midi cable AND the headphone jack. How hard is that? Now, how many people have workflows that involve such low latency? And why would I use 1 cubic centimetre to keep a legacy port that most people won’t need anyways? My use case (extreme low latency for audio/headphones) represent less than 0.5% of use cases and, moreover, it is easily solvable with a lightning cable. I DO depend on the headphone jack (ou digital connection with wired phones) and I remain on Apple’s side when it comes to their (wise and industry-defining) decision to axe the ancient 3.5mm port. Don’t assume I am not aware of latency issues and other specific uses for the headphone jack. It still does not pay-off the waste of real estate in a limited-sized device.

Well, the AirPods latency is still enough to throw GarageBand off (it also gives you a warning if you’re on Bluetooth headphones when starting up Garageband) just enough that all the fun and enjoyment is gone from playing. Having to use a Belkin splitter in my car for simultaneous charging and AUX output I’m not at all convinced about a splitter fixing the situation as the splitters tend to be both expensive and not that reliable. I’ve had too many disconnect-and-reconnect-everything-and-hope-it-finally-works dances with the Belkin unit already and there’s not even a first-party splitter available. Cheap non-MFI splitters are something I’m not going to waste my money on as a recent iOS update killed quite a bunch of those, resulting also in one friend of mine not getting audio out from his iPhone 7 Plus at his summer cottage. Based on reviews, also the default Apple adapter is not exactly the epitome of reliability. Mine are working so far due to light use, but my wife has busted one already. I’m just waiting when the next one gives up.

Overall the removal of the headphone jack in iPhones has been a net negative for me. I was able to use Bluetooth headphones while the jack was still there and I still use them most of the time, but I don’t appreciate having to deal with unreliable and overpriced adapters when I need wired audio like in my car which doesn’t do media audio over Bluetooth. It also wasn’t nice being laughed at and mocked for using an iPhone when my turn to play a couple of songs came up at a party, and I had to skip as I hadn’t thought about bringing that effin’ dongle with me so I could hook up that aux cable like everyone else. I prefer using wireless audio, but I also like being able to interface with the rest of the world without unreliable dongles, especially when the Galaxy S8+ I also have shows that it’s not any kind of a requirement for waterproofing to get rid of the headphone jack.

 

[alphaod]

Next announcement: 2020 iPhone to feature no display.

 

[LinusR]

It's just ridiculous to have to use an adapter for something has been built-in for decades.

Floppy disks have existed for decades... Are you asking for one now? I wouldn't call that ridiculous, that's for sure.

 

[ssgbryan]

You are the one who's missed the point completely so let me spell it out for you: the Apple brand is not "eroding."

It is however becoming a 1 trick pony - and that puts the entire company at risk.

 

[Shanghaichica]

And something is prohibiting you doing this now? my AirPods work well with my IPP although it still has a jack. however, I prefer my headphones over these tiny AirPods which I mainly use outside.

Yes I’m using my airpods with my iPad Pro right now and I just checked and the headphone jack was still there.

 

[aevan]

I think the poster to whom you were replying was being tongue in cheek.

I realize that he was, but I still felt the need to explain how that kind of logic is flawed.

 

[citysnaps]

Just thinking out loud...

I wonder how many here who are complaining about the loss of the iPad headphone jack, should the story's rumor be true, open their wallets and reward a competing tablet manufacturer with their currency in order keep their coveted 100+ year old headphone jack?

That would require a boatload of courage. Just don't see that happening.

 

[aevan]

It is however becoming a 1 trick pony - and that puts the entire company at risk.

And what trick is that, exactly?

 

[Shanghaichica]

Just thinking out loud...

I wonder how many here who are complaining about the loss of the iPad headphone jack, should the story's rumor be true, open their wallets and reward a competing tablet manufacturer with their currency in order keep their coveted 100+ year old headphone jack?

That would require a boatload of courage. Just don't see that happening.

They can buy an older generation ipad like the current iPad pros instead of these new iPads.

 

[aevan]

Perhaps Apple’s engineering and design teams are just getting dumber? I don’t have a better explanation.

I have: you're just plain wrong about thinking their engineering and design is getting worse.

 

[HVDynamo]

You are the one who's missed the point completely so let me spell it out for you: the Apple brand is not "eroding."

Lets revisit this in 10 years and see who is right. I'm not missing any point, you've just been fixating on my terminology up until this comment.

 

[citysnaps]

They can buy an older generation ipad like the current iPad pros instead of these new iPads.

Yeah... But lacking a faster/newer Ax chip, much smaller bezels (more screen space), and possible other new enhancements/features.

 

[BlargKing]

3.5mm is outdated. Sorry but it is. It is analogue and digital standards have been around since the 80s. The lighting port offers a purely digital signal which suffers none of the potential signal loss in analogue. Anyone concerned about sound quality would never advocate for analogue. The nature of the technology is inferior.

Yes despite being used by audiophiles for decades suddenly its inferior because Apple said so.

You realize that digital =/= better with audio right? Audio comes out of your headphones as an analog function no matter what, regardless if the DAC is in the phone itself or the headphones.

Also, signal loss? Over what, a meter long cable? Not a lot of resistance in a meter of copper wire. I'd be more worried about interference using bluetooth headphones, the 2.4Ghz spectrum is already jam packed with a lot of noise.

 

[aevan]

Lets revisit this in 10 years and see who is right. I'm not missing any point, you've just been fixating on my terminology up until this comment.

In 10 years a lot can change. The fact is, currently most of their products have never been better and the brand stands for quality and attention to detail (and to controversy and stubbornness) as ever in the past decade. Apple has never been, or ever will be, for everyone. For those that do enjoy it, the brand is strong as ever, if not stronger.

In 10 years - we'll see, things can change, Apple can change course, etc. But if these past few years are any indication, it will be strong in a decade as well. Macrumors Forums will be predicting Apple's inevitable downfall and throw around "not what they used to be" posts equally.

 

[itsAgaunt]

I miss Steve. He was smart enough to see that people did not like the idea of them removing the 3.5mm jack from the phones. Tim appears to have the attitude of, "Hey if everyone hated it then we should do that on our products as well" None of this would be going on if Steve was still running Apple.

Agreed...
What exactly does the removal of the 3.5mm port get us? An ever so slightly thinner device, the requirement for another damn dongle (can we say crappy DAC), and or the necessity for wireless headphones which require a charge.

And then there is faceID, which works most of the time but really needs to be in conjunction with another bio-metric for when I don't want to pick up my phone.

Less is NOT always more.

 

[jblagden]

Floppy disks have existed for decades... Are you asking for one now? I wouldn't call that ridiculous, that's for sure.

That's not really a great comparison. Floppy disks no longer serve a purpose and nobody uses them anymore because they don't hold enough. But the headphone jack still serves a purpose, is used by many, and is superior to wireless in ways that continue to make it relevant.

 

[Zwhaler]

If you really work in industry, and you really need iPad for that, just put a lightning adaptor and that's it.

It's true. Tbh, the most common inconvenience is when someone is trying to play music in a car or on a stereo or somrthing with an aux cable and they can't. I haven't met anyone who carries an adapter with them on their person.

 

[Feenician]

In 10 years a lot can change. The fact is, currently most of their products have never been better and the brand stands for quality and attention to detail (and to controversy and stubbornness) as ever in the past decade. Apple has never been, or ever will be, for everyone. For those that do enjoy it, the brand is strong as ever, if not stronger.

In 10 years - we'll see, things can change, Apple can change course, etc. But if these past few years are any indication, it will be strong in a decade as well. Macrumors Forums will be predicting Apple's inevitable downfall and throw around "not what they used to be" posts equally.

Here’s a thread here from the introduction of the iPod. All the same tropes as now. You could play an MR drinking game. Drink if someone says “toys”. Drink if someone adds up cost of individual parts (that are never equivalent) and declares the Apple product too expensive. Drink if someone complains about the connector. Never changes

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apples-new-thing-ipod.500/

 

[Roadstar]

Just thinking out loud...

I wonder how many here who are complaining about the loss of the iPad headphone jack, should the story's rumor be true, open their wallets and reward a competing tablet manufacturer with their currency in order keep their coveted 100+ year old headphone jack?

That would require a boatload of courage. Just don't see that happening.

Well, for me it would be one point for the competing tablet. Whether it ends up tipping the scale completely in the competition's favor depends on the rest of what this new iPad and the competition at the time have to offer.

 

[oldmacs]

True, but in this case, removing the jack is obviously not pointless, because there are good and valid reasons to do so for the benefit of the majority of users.

Likewise, in this case, those who understand this move are not defending Apple, but common sense.

In the iPad I do not see the valid reasons. My understanding from seeing the inside of the iPad promos that there is hollow space, and that the design of the speakers prevents the space where the headphone port from being utilised anyway.

 

[Poisednoise]

How do you know it would be 3 mins? Also, the fact that you do some audio engineering does not automatically make you an authority on design, esp
ecially since you describe carrying a small adapter as “lugging around”.

Whoa whoa I’m going to call you out here. If you would mind getting off your superiority horse for a second, there was no suggestion that he was an authority on design. He was merely saying that as someone who used the iPad Pro in a particular fashion that you had suggested might not be adversely affected, he felt he would be.

If (a big “if”) Apple does remove this port from a MacBook Pro one day, it will be after consultations with top industry professionals, including audio engineers.

I know a lot of music industry professionals, including a number in the recording industry (both producers and engineers) and I can tell you that companies like Apple do not consult with music professionals. And if they were to try to, they’d probably get short shrift, because the music industry is quite a busy place. I agree it would be much better if they did, and the music industry were prepared to assist, but my experience is that it doesn’t happen. If you have evidence to the contrary, by all means enlighten us.

I’d say you’re wrong about consumer not benefiting. But hey, if you can design a better phone for the customers than the iPhone, I’d say you have a great career ahead of you Things are not simple, every decision is a compromise.

Thank-you, Mr. Sarcastic Platitude-Deliverer. Oh, and let me demonstrate to you that a smiley doesn’t always soften the blow.

 

[HVDynamo]

First, thank you for an extensive reply. I disagree completely, but I do enjoy a good discussion. Now, back to your post:

What you say is just not true. Ffs, you made this whole conclusion on one single port? How in the world is iPhone X just riding on previous success? It is the best iPhone Apple ever made. I can vouch for that as a happy customer: it has absolutely the best build, the fastest internals, a desktop-class disk speed, an incredible camera, the nicest screen I’ve seen on a device, insane details that are very expensive to make (why no other manufacturer makes edge-to-edge flexible OLED phones that tuck away in the frame), amazing Face ID - nothing about this phone feels cheap, nothing is off the shelf, build quality is noticeably higher than previous iPhones....

And lets talk about iPads: the best stylus on the market, the best screen on a tablet, top-notch build quality, faster than most laptops, amazing speakers....

....and you come to the conclusion that they are relying on their brand alone because you noticed a plastic ring around the headphone jack on iPhone 6?

Sheesh. Talk about constructing a narrative. Believe what you will. Believe I’m drinking kool aid or whatever. To me, iOS devices have never been better. And removing one port won’t change that.

And one more thing: Apple has been removing ports since they made the iMac, and the same story from a few disappointed users have been going around ad nauseam. “They have lost their way”. We had Apple doom scenarios for years. I can’t believe people still say that those who notice this as bs drink Kool Aid or whatever.

I think the issue here is that you are confusing a single example I made with me taking that as the whole reason. Apple has been making many changes like that that just don't make sense. I simply was using one as an example. The plastic ring was just a sign of what is going on internally and that cost cutting was going to be a bigger thing at Apple now that Steve Jobs was gone (He was by no means perfect, but his passion to build great products resulted in what Apple became). I'm also not arguing that there are a lot of things to like about the new products, but they take a lot of things that used to just be well done the way they are and change them for change sake. TouchID works better for me than FaceID does, largely because I like to leave my phone flat on the table and just rest my finger on it to unlock it and change a song without picking it up. FaceID would require me to pick the phone up, or lean over it awkwardly to perform the same. Sure these things seem small, but adding that to that I now have to use a dongle for everything I already own (quite literally now if I had a new MBP and iPhone X) has taken what was just a seamless experience and littered it with little inconveniences here and there. Maybe FaceID is better for some people and that's great, but how about keeping both TouchID and FaceID. Removing magsafe was stupid. That was a huge selling point back in 2006 when I bought my first MBP, and while there is a small benefit to just one connector for everything, I don't think it outweighs the negatives it has introduced by leaving out all the other ports. It's true apple has removed ports in the past, but those were things slowly on the way out already in most cases which is not true in the case of the 3.5mm jack which is and will continue to be an industry standard audio jack. If I am being honest, I'd still love a new laptop with the Ethernet jack, HDMI, a 4kBlu-Ray drive, Magsafe, user upgradable RAM and storage, and some USB A and C connectors. If Apple announced a laptop with those features, I don't think I could hit the order button fast enough.