Slashdot Mirror
The Next iPad Pros Will Shrink and Lose Their Headphone Jacks, Says Report (9to5mac.com)
According to supply chain blog Macotakara, the new iPad Pro models that will be introduced later this year will be slimmer, feature Face ID, and have no headphone jacks. 9to5Mac reports the details: First off, the report offers additional details on the 2018 iPad Pro dimensions. The 10.5-inch model is said to come in at 247.5mm (H) x 178.7mm (W) x 6mm (T), compared to the current dimensions of 250.6mm x 174.1mm x 6.1 mm. Meanwhile, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is said to stack up at 280mm (H) x 215mm (W) x 6.4mm (T), which compares to the current-generation model at 305.7 x 220.6 x 6.9 mm. With these dimensions, it seems that Apple is focused more on reducing the overall footprint of the 12.9-inch model, fitting the same size display into a considerably smaller body. The report goes on to explain that Apple is likely to ditch the headphone jack with this year's iPad Pro models, a move the company first made with the iPhone 7. While Apple includes a Lightning to 3.5mm headphone adapter to ease the blow for iPhone users, it will not do the same for iPad Pro users, according to today's report.
Today's report corroborates that this year's iPad Pro models will feature Face ID, but it notes that there is no support for landscape Face ID as earlier reports had indicated. This presents an interesting problem for the iPad Pro, which is used commonly in landscape mode with accessories such as the Smart Keyboard. Macotakara notes, however, that Apple is moving the Smart Connector on this year's models to "the lower rear side -- close to the Lightning connector." What exactly this means is unclear, but the report explains that "the next iPad Pro Smart Keyboard may be changed to vertical position specifications." This is seemingly implying that the iPad Pro would dock vertically into the Smart Keyboard, but how that would work is vague at the moment.
Today's report corroborates that this year's iPad Pro models will feature Face ID, but it notes that there is no support for landscape Face ID as earlier reports had indicated. This presents an interesting problem for the iPad Pro, which is used commonly in landscape mode with accessories such as the Smart Keyboard. Macotakara notes, however, that Apple is moving the Smart Connector on this year's models to "the lower rear side -- close to the Lightning connector." What exactly this means is unclear, but the report explains that "the next iPad Pro Smart Keyboard may be changed to vertical position specifications." This is seemingly implying that the iPad Pro would dock vertically into the Smart Keyboard, but how that would work is vague at the moment.
Such courage!
For my personal use, I have found that switching to a phone that uses only USB-C, the P20 Pro in this case, I didn't really care about the headphones jack: I thought it would bother me, but since head phones are included and an extra dongle is also there, I has not had an impact.
When I bike to work, I use a bluetooth sports style head set and in the car, I use Android auto and never head phones. I think it is technically illegal where I live to use headphones on both ears in the car anyhow.
It does remind me of the old says when companies would come out with weird proprietary connectors for headphones so that you would have to buy their special headphones if you wanted to listen to music on your phone. Now, you can buy a dongle from them. Sure, maybe they only make 1$ on it, but how many iphones did they sell?
Plus people will probably just buy new headphones with that lightning connector, which will be basically all profit.
Isn't that kind of like a Speak 'n' Spell "Pro"?
The Apple CEO lost his mind and needs a shrink, says report.
#DeleteFacebook
and I have owned every single ipad obsessively for the past 4 generations (great resale value)
I do not subscribe to this bluetooth idiocy. I do not need a thinner ipad. I wouldn't mind the smaller bezel, I wouldn't mind it closer to 16:9. I wouldn't mind an OLED display for true blacks or even better camera / speakers. But overall I'm fairly happy with my ipad Pro 10.5 but I'll be if you think I'll upgrade for a unit with no headphone jack.
I find the lack of a thumb pad / home button already fairly offensive but the headphone jack on a device like that? Which people use on planes? Hell, god damned no.
Nope.
If that happened, Apple would basically be negatively impacting usability simply because it can’t solve an engineering problem.
There’s a reason 95% of monitors are used in landscape mode... so I can’t believe this rumor. But I almost want this to happen just so I can hear the logical contortions Schiller, Ive, and company attempt to make - perhaps Schiller will dust off his “can’t innovate, my ass!” line again.
Meanwhile, my 6S’s TouchID still works sideways and even upside down.
#DeleteChrome
...things Apple for their scurrilous business practices (If you have to ask, you just haven't been paying attention...) I would not be buying something without a headphone jack.
Well, it is a rumor, lets see (probably) in September what will be true. FaceID only working vertically would be a bit of a pain, considering that Apple, like them or not, tend to aim for simplicity it looks well possible that this rumor won't happen.
Regarding the headphone jack, yeah it is a bit annoying though the little dongle which you can leave attached to your favourite cans is not that much of a burden, and I also have the impression that the Airpods are being used by more and more people (I may adopt them once they come with noise reduction, currently use a wired Bose headphone with that functionality). So, not that many customers will be lost I think.
I expect that a bigger change will come in 2-3 years: phones and tablets without any physical connectors (charging would be wireless). Not only by Apple but I expect all the main makers. A feature that would actually help privacy but of course wired cans and data transfers will be impossible as well.
Apple, your excuse last time for removing the headphone jack was to make room and meet the demand of being able to essentially waterproof the hardware.
What's your bullshit excuse this time? iPad Pro customers were actually demanding a smaller bezel? They asked to remove the headphone jack? Spin me another tall tale, O' Faithful master of the Proprietary, because you sure as shit can't offer me any proof that people asked for this.
You call it "courage". I call it Corporate Arrogance. And I hope you eventually learn that not listening to the customer is not the way to do business.
Looks like the whole idiocy of closing the analog hole is alive and well, and here is matches with the only way Tim Cook can keep the earnings up to the shareholder expectations: charge for access to the Apple devices.
Also, he is backed into a corner by the company's previous financial success.
Rest assured that the only headphones that will work with the iPad will be Apple's own and will cost accordingly. Same with all the proprietary connectors on the Mac. All the dongles and adapters cost a fortune.
It was an Apple executive who said "Next time there will be no Xerox". Well, that next time is now.
The charger outlet is one of the parts that tend to die in many phones and tablets, forcing people to buy a new one. Why allow wireless charging and hurt that wonderful revenue stream?
Avantgarde Hebrew science fiction
>"The Next iPad Pros Will Shrink and Lose Their Headphone Jacks"
No, they won't just shrink, they will just get thinner- smaller batteries to be thinner, more fragile, harder to hold, more impossible to repair, less cooling mass, and more stupid. Next up, delete ALL physical ports and rely only on wireless charging, making sure there is no way to easily connect ANYTHING to the device. Oh, might as well delete the "useless" speakers and mic, too, and force people to use only wireless headphones and wireless mic...
While end-users do not seem to have picked up on this yet, "biometric" authentication is a security failure, and face recognition makes it even worse.
That's a bit like claiming that door locks on the front of your house are a security failure because they can be defeated. Most people at most times don't actually need or want strong security - they are just keeping out the casual snoopers. You're quite right that if you are serious about security it isn't enough by itself but for most people they don't need more than this. The good news is that you can enable other features (like requiring pass codes) to make it more secure.
I warned about this long ago.
So did lots of others. We're aware.
If you think it's bad someone can get your fingerprint while you sleep, wait until it's your face.
Is this a big problem where you live? Are you a secret agent? If I have to be worried about someone being in my house while I sleep I'm worried about them BEING IN MY HOUSE, not using my iPad. Seriously, let's worry about actual problems before we worry about the ones from a James Bond film.
Dropping the 3.5mm port didn't affect iPhones because everyone buys a case and a lot of those started including 3.5mm ports.
Which actually makes a lot more sense when you think about it. Not everyone actually needs/wants a 3.5mm port (I have no use for it) but almost everyone buys a case. Therefore it actually makes sense to move that functionality to the case for those who want it and to free those who don't need it from an unnecessary port. If you really want a 3.5mm port that's cool but in the unix philosophy I prefer to add complexity through add on modules rather than to bake it into the core product whether or not it is actually needed.
I don't know how popular iPad cases are, but I bet a number of people are going to start buying them.
What I wonder is why Apple doesn't take the cases more seriously. Their case offerings amount to little more than afterthoughts and badly designed ones at that for the most part. They introduce the Apple Pencil but provide no place to store it. Their screen protectors are clumsy sloppy afterthroughts. Their battery cases are terrible designs. It would make a lot of sense for Apple to make a phone to case interface so cases could be smarter and do more interesting things without the hack of hijacking the lightning port.
What's your bullshit excuse this time? iPad Pro customers were actually demanding a smaller bezel?
Henry Ford once said "If I asked my customers what they wanted they would say 'a faster horse' ". Apple hasn't become the Goliath they are by polling customers about what they think they want or by waiting for customers to tell them. Their job is to figure out what their customers need/want before we figure it out. If they fail in this task then Apple will struggle in future years but so far they've done ok. Honestly I think certain people's attachment to the current design (like bezel size) is more of an assumption than a real world requirement. But if I'm wrong then Apple's iPad sales will reflect that so I don't really see it as a problem. They removed most of the bezel from the iPhone X and after having used one for a year it has presented me precisely zero problems. It's reasonable that the same logic might hold for the iPad.
They asked to remove the headphone jack?
If the headphone jack is so precious to you there are plenty of options for you to get one on other devices or to add it to Apple devices. If you calm down for a moment it actually makes sense to remove it because not every user needs it. A far more sensible approach is to put the headphone jack on the cases that almost every user adds to their devices anyway. (Apple kind of missed this to be honest but the logic is still there) Think of it kind of like how unix is built. Make the core components as simple and elegant as possible and don't require features that only some will use on the core system.
Personally I'm fine with the headphone jack being removed since I really didn't use it anyway and clearly I'm not alone it this. When I do use headphones bluetooth ones serve me better anyway. Apple sells 50 million iPhones per quarter so obviously there is a huge customer segment that is good with what they are doing. If your needs are different that's totally fine but Apple has to do what is best for Apple and what they think is best for their customers.
Just the other day I was complaining about too much choice in the headphone market. By systematically eliminating all the wired options this is positively awesome for consumers. Apple helping simplify technology yet again.
And in case anyone doesn't see that for the obvious sarcasm it is, extend your right hand, make a fist, and then as quickly as possible move your clenched fist to the back of your head in a straight line.