Boogie711

OK - by way of background, I'm an Apple fan. Honestly. Love my iPad Pro, which I use as my travel computer, and as a super-handy device to both show a Keynote presentation and record video for training sessions. That iPad has been everywhere from Stockholm to Sydney.

The brand-new iPad Pro - about to be introduced - has apparently ditched the headphone outlet. Which - I get. I mean - no phones come with the headphone outlet anymore. But it also means - I just can't buy it.

I use the iPad as my primary entertainment device on long-haul flights. Which means I either need to carry two sets of noise cancelling earbuds, or carry adapters. Carrying a Bluetooth adapter to use my cordless earbuds on the plane's built in entertainment system is another electronic device that requires charging, and another point of failure. Plus the noise cancelling on wireless earbuds simply isn't up to snuff compared to my venerable Bose QC20's.

I also use it as a microphone input for training sessions... and I'm not keen on introducing more failure points on training sessions where I'm making lots of money to deliver a flawless presentation.

Sigh - Apple, you make it so hard to keep loving you. Your Macbook Pro models are anything but 'Pro.' And now the iPad Pro is joining the parade. Sad, really.

gfunkdave

The $9 Lightning to headphone adapter will let you plug a regular headset in. I actually don't know if it includes microphone functionality, though.

I feel your pain - just got an iPhone Xs to replace my 6s. I bought a Belkin charge and headphone adapter, which works well, includes microphone functionality, and lets me control music playback with the buttons on my earbuds. I also got a Bluetooth adapter. The battery lasts for two solid days of 7-8 hours of use each.

Belkin charge and listen: http://a.co/d/2cvjS92
Bluetooth adapter: http://a.co/d/5bLQYiD

scubadu

It sorta sounds like you've already made up your mind. What exactly do you want to discuss? I mean with Apple, it is what it is.

For the record, I made all kinds of hullabalu regarding the decision to drop the jack from iPhones. Told my wife I wouldn't upgrade my phone on "principle" etc, etc. Eventually bought iPhone 7+ w/o headphone jack. After about 4 days, never noticed the difference.

Regards

Uncle Nonny

I guess you also want to go back to the days where we used floppy or disc drives to load software onto out computers? You still want the RJ11 jack installed onto your computer as well? I'm by now means a computer expert. I just want my crap to work. Apple simplifies this for me.I like less wires, less connections.

Internaut

Uncle Nonny

I hope you're kidding.

Boogie711

I'm not kidding at all. I get it - you want to prove you're all techno cool by mocking me. Sure, go ahead. I'm a big boy.

I'm not surprised by the decision to drop the headphone jack - because it's Apple. And Apple are making a mockery out of the "Pro" adjective. Forget using these things for work. Forget being able to use your headphones for both your iPad and the inflight entertainment system. Forget using an iPad to make presentations in a client's office. No no, that's too "professional," clearly.

So if it makes you feel better, Nonny, go ahead and mock me all you want. But in the meantime, I just want a system that WORKS. No, not a system with 14 dongles and added failure points.... just a system that works.

thunderlounge

So the little 1.5" adapter is too much of a hassle? Really? (It's not.)

I leave it on the end of my earbuds and it honestly isn't an issue after a couple days. It's not a failure point, and works no different than if you were plugging into a headphone jack.

Now had they instead removed the jack, and started using the male lightning connector on the end of earbuds, many more people would have screamed that now their earbuds were useless for anything but their phone/tablet.

It adds 1.5" to the length of the earbud cord. It's far from anything to get in a huff over.

tmiw

There are also adapters that look like they hug the bottom of the device: https://www.macworld.com/article/312...rs-iphone.html

YMMV, however, as some of those have meh reviews.

Uncle Nonny

Whoa, hold on there a minute buddy. A few starters:

- I am far from "techno cool". I am not an early adopter, by any means, when it comes to tech stuff. I just started using an iPad myself due to a few apps that make my work a little easier. The iPad I use is about 4-5 years old and is a hand me down from one of my sons. I bought a an Apple on a whim many years ago. I got lucky. It just always seemed to work without much fuss. Sure, there were some lean years when I was shutout from using some software or even hardware. But the programs/peripherals that I did have always worked without much fuss. Apple has had the last laugh there. I'm fortunate enough to work an industry that doesn't dictate what type of machine I use. In fact, more people use and Apple than a PC in my line of work.

-I certainly WAS NOT mocking you. Please lose the self-martyr shtick. I was pointing out, in my OP, that there have been many things on out electronic devices that have gone by the wayside over the years. Mostly connectors, sometimes peripherals. I ask you, what gadget/connector do you currently miss that was on your computer/phone/tablet from 20/10/5 years ago (other than the aforementioned mini stereo jack)? Is it the RJ11? The SCSI? The serial port? The VGA? The serial port? The floppy drive? Do you miss the cords on your phone? the antenna? The dedicated buttons on a flip phone? Most likely you miss none of them because connecting, printing, software installation, and pretty much everything else has gotten easier with the elimination of these headaches. It's an evolution. A dongle is simply temporary measure to ensure we aren't too overwhelmed by the next step.

- My usual runs are full blown TCONS and I keep myself busy reading and listening to podcasts/music or sometimes working. When I do use the IFE, it's only on TPAC/TATL runs. I use a Bluetooth device that plugs right inn and I'm free to recline, incline, stand up to get something from the bin or even use the lav without removing my headphones. Standard Apple earbuds don't stay in my ear unless I ram them in, which is uncomfortable. I use Bose for my flights QC35 when I'm on a plane. They work great with my laptop and my phone. Even have both devices hooked up at the same time. I use Veosport V! that wrap around the ears for working out, mowing the lawn, or just generally tuning the world out. I use each because they just work.

Again, I'm a very simple consumer who doesn't want to look under the hood to get my stuff to work. Apple has always simplified computing for me.

LondonElite

You know that you can make your own headphone jack, right? There is a tutorial here:


But really, the little dongle is really no big deal.

WilcoRoger

EDIT - forget it, misread what I was replying to...

bkafrick

Whats stopping you from keeping your existing iPad Pro? I'm quite confident that nothing is wrong with it?

And you said you use your iPad as your primary entertainment device, so i'm puzzled why you're worried about IFE (especially on an American forum where IFE is practically non-existent)?

Zeeb

And with bluetooth already there you had the option of fewer wires/connections if you wanted it. Removing the jack takes away the option and forces you to bluetooth. Not every "advancement" is universally desired. In this case bluetooth headphones have more possible failure conditions and also are limited by battery life. They work just fine in a lot of cases, but in the OPs case removing the jack isn't simplifying at all, but instead makes things much more complicated.

z28lt1

I cant help the OP, but I do agree. I'm pretty progressive in my technology adaption and don't normally blink at changes. But you can often judge a change by how people react (over time, ignore the initial reactions). Even in this thread, the answer to dropping the headphone jack (and it's not just Apple that is dropping it) is usually to use an adapter that, for all practical purposes does exactly what the headphone jack did. So now, you need to carry around (and not lose or have break) another piece just to add back in functionality that was removed. That's just stupid.

I'm an airpod user for calls and such, so normally I'm great with wireless -- but when I'm on a plane, I want to plug in my favorite noise canceling headphones, and have to hope I remembered to pack the dongle adapter if I want to use my iphone. Fortunately, for work reasons I end up with multiple phones and at least 1 tablet with me, so I have other options for for travel.