There is an axiom less is more, which holds true in art or cooking, but not always so much in tech. Apparently, if the rumours emerging from a Japanese supplier and 9to5mac are to be believed, Apple may be looking to remove the audio jack from its forthcoming iPad Pro as it did with its latest iPhone. 

Other rumours for the impending next iPad Pro have it being slightly larger – 11” rather than 10.5”, with thinner bezels. Also expected is the inclusion of Face ID to unlock the device rather than Touch ID.

While those changes make sense, the latter in particularly, since the technology is already in use, the exclusion of an audio jack simply does not. It’s not as though there is an unavoidable choice between using wired or Bluetooth headphones, and common sense having both facilities is better for those who have wired headphones they still want to use.

Additionally, while the removal of the headphone jack on the iPhone 7 was ultimately explained as being essential to that device’s camera, one wonders whether there are really that many people taking loads of photos with their 10.5” tablet to justify the move to the same extent.

The question is whether the decision, if it pans out, would actually affect sales, or whether users may instead go hunting for previous generation tablets that still have the audio jack that they are used to.