Apple quietly kills the old-school iPad and its headphone jack

Along with introducing a new iPad Air and iPad Pro during its Let Loose event, Apple quietly killed its ninth-gen iPad — also known as the last iPad with a headphone jack. The 10th-gen iPad is now the sole entry-level iPad in Apple’s official lineup and, as such, has received a $100 price cut.

Released in late 2022, the 10th-generation iPad arrived starting at $449, or about $120 more than base entry-level iPads from previous years. Apple justified the price increase with new iPad Air-like features, like a 10.9-inch screen and USB-C support.

However, we never believed the price increase was warranted. After all, the now last-gen iPad Air was often on sale for around the same price, but with a faster processor, a nicer display, and compatibility with a wider range of accessories, like the second-generation Apple Pencil.

That’s why we often recommended the ninth-gen iPad to users on a budget. It also lacked support for the second-gen Apple Pencil, and its design was outdated, but it was still a speedy entertainment device that was frequently on sale for far less than its 10th-gen sibling. It was also the last iPad to sport a 3.5mm headphone jack, which was a nice perk for us old-school wired headphone fans.

Still, at $349, the 10th-generation iPad is now finally more sensibly priced, which makes it a lot easier to recommend. And while it’s a shame Apple no longer sells the ninth-gen iPad, headphone jack fans can, at least for now, still buy it for $249 from third-party retailers like Amazon, Target, and Best Buy.