Fender has created a $200 guitar that plugs directly into any 30-pin iOS iPhone or other iOS device. The Squier Strat allows users to directly connect to a variety of sound editors without the need for a separate amp. You might imagine a guitar that’s somewhat novel to be flimsily constructed with bad sound. But, you’d be wrong. In this case, the Fender Squier Strat is actually a decent guitar with, albeit, a gimmicky way for home guitarists to record and edit tracks.

Guitar Details

For $200, this Indonesian-made guitar comes with enough features to keep most amateur guitarists happy. Some of those features include a USB port, 1/8-inch stereo jack, and Вј-inch output. Using this guitar is also simple. By plugging the guitar into a USB port and selecting the guitar type, the Squier will be ready to play. As far as sound quality goes, reviewers across the board have given this guitar two thumbs up. There is some buzz when plugged, but that’s to be expected.

When connected to Apple’s GarageBand, the Squier Strat performs nicely. Basically, this is a starter guitar for someone who wants to play around with editing tools, but doesn’t want to mess around with an amp – a guitar for the computer generation, if you will. Still, it’s an affordable guitar, it plays well, comes with some great features, and will let you record all kinds of tracks using an iOS audio editor.

Who This Guitar is For

This is, undoubtedly, a guitar that was priced to sell well during the holiday rush. That said, Fender did an excellent job of not cheapening the guitar. This isn’t a guitar for serious guitarists or professional musicians. It is, however, a great option for someone who’s just starting to play and wants a guitar that’s easy to plug into an iOS device. Fender’s newest iOS Squier Strat is available through the Apple Store for $199 – an excellent holiday present idea, if you ask me.

It’s also worth pointing out that this entry-level guitar doesn’t require an amp. This is good news for any guitarist who doesn’t want to spend a fortune on an amp or try to figure out what amp to buy. Now, I know that guitar purists will have a lot to say about the Fender Squier line being made cheaply these past few years, but, really, this isn’t a guitar for the guitar elite.

It is, instead, a guitar that doubles as a cool and novel gift for the new guitar player in your life. It’s also one of the first guitars to connect directly to any iOS device, which makes it something of a unique offering. Will this guitar become a collectible? Probably not; but it’s a guitar with decent sound that many people will get a lot of use out of. Fender’s Squier is now available for purchase.

Even better, you should be able to get your Squire by the time the holiday season arrives – just make sure that you have an iOS device (phone, tablet, or laptop). Otherwise, the guitar won’t work (not available for use with other platforms at the moment).