For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Zivix to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a Jamstik+ Smart Guitar, the company's latest and greatest product. The Jamstik+ is a MIDI guitar controller that feels like a real guitar and works with the iPad, iPhone, and Mac. It's 16-inches long and comes with real metal strings and frets to capture each musician's unique playing style.

Compared to the original Jamstik, the new version connects to your iPad, iPhone or Mac using Bluetooth instead of WiFi, and it includes a new magnetic pickup to improve pick detection to better mimic an electric guitar.


Jamstik+ is a great way for novices to learn how to play the guitar because it comes with a dedicated series of JamTutor instruction apps, and there's no experience necessary -- anyone can use the Jamstik+. It uses the Jamstik's finger-sensing technology to teach the basics of guitar playing. Jamstik+ can connect to a Mac, iPad, or iPhone wirelessly using Bluetooth, so there's no cable to deal with, and its size makes it more portable than a traditional guitar.

Jamstik+ works with several exclusive apps, but it's also compatible with the hundreds of music apps in the App Store. Unlike a real guitar, Jamstik+ does not need to be tuned, and it has a rechargeable battery that lasts for a full playing session (eight hours). The Jamstik+ is currently available for pre-order for $299.

jamstik+ipad
To enter to win the Jamstik+, use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter your email address. Your email address will not be given to any third party and is used solely for contact purposes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page. Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to enter.

This contest will run from today (June 12) at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time through 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time on June 19. The winner will be chosen randomly on June 19 and will be contacted by email. The winner has 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address or a new winner will be chosen.

Top Rated Comments

SgtPepper12 Avatar
124 months ago
Don't want to be the party pooper, but that Jamstik is a useless piece of junk. First, to learn how to play the guitar you should use a guitar, because that's the instrument you will use to actually audibly play stuff. It's a significant part of making music that you actually get the satisfaction to hear what you are playing exactly how you are playing it. Secondly, memorizing where to put your fingers is probably the least of your problems when learning (difficult) new chords. That takes like two seconds. The difficult part is to get your fingers to do what you want them to do. It's not like that thing makes that easier in any way (if anything, harder, because you are ruining your posture and technique by substituting an actual guitar with that weird little thing). If the part that instruments make sounds when playing them scares you in any way, you probably shouldn't learn to play an instrument to begin with.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mgipe Avatar
124 months ago
I would think that someone whose name is Bill Gates would be able to afford to buy the iPad to go with the free guitar. ;)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DocStone Avatar
124 months ago
Sgt. Pep, relax man. I have been playing guitar for over 20 years and own 15 instruments from Fender and Gibson to Taylor and Collings. Each of us learn differently. To memorize a chord for you might be easy but for someone else it might be more difficult. As a guitar instructor over the years I have seen people pick up guitar quickly and others it took many years.

Any tool that helps you learn is a good thing. Just because you see this as junk does not mean it can't be used by someone else to learn the basics. Could they just get a guitar and your piece of paper? Sure. But if the software and hardware helps, who are you to judge? It's obviously not for you so instead of being so closed minded about a product that might just help someone learn the gift of music, why not embrace thinking different? I am sure many had your same attitude when the synths and keyboards were introduced in the 60's.

BTW, if anyone wants to save money, I am sure Sgt. Pepper would be happy to jot some chords down on a piece of paper for you. Just message him for his guitar course he is teaching.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
William Gates Avatar
124 months ago
I would think that someone whose name is Bill Gates would be able to afford to buy the iPad to go with the free guitar. ;)
Gave all my money to Africa, send iPads.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 16, 2024 8:55 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Drops Plans for iPhone Hardware Subscription Service

Wednesday December 18, 2024 11:39 am PST by
Apple is no longer planning to launch a hardware subscription service that would let customers "subscribe" to get a new iPhone each year, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman first shared rumors about Apple's work on a hardware subscription service back in 2022, and at the time, he said that Apple wanted to develop a simple system that would allow customers to pay a monthly fee to gain...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Rumored to Stick With 'Triangular' Camera Design

Wednesday December 18, 2024 2:36 am PST by
Contrary to recent reports, the iPhone 17 Pro will not feature a horizontal camera layout, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that a source has confirmed that while the appearance of the back of the iPhone 17 Pro has indeed changed, the layout of the three cameras is "still triangular," rather than the "horizontal bar spread on the...
elevation lab airtag battery

Your AirTag's Battery Will Last for Up to 10 Years With Elevation Lab's New TimeCapsule Enclosure

Wednesday December 18, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Elevation Lab today announced the launch of TimeCapsule, an innovative and simple solution for increasing the battery life of Apple's AirTag. Priced at $20, TimeCapsule is an AirTag enclosure that houses two AA batteries that offer 14x more battery capacity than the CR2032 battery that the AirTag runs on. It works by attaching the AirTag's upper housing to the built-in custom contact in the...
apple tv 4k yellow bg feature

New Apple TV Rumored to Launch Next Year With These Features

Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year. Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
blackmagic vision pro

Blackmagic Debuts $30K 3D Camera for Capturing Video for Vision Pro

Monday December 16, 2024 4:17 pm PST by
Blackmagic today announced that its URSA Cine Immersive camera is now available for pre-order, with deliveries set to start late in the first quarter of 2025. Blackmagic says that this is the world's first commercial camera system designed to capture 3D content for the Vision Pro. The URSA Cine Immersive camera was first introduced in June, but it has not been available for purchase until...
mac pro creativity

Apple Launched the Controversial 'Trashcan' Mac Pro 11 Years Ago Today

Thursday December 19, 2024 7:00 pm PST by
Apple launched the controversial "trashcan" Mac Pro eleven years ago today, introducing one of its most criticized designs that persisted through a period of widespread discontentment with the Mac lineup. The redesign took the Mac Pro in an entirely new direction, spearheaded by a polished aluminum cylindrical design that became unofficially dubbed the "trashcan" in the Mac community. All of ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With 'Major' Design Changes and 19-Inch MacBook Detailed in New Report

Sunday December 15, 2024 9:47 am PST by
Apple is planning a series of "major design" and "format changes" for iPhones over the next few years, according to The Wall Street Journal's Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie. The paywalled report published today corroborated the widely-rumored "iPhone 17 Air" with an "ultrathin" design that is thinner than current iPhone models. The report did not mention a specific measurement, but previous...