Apple Proposes New Multifunction Input Ports, Could Merge SD Card Slot and USB Port

[Pegamush]

well.. the vaio pro 11 HAS the sd card reader, and it weighs less than 2lb/900g.
that's not an excuse not to put the reader on the 11" mba.

i don't think this will ever come out in a production model, i remember a patent from years ago for a collapsable rj45 jack to fit in a slimmer port, but we never saw it!!

 

[geronimo789]

If you look closely at the diagram, you will see that the USB pins are facing the same direction as the SD slot. So it should only add width to the existing opening.

Yup, I think I shot the picture in the correct orientation no ? (read: how they would insert in the slot).

As you can see, the bottom (filled up) side of the USB is just about as thick as the SD card. (it looks like the sd card is slimmer in the pic, but that's part optical illusion, and part the slight angle i'm holding the connector at

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Call me crazy, but do that many people still really use SD cards? For a company that has a history of removing 'legacy technology' from products (floppy drives, optical drives, Firewire, ethernet), it doesn't seem like them to create a new connector that incorporates SD.

I'm sure all the photography folks on here will disagree with me, but I'm just curious to see how many average users use them.

The SD card is a vital port of my favourite device; my beautiful canon 550D (rebel T2i for the US folks out there).

But if the device I wanna use it on doesnt have a usb I just plug in a usb cable between the laptop and camera, or use the small (but slow) pen drive reader i always have in my camera bag.

A built in reader is a lot nicer though.

 

[IlluminatedSage]

the bean counters are truly cheap if this is do do this on macbook pro or macbook level machines.

I don't know of anyone saying SD card slots take up too much room. or the same for USB.

What the heck, Apple is so cheap they don't want to pay for 2 different slots?

nuts.... but i guess that's something that can happen if accountants are in charge.

 

[APlotdevice]

I liked this idea better: http://9to5mac.com/2011/03/11/obses...=Feed: 9to5mac/feed (9 to 5 Mac - short feed)

Image

Personally I think it's unfortunate that we're still using 3.5mm jacks. It's such an antiquated port. When my headphones get yanked, the plug should come out, not pull the entire device with it! I'm thinking a modern headphone connector should be magnetically attached, with optional pins for dolby digital output.

 

[dolph0291]

Not happening

Apple filed this patent in 2011. If they were interested in using this port configuration, they would be using it already. They would not wait for it to be published.

 

[APlotdevice]

Yup, I think I shot the picture in the correct orientation no ? (read: how they would insert in the slot).

As you can see, the bottom (filled up) side of the USB is just about as thick as the SD card. (it looks like the sd card is slimmer in the pic, but that's part optical illusion, and part the slight angle i'm holding the connector at .

Oops, my brain skipped over the word "nothing".

 

[geronimo789]

the bean counters are truly cheap if this is do do this on macbook pro or macbook level machines.

I don't know of anyone saying SD card slots take up too much room. or the same for USB.

What the heck, Apple is so cheap they don't want to pay for 2 different slots?

nuts.... but i guess that's something that can happen if accountants are in charge.

Erm,

1) I'm pretty sure this combined slot is a lot more expensive (R&D, manufacturing) than just sticking with what they have
2) Who says it's going to replace two ports ? It may just enhance one of the ports that are already there, turning an existing SD card slot into a combo with the added benefit of having an extra USB.

 

[1member1]

if you can use them both at the same time that can be good idea.. but i think it won't happen.

 

[Kranchammer]

Nothing too original. It has been done with eSATA/USB.

I'm confused, there was a combo USB port/SD card slot on the eSata/USB port?

Or, wait, you mean someone thought of combining two ports in one? GASP

How unoriginal Apple, why'd they bother getting a patent on this specific SD/USB port design when an eSATA/USB combo has existed already?

 

[iHEARTcartoons]

Usb 3?

 

[APlotdevice]

if you can use them both at the same time that can be good idea.. but i think it won't happen.

No, there's no way you could use them both at the same time. However this is probably intended to bring an SD card slot to the 11" MacBook Airs.

 

[superman23]

I think merging the lightning port with a micro SD card slot sounds better.

that will come in the form of a $49.99 adapter

 

[ChrisCW11]

Lol

Very nice engineering, Apple.

Yes, the engineering behind combining eSATA and USB obviously pales in comparison, or the fact that people have been combining x in 1 slots and ports for decades.

Way to combine two things together Apple.

BTW, why didn't Apple patent combining a toaster with a refrigerator?

 

[HMI]

I'd like to believe Apple would add an additional USB port to their devices, but my gut is telling me that they would first use this to make their devices thinner (keeping the same number of USB ports as they have now) and thinning out the areas where SD cards exist now, before later removing SD cards altogether as "obsolete" technology.

 

[TMay]

I'm glad other companies have already been combining ports for a few years, so luckily Apple probably won't get this patent.

Some examples:

Sony combines Thunderbolt and USB 3:
http://notebooks.com/2011/05/18/son...0-combo-port-to-life-with-ultimate-mobile-pc/

eSata + USB (2008):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESATAp

Be advised that the USB org was none to pleased about using USB 3.0 for a carrier of TB, and soon after the miniDP connector was selected for the TB standard. Sony's combo was an interesting experiment, but a dead end.

 

[LimeiBook86]

If this happens it's one less reason for me not to buy the MacBook Air. Very cool!

 

[RMo]

If they did we'd probably still be using floppy disks, PS/2 ports, optical drives and wired internet!

Some of use our networks for more than Internet access. Ethernet is not a legacy port.

Here comes the iMacPad!

An iPad with a detachable MacBook base! iOS when it's out, OS X when it's in!

Funny, I remember back in the day people speculating about an iMac that was kind of just a shell you could stick your iBook into and have it function like a desktop when it was in or a laptop when it was out.

 

[Krevnik]

Cool... now Apple will be able to sell a new proprietary USD cable for only $49.99.

Forget SD cards, make it microSD

While this sounds good, reality is its another new item that could end up being a little used proprietary highly costly Apple only connector.

Apples target market customers that shop at Walmart don't care about such things.

Conversely Apple might have something of value for future profit.

Uh, the whole point of this bit of engineering is that it accepts standard USB cables, and accepts an SD card. It'd mostly be useful for giving the rMBPs a third USB port where the SD slot is, without having to change the layout of the ports much.

 

[that1guyy]

This depends on whether I am still able to use the SD card slot and the usb port, not one or the other. Or if it is a third usb port combined with the sd card slot then its fine as well. I don't want to give up one for the other Apple.

 

[jclardy]

This would be cool for the 11" MBA, but otherwise I would rather just have them separate so that I can use them separately.

 

[ChrisA]

Apple did not invent the idea of a "combo connector" They have been around for years.

One example from the audio world....

http://www.neutrik.com/en/xlr/xlr-chassis-connectors/combo-a-series/

 

[donutbagel]

Also, big problem with combining ports is that you can only use one of them at a time, or you'd have to go buy an adapter to use them at the same time. Now there's something Apple surely won't do right ? Creating more adapters at 29 bucks for people to buy

If they can replace a USB slot with a USB/SD slot, it's an improvement. You wouldn't need any more adaptors than before. I just don't want to see the full SD card slot go away because I don't use micro/mini SD.

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While this sounds good, reality is its another new item that could end up being a little used proprietary highly costly Apple only connector.

It's clearly designed to take a regular SD card (mico or mini, not sure what size) in addition to USB. What's proprietary about that?

 

[DavidMarks]

Some of use our networks for more than Internet access. Ethernet is not a legacy port.

Absolutely, what I meant was the advent of wireless networking into the 'mainstream' (AirPort in the iBooks, back in '99)

Funny, I remember back in the day people speculating about an iMac that was kind of just a shell you could stick your iBook into and have it function like a desktop when it was in or a laptop when it was out.

That would be some twisted transformer thing there! Sometimes you can pretend Apple products are legos and start mixing and matching in your head. Or it's just too much MacRumors.

 

[donutbagel]

If they did we'd probably still be using floppy disks, PS/2 ports, optical drives and wired internet!

Most of the Internet is wired. All of the backbone is, at least. As for wired ethernet ports, I am never replacing mine with wifi because wifi is not reliable.

 

[cclloyd]

Micro SD or normal SD?


Oh, I know. Let's make it useless and make it mini SD.