iPad Do you think the iPad will ever have more ports (SD, USB 3.0) in the future?

No, never. More ports make the device thicker, and Apple is all about making the iOS devices as thin as possible.

 

Nope and thank god.

 

No. I think Apple like to have a proprietary charging port so I doubt that they would want to use the same charger as their competitors. They also prefer to have on device storage. That way they can change exorbitant prices for more storage. Then there are all the accessories that they sell like camera connection kits etc.

 

I seriously doubt it, not in the near future anyway

 

I really really want it, but I doubt it as well. Definitely not USB but I could see an SD slot happening (I mean they have it on the Macbooks) but if you look at how thin the iPad Air is it would be difficult to fit one on there.

 

SD slot - definitely not. Since Apple would rather keep the $100 markup for each doubling of the next capacity larger price point.

USB 3.0 - not until they upgrade the speed of the memory chips. It's said that the memory chips currently being used still don't can't max out USB 2.0 speeds.

And it appears a few replies here are confusing micro USB and USB 3.0 - most definitely not. If Apple really wanted to use micro USB, they wouldn't have gone with lightning connector.

 

Nope. That would give people choices and options. The only choices apple likes to give consumers is to pay more for a more expensive machines to add features. You can't get what you want in the air form factor unless you move up to the 13" MBP. Same with the 13"MBP to the 15". Same with the mini to iMac.

 

If they would just update the camera/SD card adapter so it would take the larger and faster cards, I would be happy

 

That's one thing I feel confidant that is not happening .

 

If apple is serious about this "post-PC era", they are going to have to suck down their pride and at least offer adapter solutions, if not adding ports altogether.

 

Apple has purposely avoided putting any additional ports on the iDevices since inception. I don't see it happening maybe a camera connection kit, again.

 

No need. Everything is going wireless and/or in the cloud. Devices will eventually exchange files directly with each other wirelessly, or upload them to the cloud, from where other devices can access them. Apple wants to push this trend, instead of making ports and adapters.

 

I doubt it, doesn't bother me much that there aren't any right now anyway.

 

SD port? Are you kidding me? I hope not. Apple does not see any future for SD because Apple came up with iCloud for more storage space and We got Dropbox and Box apps.

 

That's what's a laptop/desktop
is for

 

Nope. SD would mean no more expensive storage tiers, USB would mean no more AirPrint and expensive accessories, and HDMI would mean no more expensive Lightning port HD adapters.

If you need those things, you'll need to get a Windows or an Android tablet.

 

Everything is going data capping. For that reason alone, having "everything on the cloud is impractical, no matter how much it gets pushed as the end all be all solution.

 

That's what people don't get it - they're are data caps now. So, greedy Apple that is still selling a 16GB base iPad, makes you have to be a janitor of storage on your iPad (ex. I will have to delete a movie so that I can fit GarageBand on here).

Also, I was a huge proponent of AirDrop (I would use it once or week or so) until recently when I had to use it multiple times a day; it would sometimes take 1.5 minutes to find the other person (who was 1 foot away from me) and sometimes, it would not find them at all. Wireless tech needs to be improved.

I understand Apple's view on it though - more ports = more potential issues. Also, if you buy a cheap SD card (aka slow performing), apps that are on it may run sluggish or crash (which will make the iPad experience suck).

 

The solution is to make access to the internal storage of the ipad better, through better use of bluetooth and wifi technology. It is a truly painful process to send data to the ipad from my mac laptop or my HP laptop.

I charge my ipad off the USB port, how wonderful it would be to see the ipad come up as a drive, so I can use it as a video player, note taker, data transfer device.

Extra ports would be useful, at least expand the range of devices that can access the only data port on the ipad..

 

Well, apple may want to push this concept but that doesn't mean everyone wants to fully invest in it. I use the cloud but also have physical backups of important things. There are also certain files that I don't keep on the cloud at all. The cloud is convenient and all that but it's got its share of potential issues.

For the record, apple will NOT ever have USB or SD card ports. Doesn't jive with their walled garden approach.

 

In addition, having USB ports and SD card slots are too complicated and confusing for Apple's target demographic.

It's sad really. Having seen some of the things that professionals are doing with the iPad, not having those ports makes using the iPad in those scenarios more difficult than it should be.

 

Absolutely, at least some on here understand what it's all about, and what it's not about are all those juvenile and armchair "business assessments" about Apple's doing things because they can charge $100 per doubling of storage or "walled gardens" or whatever silly cynical comments that completely miss the point - it's about the future.

 

I agree, the ipad is limited only by short sighted design flaws, I might be flamed for this, but I feel Mr Ive is not the hot shot designer he thinks he is, was the ports left out for design look reasons, or is Apple unable to create a tablet with the ports..I suspect the latter.

The ipad has audio on one side, why???? Sounds stupid when you watch a video..It has stereo, but when in landscape mode, it is really irritating to have the audio blast out of one side of the device..

 

How's your 5gb iCloud handling your data?

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What's really juvenile is calling names when you see someone's opinion that you don't like to hear. Of course they take huge profit out of $100 per doubling storages.