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

[Night Spring]

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..

I'm sure Apple could create tablets with ports, and with stereo speakers when in landscape -- but it would be thicker. Personally, when I want to seriously listen to the sound, I use headphones, or use bluetooth to send the sound to my Bose speaker. I mean, stereo or not, it's just a tiny speaker in a portable device, I don't really expect it to do much.

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How's your 5gb iCloud handling your data?

I said cloud, not iCloud.

Between DropBox and OneDrive, I have enough cloud storage for my needs, and iCloud is doing just fine -- it has enough space to backup my iPad and iPhone, and keeps my contacts and calendars in sync.

 

[WilliamLondon]

What's really juvenile is calling names when you see someone's opinion that you don't like to hear.

What, are we on an elementary school playground or something, perhaps the teacher's assistant with the whistle needs to get involved so this doesn't deteriorate into hair pulling next. There was no name calling, but if you keep it up I'll stick my gum in your hair!

Of course they take huge profit out of $100 per doubling storages.

And since I never made any comment about how much profit they make or don't make from their various product models, this comment has nearly as much relevance as the one above.

What I take issue with is the conclusion some make that because it costs the consumer $x for each storage tier, "obviously" that is the reason they refuse to support USB or SD card readers. Same goes for the conclusion of others when they assume that it's the thinness of the device that is the reason for the same decision, or as another in this thread trotted out the old chestnut, "the walled garden" as the blame.

Those conclusions are extremely cynical anti-Apple oriented comments, but even worse is that they fail to demonstrate a basic understanding of what Apple has done historically with its products when it comes to technology decisions like these.

 

[sracer]

And since I never made any comment about how much profit they make or don't make from their various product models, this comment has nearly as much relevance as the one above.

What I take issue with is the conclusion some make that because it costs the consumer $x for each storage tier, "obviously" that is the reason they refuse to support USB or SD card readers. Same goes for the conclusion of others when they assume that it's the thinness of the device that is the reason for the same decision, or as another in this thread trotted out the old chestnut, "the walled garden" as the blame.

Those conclusions are extremely cynical anti-Apple oriented comments, but even worse is that they fail to demonstrate a basic understanding of what Apple has done historically with its products when it comes to technology decisions like these.

They're not cynical comments. They are based on an objective examination of the evidence. Every Apple device sold whose sole basis of differentiation within a line is storage capacity does NOT provide support for microSD/SD cards.

The sole basis for the different iPod Touch models is capacity... no removable media. Same holds true for the iPod Nano and Shuffle. Same with the iPhones. Same with iPads. But notebooks and desktops aren't primarily differentiated by storage capacity and they DO support SD cards.

It is so painfully obvious that a major reason why Apple does not provide support for microSD cards on their phones and tablets is because they can charge a premium for tiered storage offerings. If the iPhone had a microSD card slot, how many would buy models with greater storage than the minimum? How much revenue would Apple lose to people who buy the lowest storage capacity model and buy microSD cards instead?

Is that the only reason? No. They might do it because of the thinness of their devices, even though there are devices with microSD support from competitors that are nearly as thin as Apple's latest gen device... and certainly as thin or thinner than Apple's first gen.

 

[JustinePaula]

I cannot see why it would be a problem, having the extra storage would be so handy, it actually harms the brand not having it, the lack of micro sd card slots has hobbled the ipad/iphone in being a better video recording device.

I would be willing to invest in an iphone that can record onto sd cards, as I know that if there is something I want to record, I can, with the limited fixed memory the iphone/ipad has, prevents this.

I suspect Mr Ive and his boss are not the sharpest worms in the Apple.. Mr Ive has no idea about how to use the device in the real world, clings onto some stupid "walled garden" that has no use in the real world. Mr Ive and Mr Cook have actually harmed the brand, and made it worse.

I might be called a troll, so what..I speak the truth, I care, and I am willing to speak out, Mr Jony Ive is not a hot shot designer, he is a short sighted mediocre designer, with 1 good device under his belt, sure the original iphone was great, since then, it looks the same, boring, nothing has changed.

Mr Jony Ive I suspect, is scared, he is afraid of innovation, take a risk, but no, his designs are safe easy boring, no risk devices, the MacbookPro with the hard solder is safe, it is no risk, it is nothing more than a slightly bigger Macbook Air, or an ipad with attached keyboard.

Will the ipad have improved designs in 2014--- No, as long as Mr Ive is running that department, we can expect more of the same boring, and to be honest, the "stolen" shots I have seen of the iphone 6, is more of the same, it is the same black rectangle, it has no stand out features, if this is a design from the great mind of Mr Ive, I want to see what he rejected...Now that is where there real genius is...Taken the rejects and selling that....Not the same boring iphone called iphone 6...

I am so great as a designer, I cannot even concoct a new name for my boring device...Mr Ive you are a joke..

 

[ApfelKuchen]

One of Apple's goals is to have the safest mobile device environment (corporate and government money, among other things). Bidirectional, industry-standard ports make unauthorized data dumps and other such activities more likely. The more holes there are, the harder it is to keep them all plugged. That's why the Lighting to SD Card Camera Reader and the iPad Camera Connector kit are read-only.

You may disagree that it's necessary. You can feel free to call this a rationalization that just happens to work to Apple's economic benefit.

But in the end, the people who want more access to i/o, more access to the file system, greater customization, and other PC-like features are a small part of the iOS market. Most people do not want their iOS devices to be as complicated as computers. Many iPad owners are running away from computers because they're just too complicated to wrap their heads around. While some of us may want the iOS world to become "the computer for all of us," it really is "the computing appliance for the rest of them."

All the things you ask for add to the cost of an iOS device, and only a fraction of end users would be willing to pay for them. They certainly would not make iPad more affordable for the masses. I can see it now, "Greedy Apple is putting all this extra garbage into the iPad so they can charge us more money. Why can't they keep it simple?"

Apple is not likely to diverge from its vision for iOS. They're more likely to bring out MacBook Ultra-Air (or MacPad, or some such), running OS X, with a further extension of the multi-touch interface we see in today's trackpads and Magic Mouse. It'll have all the RAM and storage we want, i/o up the wazoo, AppleScript, Unix command line, software that doesn't have to be approved by Apple, iOS emulation.... We already have the freedom we need in OS X. We can accept the risks and solve our own problems. The only thing that's missing (for the moment) is the form factor. That's far easier for Apple to accomplish than extending iOS to the point that it would satisfy a sophisticated computer user.

Trust Tim when he says that Surface is not the right way to go. Surface is a crippled Windows machine. Apple's "Surface" will be a fully-functional OS X machine that runs Windows and iOS, too.

 

[JustinePaula]

To say the exclusion of ports is to prevent data dumping is not a valid or even logical reason. There are ways with code to prevent access to a certain device, Apple, I mean Mr Hot Shot Designer Ive, could if he was smart included a 2 level of control device, a super administrator level of control.

What should have happened, is that the ipad comes to market with the extra micro sd slot, as it is useful, and if a large company, gov department needs extra level of control, to deny access to this, a short 10 min 2 lines of code, to enable the 2nd level super admin account, that would disable, make invisible the ports to the user.

If there is a need, recall the device into the office, run a short test on the device, if a log reports "hacking" then let the courts and legal have their way...

There was nothing stopping Mr Ive from doing this, he decided that his way was best, when clearly it was not, I agree the Microsoft 1 OS 2 devices approach sucks, win8 is a pile of dog number 2.. I hate it, and yes 2 devices, 2 operating systems is the better option.

Mr Ive, please please for the love of airply, get this stupid system to work, let my ipad talk to my Macbook Pro, both from late 2013...Airplay on the laptop does not see the ipad...It is this one thing that leave me wondering just how sane or in the land of reality Mr Jony Ive is...

Tim Cook is really not in the game, he is not Steve Jobs, Steve would be spinning in his grave to see how Mr Cook/Mr Ive have slaughtered the Apple brand.. It is a vague collection of mismatched parts that do not serve the needs of the consumer, why does the ipad and the laptop not play together using airplay or bluetooth???

 

[Night Spring]

Mr Ive, please please for the love of airply, get this stupid system to work, let my ipad talk to my Macbook Pro, both from late 2013...Airplay on the laptop does not see the ipad...It is this one thing that leave me wondering just how sane or in the land of reality Mr Jony Ive is...

Tim Cook is really not in the game, he is not Steve Jobs, Steve would be spinning in his grave to see how Mr Cook/Mr Ive have slaughtered the Apple brand.. It is a vague collection of mismatched parts that do not serve the needs of the consumer, why does the ipad and the laptop not play together using airplay or bluetooth???

I don't think Ive is in charge of AirPlay. That's a software feature, and Ive is in charge of hardware and UI design.

And Steve Jobs was around when the iPhone and iPad first came out without SD slots or I/O ports. There may be things Tim Cook has done that Jobs might not have approved of, but leaving out ports and card slots was clearly the policy from back when Jobs was alive.

 

[JustinePaula]

Mr Jony Ive cannot have it both ways, he is the designer, that is warts and all, in for a penny, in for a Dollar... If it is on any hardware that has crossed his desk, or he has approved, it is his design.

Mr Cook runs the company, the head of everything in the complex, he made the final decision, in with sd cards, or out with sd cards, he took over from Steve, decided out with sd cards..

Mr Cook did not have to do the same as Steve, that he did, shows the measure of the man, weak and indecisive. Same with Mr Ive, went with safe, as with safe, it has few risks, and what a bad decision.

Nothing says it has to be this or that way, 1 design with ports, and one without, let the consumer vote with their money... I end my discussion with saying that the spirit of Steve Jobs, died in 2011, nothing since is any better...The new iphone 6, boring, the new macbookpro boring, nothing new...Nothing revoultionary...Mr Cook and Mr Ive are no longer relevant!!

 

[medic27]

When not enough people are buying their product because their the only one not allowing storage ports they will offer it.

If they become the only one not offering storage ports and are receiving enough cash for their products, things will stay the same.

Their decisions are based on business needs, not consumer needs.

 

[sracer]

One of Apple's goals is to have the safest mobile device environment (corporate and government money, among other things). Bidirectional, industry-standard ports make unauthorized data dumps and other such activities more likely. The more holes there are, the harder it is to keep them all plugged. That's why the Lighting to SD Card Camera Reader and the iPad Camera Connector kit are read-only.

You may disagree that it's necessary. You can feel free to call this a rationalization that just happens to work to Apple's economic benefit.

I call this rationalization. Especially when the same corporate and government agencies that would be concerned about "unauthorized data dumps" are also concerned about the camera that comes as required equipment on every iPhone. Apple does not offer an iPhone without a camera.

When not enough people are buying their product because their the only one not allowing storage ports they will offer it.

If they become the only one not offering storage ports and are receiving enough cash for their products, things will stay the same.

Their decisions are based on business needs, not consumer needs.

QFT

 

[JustinePaula]

Read my post from earlier today, it sums how Apple could have designed the hardware and software!

 

[neutrino23]

I don't see Apple adding external ports. Most people don't need them, they weaken the physical structure of the device and add cost. For those who do want more space there are many solutions including local WiFi based storage.

 

[richwoodrocket]

No. I doubt it. Apple likes simplicity.

 

[The Doctor11]

No and I don't want it to.

 

[maflynn]

They haven't so far, the only thing I could see is them going to the mini usb due to the EU regulation, but even then I suspect they'll get around that with an adapter.

In the end, I don't see apple adding ports to the iPad

 

[Saint.Icon]

Because some Android/Windows 8 tablets like Samsung Galaxy Tab/Surface Pro 2 have a SD slot to increase the storage and sometimes have a full USB port to transfer files.

And on all of the Ipads released they only have a charging/transfering files port at the bottom of the ipads.

So i was wondering Do you think the Ipad will ever have more ports(SD, USB 3.0) in the future?

I will only think a (likely)SD card slot and a USB port(maybe) in the future Ipads and that would be great!

And those tablets are also twice as thick as the iPad Air. That's how they can fit a thicker port like USB 3.0. As it is the rMBP is barely thick enough to have USB 3.0, so I guarantee that Apple won't be making the iPad thicker to give it USB.

Now, more accessories for the lightning port are definitely possible and are the most likely alternative for additional port support.

 

[alphaod]

No, because it's not a real computer.

 

[sracer]

No, because it's not a real computer.

You must have an odd definition of what a "real computer" is.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

With the new small, reversible, non-directional "USB type C" connector coming out later this year, I could see it as possible that Apple would include one on future devices. Not at all a certainty, mind you. Just possible.

 

[sequoiamac]

I highly doubt it. Apple always have been skimpy on ports and been looking forward to make their devices thinner and lighter.

 

[Tsepz]

I'd love both to come to the iPad, it would help so that I don't have to always find my iPads charger when it runs low, just use one of the many MicroUSB chargers around, and I'd love for MicroSD support to come, would make it easier to transfer files between my iPad and Galaxy S4 without having to use data or connect to iTunes.

With the way Apple is going I think both are a pipe dream, unless they are forced to use MicroUSB by the Euro standards law, then at least we'll get that.