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I said I would never buy one
- Thread starter scupking
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Well, he actually implied it could replace internal storage as well....which I do disagree with for the reasons listed above.
Being an amateur photographer, I would prefer a built-in SD reader myself. The iPad is perfect for on-the-go photo reviewing and editing. A built-in SD card reader would be much more useful than the camera kit which always seems to be in the wrong bag (the one I left at home) or just annoying in general to deal with. Not a fan of the solution at all.
When I say struggled, I was referring to the delay in implementing the feature in the Xoom when it first came out with Honeycomb. Even today it is a bit kludgy with the sdcard and extStorages labels. To me, SD card is SD card, but to my Tab SD card is the internal memory and extStorages is the actual removable SD card. It takes 1 second to figure this out for me, but I'm not so sure I want to be explaining this to my Dad.
I agree with you, this is not an advanced concept. That is precisely my point. Apple has decided that it is, and that we are better off without it.
That may be one of the things that apple takes into account, but I think it's obvious the main reasons for not supporting sd cards are:
1) so that they can continue selling higher storage devices to people for an extra £100/$100 (micro sd cards are much cheaper)
2) to keep people locked into the iTunes ecosystem.
I'm a bit surprised nobody has pointed this out yet, but having a SD card slot wold make the iPad thicker and/or bulkier. Notice the nice taper at the edge of the iPad 2? It slims down to almost nothing where the back meets the front. If there were a SD card slot on the iPad, the edge couldn't taper like that.
How does an internal storage system relate to locking people into iTunes ecosystem? I don't have any trouble loading non-iTunes content onto the iPad as it currently is.
How does an internal storage system relate to locking people into iTunes ecosystem? I don't have any trouble loading non-iTunes content onto the iPad as it currently is.
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Congrats it will be an experience but trust me you won't miss your sd card slot.
Apple does not use them because SD cards are mostly slow in comparison to the onboard flash and are unreliable. All which could effect the user experience in a negative way.
Apple do use them, they also build SD card readers in to most of their computers. Speeds of high end SD cards are now comparable to flash and SSD and I don't how you think they are unreliable??
I actually think they just want you to buy the higher capacity model. It wouldn't be that difficult to just put a slot on it. And just as you said, there are now cards that do match the iPads Data speeds.
I also said that there was no use for the iPad when they started selling the iPad 1. I now preordered the 3 as I'm really looking forward to using it as a pdf reader for research (and of course recreational stuff too). That being said, I would have bought a 128 GB model in an instant as I'm currently downsizing all pdfs to fit on the iPad (I hate syncing and would rather carry everything around with me). An SD card slot would have been real nice to add to the capacity and provide a changeable HDD (work stuff SD card / private content SD card). Would have been fantastic.
And until phone companies start to offer a real unlimited data plan HD space matters (at least for me as I rarely have a wireless connection when I'm not at home).
I also said that there was no use for the iPad when they started selling the iPad 1. I now preordered the 3 as I'm really looking forward to using it as a pdf reader for research (and of course recreational stuff too). That being said, I would have bought a 128 GB model in an instant as I'm currently downsizing all pdfs to fit on the iPad (I hate syncing and would rather carry everything around with me). An SD card slot would have been real nice to add to the capacity and provide a changeable HDD (work stuff SD card / private content SD card). Would have been fantastic.
And until phone companies start to offer a real unlimited data plan HD space matters (at least for me as I rarely have a wireless connection when I'm not at home).
Apple do use them, they also build SD card readers in to most of their computers. Speeds of high end SD cards are now comparable to flash and SSD and I don't how you think they are unreliable??
Apple does use them in most of there laptops and they should. But in a tablet I don't think it is necessary to increase the bulk or the number of openings for dust, dirt and water to come inside. Just use the dongle. Not everyone in the world is a photographer but my buddy has no problem using his.
Most sd cards are slow in comparison. The ones as fast as you are talking about would cost the same as buying the bigger model.
I know you see sd cards with 16gbs and 30MBs per sec speeds. Don't think that is what your going to get. Also sd cards go bad alot in comparison. There is also a latency issue to do deal with.
Trust me I have run android off and sd card and played apps it is not the same. NAND memory takes alot of abuse.
I would really love to see something to back up the bolded statement.
Apple do use them, they also build SD card readers in to most of their computers. Speeds of high end SD cards are now comparable to flash and SSD and I don't how you think they are unreliable??
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you still have to use iTunes to put non-iTunes content on your device!
His point is that Apple doesn't actually force you to buy all your content from iTunes. You can buy your mp3's from AmazonMP3 and rip your movies from your DVD collection, and Apple doesn't get a dime.
Google is your friend.
Granted they may not be quite there, but SD cards are now becoming available with speeds in excess of 100MB/s which when compared to some of the speeds people are reporting for their MBA write speeds is not a million miles away.
My point was, whilst they may not match exactly, SD cards are not as "slow" as people make out anymore, they are a viable means of storage and very reliable, gone are the days of dropping your compact flash card and corrupting your data, SD cards are quick and reliable hence why they have become such a widely accepted means of mobile storage these days.
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The same can be said of any drive, SSD included, I bet yours doesn't write as fast as is quoted - they very rarely do.
Just because you don't see the need for an SD card slot in your tablet, doesn't mean there are plenty of other people that would see huge benefit from it and see it as a desirable feature on tablets.
I was being a little slippery in the way I framed my question. My point was in the context of cost, and making apples to apples comparisons. A common refrain is that Apple is ripping people off in their storage pricing, because they see 64 GB SD cards for $80. But 64 GB cards with comparable speed (setting aside other factors like protection against corruption) are going to run you (surprise!) $200 or so on Amazon. Retail prices are even higher.
Well after bashing iPads for what seems like an eternity I am absolutely loving mine and using it for emails, news, rss feeds and a bit of Netflix so far so good
I've spent the last two years wanting an iPad just because they're really fun and pretty, but I figured that it couldn't really do more than my iPhone, especially since I can't afford the 3G/4G models. I've been traveling a lot recently, and while I love my Macbook Pro to pieces, it's a real pain to take with me, and my classes this year have made it annoying to carry around campus on top of all of my textbooks. Plus, I've been wanting to get an e-reader of some sort to digitize my increasingly inconvenient book collection (it's tough to be an avid reader while moving between campus apartment and home all year around!).
So after a few months of debating and research, and then a two month wait for the release of the new iPad, I finally made my purchase and I'm incredibly happy with my decision! The screen is absolutely gorgeous, the device is so much lighter and more convenient to carry around than my Macbook Pro, and it's just plain fun to use.
Just another Apple product to obsess over, I guess! Drives my mother mad, especially since she works for Microsoft haha.
So after a few months of debating and research, and then a two month wait for the release of the new iPad, I finally made my purchase and I'm incredibly happy with my decision! The screen is absolutely gorgeous, the device is so much lighter and more convenient to carry around than my Macbook Pro, and it's just plain fun to use.
Just another Apple product to obsess over, I guess! Drives my mother mad, especially since she works for Microsoft haha.
Sorry, didn't see this post until now.
Yes, you have to use iTunes to transfer content, but as long as you can transfer non-iTunes content, I don't see why that constitutes an economic lock-in.
F
fishcove
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Removable media introduces a whole additional level of complexity to file management. Every operation has to allow for the fact that files/folders that were there a second ago have suddenly disappeared. Makes the software a lot more complicated, and inevitably the user experience as well.
Not saying it can't (or shouldn't) be done, just that there's a lot more to it that one might think at first.
You should have gone for the 32 or 64gb iPad... You'll only be able to download 20-30 apps with the new retina display.