iPad Camera Connection Kit Notes and Demo Video

[DanielSw]

. . .If you want webCams, hard drives, keyboards, sd card slots, compact flash card readers, printers, etc etc etc, then you should probably buy a notebook.

This is the main point that's gone missing on the "missing port whiners", that being: the iPad is the first of a new category of device which lies BETWEEN phones and notebooks/laptops.

Its OS is the iPhone OS, not OS X as such, which has some important human interface differences, its main attributes being self containment and portability.

The iPhone is nicely self contained and portable as I would expect a "phone" to be.

The iPad adds to that self containment and portability a large screen along with a touch interface, both of which enable a certain range of operability for apps designed to run on it.

The form factor coupled with the apps make for the uniqueness of the iPad. It isn't meant to be phone, and it isn't meant to be a notebook. Though Apple may relent at some point and add a forward facing camera for teleconferencing and the like, the iPad would make an awkward camera, as such, as it would be too large a box to handle for taking photos.

I think Apple is intentionally holding the line here against the inevitable grumblings of the unwashed masses, as the new device category created by the iPad and with the iPad as its sole member and guidon has had precious little chance to catch on or to be comprehended.

People need some time to get familiar with it and learn the types of things it's good at. My mother used to show me pictures of her as a child, some of them in her school with its blackboards and chalk, as well as individual "slates" which students used to write on with chalk to display their math problems and various word spellings, etc. Just as those primitive slates had their uses, so now does the iPad.

Apple will hopefully not kow tow to every request of every computer geek out there who may be oblivious to the genius of Apple's design intent for the iPad. Rather, the geeks will be left to quibble as they are wont to do over other gadgets and gew gaws which the competition may foist on them.

In the mean time, the iPad will proliferate broadly, finding happy homes everywhere in homes, schools, industry, business, institutions, churches, etc., doing the things people will learn that it does best and most likely never miss its silly SD card and USB connectors.

 

[wovel]

IMO, the reason why Apple didn't place a USB port directly into the iPad is because if they did so they'd potentially have to support every type of device that could attach to that port. They didn't want to do that so they offer a "camera connection kit" that is warranted to work only for the transfer of images from a camera. If it had a standard USB port everyone would be wanting to connect their keyboards, mice, printers, hard drives, video cameras, etc. and if those didn't work there would then be a loud outcry asking why not. Thus, by not providing those ports Apple keeps the system closed and avoids all kinds of compatibility and device support issues.

Furthermore, if they allowed the attachment of just any type of read/write storage over USB or even through a built-in SD card slot then there would be all kinds of issues about file systems and questions as to why you couldn't use the external disk or SD card for application storage or any other type of data that you might like to offload from the internal flash memory. Note, in any case, that the iPad/iPhone has a file system structure that is sandboxed and quite different in layout from the desktop versions of Mac OS X or Windows.

Sure, having a built-in USB port and/or flash card slot would expand the range of options that could be offered on the iPad but it would also mean that Apple would have to support those options and they probably don't want to do that (for a variety of reasons).

You deserve a prize. Sometimes someone just nails it

 

[Carniphage]

I'm excited about the Skype part. Can hardly wait to test it out myself.

Why?
Can't you already use Skype with the standard Apple white headphones?

C.

 

[tny]

So are you saying Apple is lazy? Either way, what you said is not clicking. I mean if they didn't include a simple USB port simply because they didn't want to support every type of device that could attach to that port, then what about the USB adapter? Wouldn't it create the same problem for Apple? Don't tell me there are no USB adapter for the iPad.

There is no general USB adapter, only a camera connection kit which is not intended for general use as a USB device. If someone calls Apple support complaining that their printer doesn't work when connected to the camera connection kit, Apple can say "that's because it's not a camera." The fact that keyboards DO work is an obvious side effect of the internal hardware designed to support the keyboard dock, and not actually an officially supported function of the camera kit, so if the functions of a particular keyboard don't work, Apple can say "Sorry, only the keyboard dock and this list of Bluetooth keyboards is supported."

 

[Erwin-Br]

IMO, the reason why Apple didn't place a USB port directly into the iPad is because if they did so they'd potentially have to support every type of device that could attach to that port. They didn't want to do that so they offer a "camera connection kit" that is warranted to work only for the transfer of images from a camera. If it had a standard USB port everyone would be wanting to connect their keyboards, mice, printers, hard drives, video cameras, etc. and if those didn't work there would then be a loud outcry asking why not. Thus, by not providing those ports Apple keeps the system closed and avoids all kinds of compatibility and device support issues.

Furthermore, if they allowed the attachment of just any type of read/write storage over USB or even through a built-in SD card slot then there would be all kinds of issues about file systems and questions as to why you couldn't use the external disk or SD card for application storage or any other type of data that you might like to offload from the internal flash memory. Note, in any case, that the iPad/iPhone has a file system structure that is sandboxed and quite different in layout from the desktop versions of Mac OS X or Windows.

Sure, having a built-in USB port and/or flash card slot would expand the range of options that could be offered on the iPad but it would also mean that Apple would have to support those options and they probably don't want to do that (for a variety of reasons).

Your logic is flawed. Because Apple now offers USB through the connection kit. It only supports limited hardware, but how is that different from including a normal USB port in the device itself? I mean, people who buy the connection kit may also be confused and call Apple Support asking why they can't connect their USB harddisk to it.

 

[inlovewithi]

There is no general USB adapter, only a camera connection kit which is not intended for general use as a USB device. If someone calls Apple support complaining that their printer doesn't work when connected to the camera connection kit, Apple can say "that's because it's not a camera." The fact that keyboards DO work is an obvious side effect of the internal hardware designed to support the keyboard dock, and not actually an officially supported function of the camera kit, so if the functions of a particular keyboard don't work, Apple can say "Sorry, only the keyboard dock and this list of Bluetooth keyboards is supported."

Interesting. I had no idea.

 

[Erwin-Br]

There is no general USB adapter, only a camera connection kit which is not intended for general use as a USB device. If someone calls Apple support complaining that their printer doesn't work when connected to the camera connection kit, Apple can say "that's because it's not a camera." The fact that keyboards DO work is an obvious side effect of the internal hardware designed to support the keyboard dock, and not actually an officially supported function of the camera kit, so if the functions of a particular keyboard don't work, Apple can say "Sorry, only the keyboard dock and this list of Bluetooth keyboards is supported."

Still not clicking. They could do the same with an internal USB port: Support a limited amount of devices, note that in the manual, and inform users calling Apple Support.

 

[vvebsta]

You're all missing the point... I've said it before and I'll say it again. They COULD have put a SD card slot in the 1st gen and they COULD have put the usb port in the 1st gen, but apple wants everyone to go our and buy the 1st gen then a year or so later put an SD card slot on the 2nd gen. Then everyone will want the 2nd gen. This is how Apple makes their money.

Its not that they couldn't put the feature in, its that they know you'll want that feature even more a year later after you've already bought the 1st gen.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

Let me know when there's a camera integrated. Thanks.

Next generation, enjoy your wait

 

[Cheffy Dave]

Let's say your camera stores photos on CompactFlash (most DSLRs).
So this means an SD reader doesn't help you in any way (built in or otherwise).
This means you can only get the photos off your camera by directly connecting the iPad to the camera or a compactFlash reader via USB cord.
This means you can theoretically just keep your iPad USB dongle permanently attached to your camera USB cord, functionally eliminating the dongle (you'd need to carry around the cord either way)

So how would this be functionally any different than if the iPad had a built-in USB port? Either way I'm plugging one thing in and out to get my photos. I guess the difference is $29, but that amount of money is not worth this much bitching.

Bravo, well put!

 

[marksman]

It was sarcasm. I gave examples of what they've been able to integrate into smaller and more internally dense devices, like the iphone, to demonstrate that they do know how and could have integrated this. So, explain to me how they've managed to fit 2 cameras, an LED flash, an accelerometer, magnetometer, speaker, mic, headphone jack, battery, wireless communication chip sets, ambient light sensors, logic board, LCD screen, and a 30-pin port into the iphone, but some how something as simple as a card reading slot would "sacrifice the design," on an essentially giant iPhone? They've even managed to add 3G chipsets to the iPad, so I'm sure that that real estate could've been used for a port of some sort on the wi-fi only models.

You tell me, but I see a lot more equipment packed into that iPhone than I see inside that iPad.

Perhaps they have future design plans for the device.

An SD slot is not something most people will use on a regular basis. I think it is perfectly reasonable as an add-on.

 

[fabiopigi]

I've got a Nikon D700 with 4 CF-Cards.
When I'm at a off-site shooting, I'm switching the cards on the go.
One is full, take it out, put a new inside, empty the full one via computer/imagetank.
This way, I have my photos saved on a central device and still can use my camera meanwhile.

Does the USB-Connector work with a USB-CF-Card reader?

 

[tny]

Still not clicking. They could do the same with an internal USB port: Support a limited amount of devices, note that in the manual, and inform users calling Apple Support.

An integrated USB socket wouldn't come in a box with "Camera Connection Kit" written all over it. It wouldn't matter how much documentation there was saying that a putative integrated USB socket was for "camera connection only," people would make the perfectly understandable assumption that any USB socket integrated into the device was for general use and b*%#h and moan when it didn't function with their printers, maing stupid comments in Macrumors that "there's a USB connector on there, why is it limited just to cameras and not printers/hard disk drives/web cams/video cameras/gps devices/iPhone tethering/USB target mode, etc., not thinking that each of those use scenarios would require that Apple set up some protocol or driver for it to work. An iPad is NOT intended to be a general-purpose computing device; it is a new variety of mobile communication device that is oriented around text and viewing (but not creating) images and video. Someone compared it to Stephenson's "A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer," and except for the limits on scripting and interpreted languages, it has more than a passing resemblance.

 

[Dooger]

This is the main point that's gone missing on the "missing port whiners", that being: the iPad is the first of a new category of device which lies BETWEEN phones and notebooks/laptops.

Its OS is the iPhone OS, not OS X as such, which has some important human interface differences, its main attributes being self containment and portability.

The iPhone is nicely self contained and portable as I would expect a "phone" to be.

The iPad adds to that self containment and portability a large screen along with a touch interface, both of which enable a certain range of operability for apps designed to run on it.

The form factor coupled with the apps make for the uniqueness of the iPad. It isn't meant to be phone, and it isn't meant to be a notebook. Though Apple may relent at some point and add a forward facing camera for teleconferencing and the like, the iPad would make an awkward camera, as such, as it would be too large a box to handle for taking photos.

I think Apple is intentionally holding the line here against the inevitable grumblings of the unwashed masses, as the new device category created by the iPad and with the iPad as its sole member and guidon has had precious little chance to catch on or to be comprehended.

People need some time to get familiar with it and learn the types of things it's good at. My mother used to show me pictures of her as a child, some of them in her school with its blackboards and chalk, as well as individual "slates" which students used to write on with chalk to display their math problems and various word spellings, etc. Just as those primitive slates had their uses, so now does the iPad.

Apple will hopefully not kow tow to every request of every computer geek out there who may be oblivious to the genius of Apple's design intent for the iPad. Rather, the geeks will be left to quibble as they are wont to do over other gadgets and gew gaws which the competition may foist on them.

In the mean time, the iPad will proliferate broadly, finding happy homes everywhere in homes, schools, industry, business, institutions, churches, etc., doing the things people will learn that it does best and most likely never miss its silly SD card and USB connectors.

How is this a new product? The iPod Touch has been around since 2007, it's just a big version of that. Your argument appears to suggest that apple intentionally gimped the iPad so that technophobes could get used to it without scary features such as USB ports and cameras, you know, crazy stuff that's completely alien to them. If this was there sole intention then it's highly patronising. On the other hand, if they didn't include a USB because they didn't like the look of it, then that's just tragic vanity.

 

[coz707]

I regret getting a sony camera and not one that uses SD

 

[tny]

How is this a new product? The iPod Touch has been around since 2007, it's just a big version of that. Your argument appears to suggest that apple intentionally gimped the iPad so that technophobes could get used to it without scary features such as USB ports and cameras, you know, crazy stuff that's completely alien to them. If this was there sole intention then it's highly patronising. On the other hand, if they didn't include a USB because they didn't like the look of it, then that's just tragic vanity.

If it's an iPod touch, why do you need a USB port? Look, this is not a laptop; it's a device that strips away a lot of the complexity of a general purpose computer to focus on certain core functionalities (reading web, books, and email, watching videos, playing games, and using certain kinds of limited functionality apps). Where a laptop makes certain compromises to make it more general (for instance, the keyboard, which sacrifices ease of holding for ease of data entry, forcing you to use a desk, tray, or lap), a pad makes other compromises (mostly trading extensibility for stability and ease of use for its core functions). If you want a netbook, buy a net book. If you want a tablet computer, Microsoft has had plenty if them available for years. This is not that kind of computer; it has more in common with a Kindle than a Tablet PC.

 

[fpnc]

Your logic is flawed. Because Apple now offers USB through the connection kit. It only supports limited hardware, but how is that different from including a normal USB port in the device itself? I mean, people who buy the connection kit may also be confused and call Apple Support asking why they can't connect their USB harddisk to it.

But officially it's only a camera connection kit, not for use with just any USB device. That's the whole point, the camera connection kit is NOT a general-purpose USB adapter (isn't sold that way, isn't being called that by Apple). To directly quote from the Apple Store:

iPad Camera Connection Kit
The iPad Camera Connection Kit gives you two ways to import photos and videos from a digital camera: using your camera’s USB cable or directly from an SD card...

Thus, you think it would be logical that given this restriction Apple would put a built-in USB port on the iPad and then announce that it could only be used as a still-camera connection port?

The fact that some non-camera USB devices apparently work with the camera connection kit is probably just a side effect of the hardware design. In any case, if you buy the camera connection kit and then find that it doesn't work with USB device XYZ you can't really go and complain to Apple.

 

[MvdM]

Would be nice if you can use a mouse the iPad. I know there's already a touch screen, but I just like to use a mouse...

 

[ikir]

People wanted a cheap tablet, they got it. How do you think Apple is going to make money out of this device which it's been said they're already losing on it?

I mean, the iPad is cheaper than an iPhone lol. Did you really think Apple was going to miss out? They didn't add these ports because everything was pre-planned. You want USB, SD? You're paying it for it, lol. I mean common, the iPad is the first product of its kind, and it didn't even come with a Docking station! I bought the 32GB version, paid 700 bucks with the Apple case, and taxes. I, then bought the dock, 30 bucks, and now buying this, another 30 bucks. I will have spent about 800 bucks total for a device that's labeled as being $599.

Was I caught offguard? No, this is fine for me and totally expected. Those people who complain about why Apple didn't add this to begin with, would have been complaining about the price if Apple would have included these ports in the device with a higher price tag. You just can't please everyone, because they will always find everything unjustifiable. Go figure. Business is business, and Apple (just like every other company) is in the business of making money.

I agree and also on a device like this small i like to have 1 dock connector only and not 1 usb, 1 sd, 1 ipod accessory slot, 1 .....
Guys it is an iPad, it is powerfull, light and cool but it is not a computer, stop dreaming about connecting a classic external hd.
It is like an iPod it is meant be to side by side with a computer... where you store data.

 

[ikir]

Would be nice if you can use a mouse the iPad. I know there's already a touch screen, but I just like to use a mouse...

LOL on iPad a mouse? I think iPad isn't your products then, buy a netbook/small notebook.

 

[tny]

In any case, if you buy the camera connection kit and then find that it doesn't work with USB device XYZ you can't really go and complain to Apple.

I think the problem we're having with this discussion is that some people don't understand the concept of addition by subtraction.

 

[ikir]

How is this a new product? The iPod Touch has been around since 2007, it's just a big version of that. Your argument appears to suggest that apple intentionally gimped the iPad so that technophobes could get used to it without scary features such as USB ports and cameras, you know, crazy stuff that's completely alien to them. If this was there sole intention then it's highly patronising. On the other hand, if they didn't include a USB because they didn't like the look of it, then that's just tragic vanity.

it is not, touch is diffentent, achitecture, cpu are different. In your imagination it is a big iPod touch, reality is a little different.

 

[ikir]

You're all missing the point... I've said it before and I'll say it again. They COULD have put a SD card slot in the 1st gen and they COULD have put the usb port in the 1st gen, but apple wants everyone to go our and buy the 1st gen then a year or so later put an SD card slot on the 2nd gen. Then everyone will want the 2nd gen. This is how Apple makes their money.

Its not that they couldn't put the feature in, its that they know you'll want that feature even more a year later after you've already bought the 1st gen.

Nope. The truth is innovation continue and they save space, in taht space they can put more things, selling many iPad let them bring down the costs for next gen materials, so they can put more things without increasing price (for us and for them too).
Nobody is stopping you from buying a next gne when available and wait now. The adapter is cheap too and not all need to import photos on iPad so the better option is still to have it an external addon.

 

[joemama]

IMO, the reason why Apple didn't place a USB port directly into the iPad is because if they did so they'd potentially have to support every type of device that could attach to that port. They didn't want to do that so they offer a "camera connection kit" that is warranted to work only for the transfer of images from a camera. If it had a standard USB port everyone would be wanting to connect their keyboards, mice, printers, hard drives, video cameras, etc. and if those didn't work there would then be a loud outcry asking why not. Thus, by not providing those ports Apple keeps the system closed and avoids all kinds of compatibility and device support issues.

.

This was my thought at first, but why would Apple have a USB adapter? People are already testing USB headphones, keyboards, etc.

THe answer is money, two-fold.

1.) Apple will make money off adapter sales for the current iPad.
2.) And again when people upgrade to iPad v.2 when it includes a built in USB port, SD slot and for the LOVE OF G@D a CAMERA!!!!

 

[tny]

Next generation, enjoy your wait

I can't imagine them adding a back facing camera to this except for augmented reality applications. As someone else pointed out, imagine yourself trying to take family snapshots with this thing - it's the wrong form factor.

I'm disappointed, but not surprised, that there's no Apple-branded Back to My Mac app. Yes, there are other VNC clients, like Mocha VNC, but a MobileMe integrated app for remote use of your desktop would very marketable. I suspect the reason is because OS X apps really aren't designed for a touch interface, so Apple might not want to go down that road.

I agree with those who are surprised that there's no Front Row app for streaming from iTunes. It would seem to integrate well with their existing functionality.