Some SD Cards Not Working Properly With 2021 14 and 16-Inch MacBook Pros

[ruka.snow]

So wait... you're blaming this problem on the cards themselves?

Not these new Macbook Pros?

How do you explain when a card works fine in an external card reader... but not in their $2,000 Macbook Pro?

Is it still the card's fault?

SD cards often work on one camera and not the other and one reader and not the other. SD cards being flaky and/or failing is expected.

 

[ruka.snow]

I’ve literally never had an SD card fail on me in all the years I’ve used them. I get that they’re not the most robust storage system in the world but you make it sound like storing anything on them is a total gamble.

It is a total gamble. You have just had very good luck. Even the expensive UHS-II cards have failed, in pairs no less. With SD cards you always take the chance it'll fail so you use dual cards and backup often. Or more likely you only record JPG backups onto the SD card and record the full RAW onto the primary media which will be CF, XQD, CFast, or CF express.

 

[ruka.snow]

LOL, ignoring the fact that Apple is a member of the SD Association, what other widely available storage format can handle 128TB or 1GB/sec?

SD cards haven't reached 1 GB/s yet, that requires SD Express. CF Express is already faster.

 

[Fomalhaut]

I would love to have a Cfexpress slot since most high end cameras use that nowadays. I don't have anything with an SD card anymore. For the last 5 years or so.

OK...what media format are you using for removable storage?

 

[ruka.snow]

Apple can do no wrong.

They put a legacy SD slot in a professional laptop. Apple can certainly do wrong.

 

[Fomalhaut]

That's because the built-in reader is using the cheap slow standard, and a recent external reader probably uses the more recent fast standards.

The built-in reader is UHS-II as is said to support at least 250MB/s transfers with UHS-II cards that support speeds over this.

Obviously, this isn't working consistently for everyone...

 

[Fomalhaut]

They put a legacy SD slot in a professional laptop. Apple can certainly do wrong.

In other words, Apple included a reader for the most widely used removable storage standard today (and for the next several years), in a laptop that millions of people will buy.

I'm not suggesting that millions of people will buy the M1 Pro/Max *because* it has an SD-card slot - but the presence of slot used by maybe 25% of users is going to be more attractive to potential buyers than a slot that supports media used by 1% of users.

By the same argument, one could say that 90% of users would use a fourth USB-C/TB4 port.... and that would be a fair debate. Apple clearly thought they were adding value to a significant proportion of potential buyers by the addition of the SD-card port. If they had added CFExpress, the *vast* majority of buyers would say "WTF is this? It's only for people with $2000 cameras"... Some users (a small percentage) would be very happy with this, but not the majority.

Of course, if the SD-slot implementation is in fact broken, then Apple will have royally dropped the ball, and I would happily retract my view.

 

[paalb]

Yep - and old cards could be the problem.

And don't forget about the fake SD cards from c2015 that were labelled 32GB, but were like 4MB capacity - fakes.

Any chances of this - I wonder about it.

I had a few old cards fail - but no problems with new SD cards so far.

Sorry this is not right, all my 5 old cards are working very well, only my half a year old has the symptoms described by many. The one who does not work, works in external reader and in old Macbook Pro 2015.

 

[BreakYurAnkles]

I'm curious,

I'm not a SD card user or a camera/audio recording person. But if your camera/equipment has a USB (any type) connection, shouldn't you be able to transfer your data from that?

I think it would be better to keep the storage inside the device and transfer the files with USB-c and it would be faster and more reliable? No?

 

[ruka.snow]

By the same argument, one could say that 90% of users would use a fourth USB-C/TB4 port.... and that would be a fair debate. Apple clearly thought they were adding value to a significant proportion of potential buyers by the addition of the SD-card port. If they had added CFExpress, the *vast* majority of buyers would say "WTF is this? It's only for people with $2000 cameras"... Some users (a small percentage) would be very happy with this, but not the majority.

I am sure if they put SD on the MBA and iMac and CF Express on the MBP that not a soul would be confused that the consumer model got a consumer card reader and the pro model got a pro card reader.

 

[Manzanito]

Yes I do understand people have different needs, and I personally use SD cards a lot. And yes, SD card is not the reason we lost a tb4 port, hdmi is.

But it is a fact that tb4 ports can become any port we need. Having used usb-c only for multiple years, I always keep a small hub with me for occasional needs for usb-a, sd card, micro sd, etc. I will still keep it even if my macbook comes with an sd card slot, not to mention it is only ufs-ii and won’t work for unforeseen reasons. And I usually have a usb-c cable with me so I can get the files directly from my camera.
I am not saying everyone should live this way, but it is very convenient to have a universal port done right, that can become anything needed by everyone.

Some pros use sd card, but some don’t. If Apple wants to satisfy everyone, why don’t they include a CFast port? How about an ethernet port? But that is not how apple usually does it. Some people hate it, but some do like it. I really wouldn’t want my macbook to have a vga port, some company, usually apple push for it.

If we do acknowledge people have different needs, isn’t having more thunderbolt ports the better possible way to do it?

Apple, having all the data, decided to bring back the sd reader, so they seem to disagree.

When apple had to explain why they got rid of the sd reader the best reason they could come up with was that “an sd card protruding from the computer looks cumbersome”, as opposed to the elegance of yet another dongle, I guess.

 

[TheOldChevy]

I'm curious,

I'm not a SD card user or a camera/audio recording person. But if your camera/equipment has a USB (any type) connection, shouldn't you be able to transfer your data from that?

I think it would be better to keep the storage inside the device and transfer the files with USB-c and it would be faster and more reliable? No?

The card is much smaller than the camera. It connects in a simple way. And not all cameras have USB-C, they tend to have older USB with more or less reliable connectors.

 

[Michael Scrip]

I'm not a SD card user or a camera/audio recording person. But if your camera/equipment has a USB (any type) connection, shouldn't you be able to transfer your data from that?

I think it would be better to keep the storage inside the device and transfer the files with USB-c and it would be faster and more reliable? No?

If your camera has a fast USB-C port... you can connect your camera to the computer. But that requires a cable and the camera itself.

I can tell you it's a whole lot easier to just spit out the tiny card and bring it to your computer.

After I'm done shooting... I take the cards out of my camera or camcorder and put them in a little SD card wallet in my backpack.

That prevents me from having to dig through my giant Pelican case when I get home. I leave the case on a shelf near the garage... as it doesn't usually come into my home office.

The nice thing about removable media is just that... it's removable.

 

[aevan]

Always wait for the second iteration of a device.

Some people need new computers now and can't wait, you can't guarantee that the second iteration won't come with its own problems and you also don't know how widespread some issue is. This is not good advice.

Also, every product has issues for some people or in some situations, you can't possibly predict which one of them - or which generation of them - will have problems and which one won't, especially for specific use cases. It's always a bit of a lottery.

 

[IllinoisCorn]

More Rev. A stories.

 

[MacModMachine]

OK...what media format are you using for removable storage?

he said right in the same sentence your replying too.....

 

[flexiboy1912]

Well worth the £3,300! I tried to update my maps in car and it won't see my SD card. Slap it in an adapter and instantly appear. Shame on you Apple!

 

[t0rqx]

I just want to know why I have to be logged in and screen not locked before a thumb drive will mount in Monterey. Maybe on some level related.

This pretty makes sense to me. Sounds like a good security feature. Just like the iPhone accepting or not accepting USB accessoires when phone is locked.

 

[Wokis]

Welcome back to dongle town!

 

[boss.king]

Partially true: many higher end cameras, especially those with rapid fps and/or higher resolution, are moving to CF Express, or a combination of this with SD, in order to be able to rapidly clear their buffers. They are also more reliable (so they say). I expect in 5 years all pro cameras will be dual CFe.

And in five years I imagine they might take out the SD reader again. Or they might not because cameras aren’t the only things that use SD cards.

 

[darngooddesign]

No... you misread my post. I'm replying to the guy who said SD cards aren't relavant anymore. They definitely are and will be for many years to come.

I apologize. I see how I misinterpreted your comment.

 

[KINGrichardthe3rd]

Apple can too. No problem with and SD cards and my iMacs and old MBPs.

Old MBPs were notorious for this problem, and I had one that had the problem. I ended up just buying an external card reader.

My 2015 MBP’s SD card reader worked for great for many years, but now it’s 50-50 as to whether a card (new or old) will show up. It can take 30+ seconds or just never appear. I have to remove and reinsert. I had really hoped it was wear and tear and it wouldn’t be an issues when I finally get my M1 in. I’m not a day 1 type of purchaser and really hope all these bugs get ironed out.

 

[svish]

Hopefully apple will fix it real soon

 

[jlc1978]

If we do acknowledge people have different needs, isn’t having more thunderbolt ports the better possible way to do it?

It also means more dngles. Not that I am opposed to using them; just it's convenient not to have to as well.

I am trying to understand why magsafe is still preferred.
The older circular ports on laptops are usually very hard to pull out, and magsafe does solve the problem of tripping on cables. USB-c cables are, however, much easy to pull off. I would even argue the lateral force you need to pull usbc off is a lot smaller compared to this year’s magsafe3.

Yanking a cable out of USB-C could damage the port on the MBP. A USB-C MagSafe implementation deals with that; and I use thrird party ones on my M1 Air and MBP. Save them several times.

Or, again, the could have split every controller into two ports. There would have been six ports. Again, there is enough room on the chassis. The question is, would that have stopped people from complaining? (The correct answer is, nothing will stop people from complaining.)

Dennis D.

Why not just add more controllers? That could be done in the initial design; but add to the costs and size requirements.

But one thing always works... DONGLES! Or more specifically, external card readers. I guess that was the answer all along!

I'm confused - are dongles now our allies and ports the enemy?

It better be fixable via software or it’s going to be a disastrous recall. However, Apple has a way of seemingly burying issues that need to be fixed. They need to be held more accountable.

Who says they'll do a recall? It takes a lot to get Aple to do that.

But sometimes they don't just work. And sometimes the internal reader is slower, especially if your laptop is old. SD card readers are one of the few things I'd rather use a dongle for.

On my laptop, the SD card slot is only used with a semi-permanently inserted MicroSD adaptor that sits flush with the side to give me more storage cheaply.

Same here. I use it with CCC as an on the go always there backup; although that may shorten the SD card's life. My playing with the RaspberryPi indicates SD cards don't do well when used like an SSD.

SD cards for their physical size/weight and memory capacity are pretty phenomenal really.

Years ago I was at a Boston Computer Club meeting where Scully spoke. He brought some internal Apple films; one of which was about Apple 30 years in teh future. A grey haired Woz inserted a tiny memory card in his Apple glasses computer. Apple was bigger than IBM and bought them.

They put a legacy SD slot in a professional laptop. Apple can certainly do wrong.

Corrrect. Quite a few professionals find it useful.

I am sure if they put SD on the MBA and iMac and CF Express on the MBP that not a soul would be confused that the consumer model got a consumer card reader and the pro model got a pro card reader.

Define pro. I am a professional user n that my MBP is used to make a living; and SD cards are a lot more common than CF Express; unless you happen to be say a pro photographer and even then SD is quite common.

Apple, having all the data, decided to bring back the sd reader, so they seem to disagree.

When apple had to explain why they got rid of the sd reader the best reason they could come up with was that “an sd card protruding from the computer looks cumbersome”, as opposed to the elegance of yet another dongle, I guess.

I would love Apple to make a flush microSD adaptor for the MBP, even I it's 2x as say those already out as long as it works well.

And in five years I imagine they might take out the SD reader again. Or they might not because cameras aren’t the only things that use SD cards.

Exactly. Having all my critical files on a removal card so I can keep working if m MBP dies is worth it. Not having to keep attaching a dongle is also useful.

I also have multiple cloud backups but that means I have to have a fas connection to get the data vs. plugging in a card reader.

 

[jkev57]

You’re inserting it wrong! (sorry someone had to say it)

That's what she said.