[citation][nom]jamie_1318[/nom]Seriously, A dongle? This isn't the 90s, we have plugs all designed properly to fit right on the device, even one as thin as an ipad. I can't use a dongle to expand my storage options nearly as conveniently as it should be. Dongles are so inconvenient, and requires extra storage space. Why the heck would I want to pull out a dongle every time I wanted to watch/listen/do something that didn't fit on my tablet. Cloud storage is great and all, if you pay for a fast extensive data plan, or are next to a wifi network. But what if you are anywhere without wifi or a data plan, using the cloud suddenly leaves you out of anything and it becomes a brick. It's not uncommon for the cell phone network to drop out in underground buildings, or 90% of Canada, hell sometimes it doesn't even reach my house. even then it's not fast enough to stream hardly anything. Even my home internet goes down for days on end and sometimes I'm left without internet in my own home. It's inconvenient to tether it to things to add media when I could literally go outside now, buy a bunch 16GB microSD cards and turn a measly 16GB tablet into an infinite space tablet. Not convenient, but if I am going somewhere it makes a big difference. Also Micro SD cards are getting cheaper constantly, basically halving in price every year or two. It makes the storage space upgrade from a 16GB tablet into a 32GB tablet $20, or into a 48GB tablet for $40. If you use a dongle are you going to have that hanging out of the ipad constantly, dangling it everywhere you go? That's just asking to lose things and break them. I'd far rather let it stay in the device itself and not risk losing anything and the botehr with the inconvenience of pulling it out every day.I could listen to you if you gave me one good non-monopoly reason why it doesn't have one. I'm all ears. It's a premium tablet but why is it missing a fundamental basic & useful feature that has clearly been patched over with an accessory?[/citation]
Firstly - lets remember the point that most customers don't use SD cards to transfer movies, or songs. Most do not have an SD card reader on their computers - so we're already talking about a minority. You need to grasp that.
Secondly - most people do have a Wifi network in their own home, which is where they will be most of the time when transferring files to their device. Making cloud storage a perfect option. Lots of people also have unlimited data plans. Remember, people don't have to transfer the files they need at the point they want to watch. They can transfer the files
prior, save them on the device hard drive, and watch later.
Thirdly - If your internet goes down, simply plug your device into your laptop using the supplied USB cable. In the cases where you're using your SD card you are probably loading that SD card from a PC, and then switching that into the tablet/phone. Far less efficient.
Fourthly - You can also synchronise files wirelessly over any wifi connection between iPad/iPhone and PC.
Fifthly - Accessing files from SD cards is much slower than using a native hard disk and can affect the performance.
Sixthly - When you do lose connection, or are in a garage, or wherever, it makes no difference. As I already explained, the cloud based storage is not for STREAMING, it's for copying the files you need in ADVANCE of your trip. In other words, when you're at home, you decide what files you want on your iPad or iPhone and they synchonise with no wires, no SD cards, no messing. For longer trips or times when you are away for longer you would typically have a laptop with you which, again, you can simply plug the device into (or any USB hard drive - which are far more popular).
Seventhly - If you're in the minority of people who uses SD cards, and in a minority subset of that minority who doesn't have a data plan or a wifi network, and in the minority subset of that minority of that minority who doesn't take a laptop with them when they travel, you can simply buy a small adapter, like the one I linked, or here:
http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/260875359913?var=lv<yp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&adtype=pla
There is a microSD version too.
Eighthly - If you do use the above 'dongle' - you don't have to leave it plugged into the device while you watch. You simply copy the files you need off that small adapter onto the local hard drive and then unplug it. It's a minor inconvenience but given we're talking about such a small minority, it's hardly a critical factor. What's far more inconvenient is less battery life, crashing, having to install new ROMS, not being given software updates, and slower performance.
Ninthly - 'buy a bunch 16GB microSD cards and turn a measly 16GB tablet into an infinite space tablet' - Firstly, most people don't want or need this. Secondly, using the adapter above you can achieve exactly the same thing with an iPad.
Tenthly - 'I could listen to you if you gave me one good non-monopoly reason why it doesn't have one. I'm all ears. It's a premium tablet but why is it missing a fundamental basic & useful feature that has clearly been patched over with an accessory?'
You miss my point. It's missing not a 'fundamental' feature - it's missing a feature which would appeal to a minority and would reduce performance, whilst increasing cost. Whilst I agree with you that it would be improved by the inclusion of a microSD card reader, the $5 workaround means that it's not much of an issue in my view. The fact that it has been 'patched over' with an accessory is exactly the point. This is nearly always the case, which is why you can do all of the things you would need to on the iPad, if you wanted. The reality is, most people don't need or want that. Plug the iPad into a PC and you can have all the storage in the world, on SD cards, the laptop hard drive, USB harddrives. Most people have this, and aren't often in situations where they don't have a laptop, don't have the internet, for a long enough time that they need more than 16gb worth of content. For the tiny minority who are, get a small adapter, problem solved.
What's a far more fundamental feature of tablets which can't be 'patched over' is performance, battery life, stability, apps, software support, resolution. They are what make the iPad far superior at the moment.
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