5 ms·

what's the general need for microSD? My XPS-13 has one but I've never understood why its such a big deal. I almost never use it.

gnicholas 5y ago
Given how much Apple charges for storage, and the fact that it is not expandable, SD card slots offer a reasonable way to get more storage. With a starting price at $2000, this may not make sense for people who don’t need a pro level machine but were looking forward to features like this
- destitude 5y ago
  SD cards are not a reliable medium term storage mechanism. They wear out much faster then SSD drives.
  - gnicholas 5y ago
    Yup, I’d just use it for storing my iTunes library and one of my iPhone backups. I currently use an external drive, which I don’t take everywhere. SD would make it trivial to have both of these with me at all times. I’d also be able to keep all my photos and downloaded videos for travel, without having to worry about filling up my internal storage.
  - zmmmmm 5y ago
    Yep. But there are huge types of cases where that's still useful. For example, I have all my docker images on a removable SD card. It's all cached so it doesn't matter but its hundreds of GB I don't need on my main storage.
- musicale 5y ago
  That's exactly what I did - for previous Macbook Pro models with SD card slots you can find flush sd cards or adapters with an aluminum end that blends right into the case (you can still remove it fairly easily but I hardly ever do.)
kristjansson 5y ago
AV/Photo import?
nazgulnarsil 5y ago
photo/video people use those ports constantly, like all day every day.
- geerlingguy 5y ago
  Can confirm. Outside of the higher-end cameras (photo and video), EVERYthing still uses SD cards. And it's easy to adapt microSD cards to it for Raspberry Pis, drones, dash cams, phones, audio recorders, etc.
- krzyk 5y ago
  OK, but there are dongles for that, I use one (the same one) for 10 years, since I got my first camera. Used it before laptops had sd port, and now use it when they don't have it again. No issues with that. In case of cameras there are sdcards that are wifi enabled, and also newer cameras should support wireless transfer - isn't that easier and faster instead of pulling out the card?
  - NovaS1X 5y ago
    >In case of cameras there are sdcards that are wifi enabled, and also newer cameras should support wireless transfer - isn't that easier and faster instead of pulling out the card? No, because transferring 1TB+ of data from your camera over the crappy built in wifi chip is a much worse user experience than just plugging in an SD card. Lots of cameras also require you to connect to the camera's hot-spot, which means while transferring that data you are not on wifi. If you're just sending a few jpegs over, fine, wifi is great, but for people to whom the "Pro" moniker actually matters, it's a big deal. Dongles are fine for sure, but having a slot built in is better, and there's no real reason not to have one other than "aesthetics"
    - krzyk 5y ago
      > No, because transferring 1TB+ of data from your camera over the crappy built in wifi chip is a much worse user experience than just plugging in an SD card. I didn't thought that pro cameras that support 1TB sd cards have crappy wifi chips, I stand corrected. But usually sdcards are not the fastest storage mediums. > there's no real reason not to have one other than "aesthetics" There is a reason - they take up space inside the laptop that could be used for something else. Not sure if that applies to macbook, but additional ports are not a free lunch.
martpie 5y ago
microSD none, but SDCard readers (the one here) are extremely useful to photographers.
scheme271 5y ago
Probably for the photography workflows where you grab the card out of your camera and then process and edit your RAWs.
chromatin 5y ago
Besides photo/video which was already mentioned, SD is commonly used in 3D printing (to transfer STL to printer)
beermonster 5y ago
Import your days photoshoot to review your work, reformat the card and most importantly to back it up to TimeMachine. Wonder how many people just now shoot on their iPhone 12/13 at least for snaps.
audunw 5y ago
There are a lot of different use-cases for SDcard/microSD. It's not useful to everyone, but I think it's definitely useful enough to have built in. Same with HDMI.. I'd probably use SDcard more than HDMI (like for setting up Raspberry PI, accessing videos from dash cam or using my old camera, which is still better than iPhone for some types of pictures). I think those ports are aimed at the professionals in certain sector, but lots of regular people use them too. Recently I've also used microSD with USB-microSD adapter instead of USB sticks (like for music in the car).. last time I wanted to buy USB memory stick it was the cheaper option, and the adapter isn't much bigger than a typical USB memory stick anyway.
- ghaff 5y ago
  As someone who presents a lot, primarily at events. It's nice to have HDMI built in given that HDMI is the standard for projector connectors and I expect it to be so for a long time. (VGA stuck around forever.)
  - GreenWatermelon 5y ago
    VGA is still around in my college, and the projectors are what I could call utter trash.
  - ericd 5y ago
    Even without presenting a lot, being able to impromptu throw my screen up onto whatever random TV/projector is around via HDMI has come in handy surprisingly often on my 2013 MBP. If I had been limited to DisplayPort, I would’ve been able to do that <5% of the time.
    - ghaff 5y ago
      True. At a conference, I should have all my dongles with me. But I don't in a random conference room--not that I've spent much time in my local office for years.
NovaS1X 5y ago
Photo/video import mostly. I don't feel like transferring 1TB of data over crappy built-in wifi chip on my camera or having to plug the camera in and have it act as a fancy card reader.
nuerow 5y ago
> what's the general need for microSD? I use a USB pendrive formatted with a case-sensitive partition to cache data for an app I use, because it's far better to spend 20$ on a pendrive than 200$ for a SSD upgrade. Given the choice, I'd prefer to use a SD card for that than a USB pendrive, as the USB pendrive requires either a USB hub or a USB pen always sticking out of the chassis.
entropie 5y ago
Photos. Photo journalists need often to send pictures they just took to their agencies to be in the first places in the race who brings the content first on their web page. I actually use my microSD slot on my xps quite often for camera related stuff.
aaroninsf 5y ago
I am happy to get it, I still shoot with a large-sensor digital PAS camera and bought a hyperdrive just so I could rip the cards and have an HDMI port. Excited to leave that thing behind.
DocG 5y ago
Importing pictures videos from camera, car DVR, just storage, gopros, drones, raspberry pi etc. Much faster to pop the SD card than to connect via USB to transfer files. Much more convenient not at desk.
mixmastamyk 5y ago
Wish SD cards were better supported by stereo equipment. Recently realized that USB flash drives are kinda clumsy for that.

gnicholas 5y ago

Given how much Apple charges for storage, and the fact that it is not expandable, SD card slots offer a reasonable way to get more storage. With a starting price at $2000, this may not make sense for people who don’t need a pro level machine but were looking forward to features like this

destitude 5y ago
SD cards are not a reliable medium term storage mechanism. They wear out much faster then SSD drives.
- gnicholas 5y ago
  Yup, I’d just use it for storing my iTunes library and one of my iPhone backups. I currently use an external drive, which I don’t take everywhere. SD would make it trivial to have both of these with me at all times. I’d also be able to keep all my photos and downloaded videos for travel, without having to worry about filling up my internal storage.
- zmmmmm 5y ago
  Yep. But there are huge types of cases where that's still useful. For example, I have all my docker images on a removable SD card. It's all cached so it doesn't matter but its hundreds of GB I don't need on my main storage.
musicale 5y ago
That's exactly what I did - for previous Macbook Pro models with SD card slots you can find flush sd cards or adapters with an aluminum end that blends right into the case (you can still remove it fairly easily but I hardly ever do.)

kristjansson 5y ago

AV/Photo import?

nazgulnarsil 5y ago

photo/video people use those ports constantly, like all day every day.

geerlingguy 5y ago
Can confirm. Outside of the higher-end cameras (photo and video), EVERYthing still uses SD cards. And it's easy to adapt microSD cards to it for Raspberry Pis, drones, dash cams, phones, audio recorders, etc.
krzyk 5y ago
OK, but there are dongles for that, I use one (the same one) for 10 years, since I got my first camera. Used it before laptops had sd port, and now use it when they don't have it again. No issues with that. In case of cameras there are sdcards that are wifi enabled, and also newer cameras should support wireless transfer - isn't that easier and faster instead of pulling out the card?
- NovaS1X 5y ago
  >In case of cameras there are sdcards that are wifi enabled, and also newer cameras should support wireless transfer - isn't that easier and faster instead of pulling out the card? No, because transferring 1TB+ of data from your camera over the crappy built in wifi chip is a much worse user experience than just plugging in an SD card. Lots of cameras also require you to connect to the camera's hot-spot, which means while transferring that data you are not on wifi. If you're just sending a few jpegs over, fine, wifi is great, but for people to whom the "Pro" moniker actually matters, it's a big deal. Dongles are fine for sure, but having a slot built in is better, and there's no real reason not to have one other than "aesthetics"
  - krzyk 5y ago
    > No, because transferring 1TB+ of data from your camera over the crappy built in wifi chip is a much worse user experience than just plugging in an SD card. I didn't thought that pro cameras that support 1TB sd cards have crappy wifi chips, I stand corrected. But usually sdcards are not the fastest storage mediums. > there's no real reason not to have one other than "aesthetics" There is a reason - they take up space inside the laptop that could be used for something else. Not sure if that applies to macbook, but additional ports are not a free lunch.

martpie 5y ago

microSD none, but SDCard readers (the one here) are extremely useful to photographers.

scheme271 5y ago

Probably for the photography workflows where you grab the card out of your camera and then process and edit your RAWs.

chromatin 5y ago

Besides photo/video which was already mentioned, SD is commonly used in 3D printing (to transfer STL to printer)

beermonster 5y ago

Import your days photoshoot to review your work, reformat the card and most importantly to back it up to TimeMachine. Wonder how many people just now shoot on their iPhone 12/13 at least for snaps.

audunw 5y ago

There are a lot of different use-cases for SDcard/microSD. It's not useful to everyone, but I think it's definitely useful enough to have built in. Same with HDMI.. I'd probably use SDcard more than HDMI (like for setting up Raspberry PI, accessing videos from dash cam or using my old camera, which is still better than iPhone for some types of pictures). I think those ports are aimed at the professionals in certain sector, but lots of regular people use them too. Recently I've also used microSD with USB-microSD adapter instead of USB sticks (like for music in the car).. last time I wanted to buy USB memory stick it was the cheaper option, and the adapter isn't much bigger than a typical USB memory stick anyway.

ghaff 5y ago
As someone who presents a lot, primarily at events. It's nice to have HDMI built in given that HDMI is the standard for projector connectors and I expect it to be so for a long time. (VGA stuck around forever.)
- GreenWatermelon 5y ago
  VGA is still around in my college, and the projectors are what I could call utter trash.
- ericd 5y ago
  Even without presenting a lot, being able to impromptu throw my screen up onto whatever random TV/projector is around via HDMI has come in handy surprisingly often on my 2013 MBP. If I had been limited to DisplayPort, I would’ve been able to do that <5% of the time.
  - ghaff 5y ago
    True. At a conference, I should have all my dongles with me. But I don't in a random conference room--not that I've spent much time in my local office for years.

NovaS1X 5y ago

Photo/video import mostly. I don't feel like transferring 1TB of data over crappy built-in wifi chip on my camera or having to plug the camera in and have it act as a fancy card reader.

nuerow 5y ago

> what's the general need for microSD? I use a USB pendrive formatted with a case-sensitive partition to cache data for an app I use, because it's far better to spend 20$ on a pendrive than 200$ for a SSD upgrade. Given the choice, I'd prefer to use a SD card for that than a USB pendrive, as the USB pendrive requires either a USB hub or a USB pen always sticking out of the chassis.

entropie 5y ago

Photos. Photo journalists need often to send pictures they just took to their agencies to be in the first places in the race who brings the content first on their web page. I actually use my microSD slot on my xps quite often for camera related stuff.

aaroninsf 5y ago

I am happy to get it, I still shoot with a large-sensor digital PAS camera and bought a hyperdrive just so I could rip the cards and have an HDMI port. Excited to leave that thing behind.

DocG 5y ago

Importing pictures videos from camera, car DVR, just storage, gopros, drones, raspberry pi etc. Much faster to pop the SD card than to connect via USB to transfer files. Much more convenient not at desk.

mixmastamyk 5y ago

Wish SD cards were better supported by stereo equipment. Recently realized that USB flash drives are kinda clumsy for that.