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Phil Schiller Says the MacBook Pro Doesn't Need an SD Card Slot (theverge.com)
Apple's new MacBook Pro models have upset many people for many different reasons. Some are unhappy with the inability to get more than 16GB of RAM, some are upset with the high-price, some are unhappy about the missing physical Escape and function keys, and many are unhappy because Apple didn't put an SD card slot in the MacBook Pro. But Apple has an explanation. From a report on The Verge: Speaking to The Independent (paywalled), Apple exec Phil Schiller said the company had dropped the SD card slot as it was "cumbersome" and because wireless transfer technology for cameras is "proving very useful" as an alternative. Schiller said, "Because of a couple of things. One, it's a bit of a cumbersome slot. You've got this thing sticking halfway out. Then there are very fine and fast USB card readers, and then you can use CompactFlash as well as SD. So we could never really resolve this -- we picked SD because more consumer cameras have SD but you can only pick one. So, that was a bit of a trade-off. And then more and more cameras are starting to build wireless transfer into the camera. That's proving very useful. So we think there's a path forward where you can use a physical adaptor if you want, or do wireless transfer."
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In the near future, any Apple user will be easily identified by the bag of expensive dongles he/she would have to carry to maintain functionality. Wireless?! Gimme a break, anyone that shoots photos in volume with a DSLR (I routinely get over 1000 shots from a single live music venue shoot, low/variable light and moving subjects makes for a huge number of throwaway shots ) knows that wireless, even relatively current 802.11ac (which nearly no cameras have) can't keep up with a high volume shooting situation for even just still JPGs, let alone RAW files or video. The physically connected card has nearly an order of magnitude advantage in throughput. They are basically ceding the professional market to Linux/Windows machines.
A simple google would show you there are plenty of them.
Actually, Canon has been transitioning their DSLR product line to SD for several years, starting with the 6D (2012). Their newer offerings have an SD card slot to make it easier to get data into your laptop.
Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.
On my 7 year old macbook pro, I think I used the SD card slot maybe 2 or 3 times total. Same goes for the ethernet jack. If your'e going to use it so infrequently, doesn't seem like a disaster to expect an adapter.
Perhaps, but his arguments are asinine regardless. Card half sticking out? Hmmm i seem to have several cameras where the SD Card slot is spring loaded and has absolutely nothing sticking out of it. Wireless is satisfactory? Sure - lets just sit there for hours while I transfer 30GB of pictures from my last vacation. Sounds like a great time for everyone.
Actually, the better answer is that they weren't willing to update the SD card reader to something modern. Newer UHS-II SD card readers are much faster than the ancient UHS-I reader that they included, and somebody probably calculated that upgrading to UHS-II would require replacing their USB-2 hub with a USB-3 hub in addition to upgrading the SD card reader, and they decided that it wasn't worth it.
As someone who uses the SD card slot on a regular basis, I disagree with them, and this is definitely making me question Apple's commitment to photography professionals, particularly given what they did to Aperture.
Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.
He's totally right, having a specific memory card slot in a computer really isn't that useful these days. Most folks don't ever use them; for those of us who do, it's a mixed bag as to if the card is the right type, and it's not a day-to-day event. If it is day-to-day, buy an adapter. I've used mine only a half dozen times to write Raspberry Pi images, which I easily could have done using another machine and a USB card reader. If having an SD card reader is a deal-breaker, go back to the 90s and get the last Mac with a floppy while you're at it.
All that said, they have removed other useful ports and that is annoying. These are/were ports that many people actually used.
Any other REAL "pro" laptop will do the job. You know laptops with USB, HDMI, .. ports, SD card, more than 16GB RAM, a full keyboard, ...
Will $CURRENT_YEAR be the year of the Linux Desktop?
The only workarounds Apple leaves are:
As for the card sticking halfway out, that's only true for lame laptop vendors who tried to save a few cents for a spring-loaded eject mechanism. Those leave the card sticking halfway so you can pull it out with your fingers (and to save a negligible amount of space inside the chassis). The better laptops have SD readers where the card goes fully inside when inserted. The only reasonable rationale I can think of for eliminating the SD card slot is to make your device waterproof. I suspect what's really going on is that Apple gave the SD Association an ultimatum while negotiating licensing fees, and when the didn't blink Apple had to remove the card slot to save face.
I have one of those wireless capable cameras. Nearly worthless feature.
First, you have to connect your laptop/phone to the camera's wireless AP, not the other way around. Goodbye internet while transferring files, and having to fuck around with the wireless settings. Want to transfer files to desktop? Nope.
Second, on the cameras I have experience with (Olympus and Sony), you have to use the manufacturers app to transfer files. Want to simply access the files as a disk? Nope. Want to transfer RAW files? Nope.
The only thing the wireless feature is useful is as a remote shutter trigger and viewing the LCD screen when the phone is on a tripod.
I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
If you buy an SD to USB-A adapter (aka, an SD card reader), then you can plug it into every computer, and your car. This is the normal state of things.
If you buy an SD to USB-C adapter, then you can plug it into anything with a USB-C slot, which is very few things at this time.
If you buy the first one, you'll need an adapter to use it on your Very Few Things.
If you buy the second one, you'll need an adapter to use it on your Very Many Things.
So, which is the correct call? For most people, the first option.