Larger storage requirement for using cameras in iPad 3?

[Numo]

Forgive me if this has already been discussed today, but in practical terms, how much will the new high res photo/video capabilities of the iPad 3 affect the amount of memory needed? For example, will a 16 MB iPad fill up so quickly that it won't be very practical to use for this purpose?

[jdc]

16 MB will fill up in an instant.

Technically it might hold about 15.5 GB if you dont put anything else on it.

How much other data do you have on your iPad? That determines how many photos and video you can store on it.

[GeneL]

I'm pretty sure that this has been discussed, but the fact that Apple won't allow for additional memory using some kind of memory card, has been a deal breaker for me.

Let's just say that if the iPad is becoming more and more "perfect" with each generation, then not including a memory card slot seems to be a purposeful "stick it to the customer" issue. This is especially true if, as Ammo's post reflects, an issue as the storage needs are increased by the very design standards of the newest model and the related apps.

Does the fact that you end up paying so much more for the models with greater memory, when simply adding a relatively inexpensive memory card could give you almost unlimited storage capacity, illustrate a bad case of corporate greed?

I may be wrong about this, but it seems to me that this is the same kind of issue that we rail against with other manufacturers and with wireless providers that force arbitrary restrictions on the use of their products and services.

I don't have an answer to this, since I don't own an iPad yet, but how do iPad owners deal with websites that require Flash?

At some point, if I can afford it, I think that I'd like to get an iPad. These questions are at the core of my willingness to invest so much money on another "portable appliance" as opposed to waiting and then getting something along the lines of a Macbook Air.

Thanks for your comments!

[mrbigstuff]

Let's just say that if the iPad is becoming more and more "perfect" with each generation, then not including a memory card slot seems to be a purposeful "stick it to the customer" issue. This is especially true if, as Ammo's post reflects, an issue as the storage needs are increased by the very design standards of the newest model and the related apps.


+1. I think it's the "we won't design a two-button mouse" issue all over again. but, the new 'pad is still tempting for the screen alone. however, if I want to watch HD movies on the pad, it's going to be a pain to transfer.

[jdc]

So how much storage would be enough Gene?

128 gigs? 750 gigs? 3 TB? Im just making a query.

Flash web sites... such as?

[Numo]

Forgot to add to my previous post: new apps that take advantage of Retina display will be larger?

[NewtonMP2100]

....so one won't be able to take boudoir PICS with this......???

[DRR]

Ammo wrote:
Forgot to add to my previous post: new apps that take advantage of Retina display will be larger?

Some might be, but not necessarily.

[Robert M]

Gene,

I doubt it's a "stick it to the customer" situation. My assessment is that it's primarily about design and expense. Think about it... The addition of a memory card slot adds at least the following expenses:

A. Machining expenses to make the necessary cuts into the case to allow for slot.
B. Expenses in redesigning the motherboard to allow for the reader/writer for the card.
C. Internal circuitry for the card reader/writer
D. The reader/writer itself
E. Software expenses for modifying the OS to use the reader/writer and access the memory card

Those are just five expenses. Likely, there are additional ones, too.

I can vouch that just the machining of the case is definitely an expense. Each cut costs money. How much I can't say but definitely something that must be factored into the overall cost of the device.

This type of design is also business as usual for Apple. A fixed amount of storage has been a part of Apple's design strategy since the first ipod. It's unlikely to change. I think what Apple is trying to say is buy the ipad that best suits your usage. Use it. When you outgrow it, replace it. Nothing new or out of the ordinary.

To answer Ammo's question... Photos taken with a camera with a higher resolution - think megapixel rating - will almost always take up more space on a storage device. This has been true of every digital camera I've owned over the years and I doubt it'll be any different on an ipad.

On my office computer, I have a mix of photos and videos. Nearly 3700 of them. They take up just under 9 gigs of storage. Bear in mind, the majority of these photos and videos were done with an 8 megapixel camera and the vast majority of the files themselves are just photos. The videos weren't done in HD.

So, I'd say the amount of space photos will use on an ipad isn't going to be that much of an issue unless you plan to keep _lots_ of photos and take lots of videos. In all likelihood, the storage will be filled more quickly by downloaded movies, music and apps.

For someone who's going to use the ipad primary basic tasks such as email, surfing the web, watching the occasional streaming video, facetime and such, not download lots and lots of apps, 16 gigs will be fine. You're not going to need _that_ much storage. But, if you plan to do more, then go for a model with more space.

Robert