Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Why no Card Reader on new iMacs?

F

FoxHoundADAM

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 9, 2008
211
14
Oklahoma
Kind of a silly qestion I know but why don't they have a card reader for SD/CF/Pro Duo sticks on any mac? Specificly the iMac, surely they could squeeze one in pretty easily. It would certainly look a lot better than haveing my ugly USB reader pluged in all the time.

Esspecially considering every new computer made has on on it. I know Apple is all about bucking trends but EVERYTHING uses a SD card these days.
 
I hope they never have card readers! Ruins the design. Along with those fingerprint scanners.
 
It's good that Apple keeps their computers simple and beautiful. Who likes computer with dozens of different holes and cables?
 
FoxHoundADAM said:
Kind of a silly qestion I know but why don't they have a card reader for SD/CF/Pro Duo sticks on any mac? Specificly the iMac, surely they could squeeze one in pretty easily. It would certainly look a lot better than haveing my ugly USB reader pluged in all the time.

Esspecially considering every new computer made has on on it. I know Apple is all about bucking trends but EVERYTHING uses a SD card these days.
Click to expand...
Apple has a thing about card readers for some reason. A small universal reader with a door in the side would not ruin the design but, alas, no Mac has one.
 
I wish it did.
I bought a printer with a reader (but it lacked CF and I still have 2 cameras that use CF)
So I bought a Griffin card reader/ipod charger USB hub all in one....it looks really nice too.
 
I do miss the card reader built into my 2408WFP Dell LCD at work; plus the USB ports, headphone jack, etc on the front of my Dell Optiplex.

I'm sure Apple could add that stuff on the side of the iMac and it'd be tasteful; instead my desk is cluttered with a USB hub to make room for the card reader; headphone extension cord, USB extension cords so I don't have to turn the iMac around to plug in a flash drive/headphones, etc..

I would use the keyboard USB ports, but there is so little clearance no flash drives seem to plug in :)
 
Hellhammer said:
It's good that Apple keeps their computers simple and beautiful. Who likes computer with dozens of different holes and cables?
Click to expand...

Well yeah it keeps the out of the box unit clean, but when I have to attach an ugly usb card reader to it to read my SD cards it sort of defies the point doesn't it? Yeah the card read was cheap but I just bought a $1,700 machine, I shouldn't need any extra bells or whistles.

Anyway, I did come accross the Eye-Fi wifi SD cards. Kinda pricy but automatic geotaging and automatic uploading of videos and pics from my camera is PERFECT! Time to save up a few bucks for one.
 
Tallest Skil said:
What's the point? Apple doesn't like holes in their machines. We will never see a card reader.
Click to expand...

Apple: Style over substance.

Seriously though, the Imac should have an SD card reader. Apple likes simplicity yet in order to use a card you have to buy more USB peripherals....
 
FoxHoundADAM said:
Kind of a silly qestion I know but why don't they have a card reader for SD/CF/Pro Duo sticks on any mac? Specificly the iMac, surely they could squeeze one in pretty easily. It would certainly look a lot better than haveing my ugly USB reader pluged in all the time.

Esspecially considering every new computer made has on on it. I know Apple is all about bucking trends but EVERYTHING uses a SD card these days.
Click to expand...


I think Apple is hoping they'll influence camera vendors into doing wi-fi / bluetooth transfers.

Cables suck. (says the guy with two monitors, speakers, two keyboards, two mice, 3 computers, a router, wireless access point, cablemodem, KVM, TV, BluRay player, all within 5 feet of his desk)

;)
 
Since no other Apple products use memory cards . . . ;)

Then there's the issue of what cards to support out of all the different formats out there and to come. I think the more you build into a machine the quicker it becomes obsolete and given the level of "built in" integration in an iMac, it's pretty much a dead end right after you open the box.
 
Its simple. Too many formats to support and most everything that uses them can already interface with the computer through USB.
 
Sun Baked said:
I think a bottle opener on the side would be more useful.
Click to expand...

+1!

FoxHoundADAM said:
Well yeah it keeps the out of the box unit clean, but when I have to attach an ugly usb card reader to it to read my SD cards it sort of defies the point doesn't it? Yeah the card read was cheap but I just bought a $1,700 machine, I shouldn't need any extra bells or whistles.

Anyway, I did come accross the Eye-Fi wifi SD cards. Kinda pricy but automatic geotaging and automatic uploading of videos and pics from my camera is PERFECT! Time to save up a few bucks for one.
Click to expand...

USB card reader you can always throw somewhere else after use but internal you can't.

There are lots of things what we would like to have in iMac like eSata port, Blu-Ray, quad-core, desktop GPUs etc. but we haven't get 'em.
 
lol @ complaining that it would "ruin the design". are you serious? some of the decisions that the apple execs make are a joke. example: $800+ led screen with 0 hdmi connectors.
 
definitive said:
lol @ complaining that it would "ruin the design". are you serious? some of the decisions that the apple execs make are a joke. example: $800+ led screen with 0 hdmi connectors.
Click to expand...

Have you heard of DVI? Why would you put a hdmi connector on a computer monitor?
 
You could just use the USB cable that came with the camera. In fact, two of my computers have SD card readers and I never use them because it is just faster to plug in the cable.
 
emoore said:
Have you heard of DVI? Why would you put a hdmi connector on a computer monitor?
Click to expand...

If Apple added HDMI connector on the back, people would start bitching and moaning about the lack of hi-fi speakers in the monitor and the lack of an iSub option, then the lack of TV tuner option, lack of remote, and finally lack of brains in their head.
 
I would think the reason for no card reader is no demand, and with a new card format out every odd year does that mean for you to use the built in card reader you have to upgrade your imac every time a new format comes out that your camera manufacturer has decided to adopt.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back