What annoyed you today?

[picsfor]

It is the way of the modern world Keith. Been a few years since i was in the job market (2000), but even then they didn't reply if you weren't successful. I only chased them to confirm they'd received my application and/or CV.

My wife pretty much says the same happens now - so i would just accept the cost cost of sending a free e-mail is too much for modern business.

[picsfor]

Hooking a CF card into an iPad2? Why would you want to? I just plug the lead from the camera into the iPad2 and away it goes, so simple, so quick - and a cable is much easier to carry around!

You could always go for the EyeFi option - that's even better...

[spinner]

Hooking a CF card into an iPad2? Why would you want to? I just plug the lead from the camera into the iPad2 and away it goes, so simple, so quick - and a cable is much easier to carry around!

You could always go for the EyeFi option - that's even better...

Why an SD card? What's the difference? Why distinguish between them? From the reading I've done there's as much discrepancy between card manufacturers as card styles.
Couple of reasons, everything I read says it's faster. I can have the camera loaded with anew CF card while uploading from 1st. A card reader is easier to handle than a tethered camera, I can load it up anywhere.  Most important for me, it's my iPad bought and paid for and if I want use it for this that's my business.

[Jonathan]

1. CF cards draw much more power than SD cards.  Much.

2. Cameras have batteries in them to power the transfer.

3. This is one of those rare occasions when I don't think Apple is being unreasonable in stopping you doing something that could destroy your iPad.

If I plug a high power USB device into certain ports on my MacPro then I get a warning that it's pulling too much power and has been disabled.  I really would rather it did that than blew something up.  I believe even PCs do this now.

Would be nice to see a battery powered CF reader but that's a whole different thing.

[picsfor]

That could have been written a bit better, i wasn't having a pop.

You're right in saying why not an SD card. I'm more than happy to plug the cable into mine and do the transfer. Even though i've got a 5D2, with those lovely 21mp RAW files, the transfer times are only as long as it takes me to view them via a slideshow on the iPad.

As for the ability to plug in and go with a CF card, i have not doubt, that at some point it will happen - but more likely to be about iPad 4 or 5, when battery and processor technology has moved on a bit. I bought a copy of Photosmith to use with my file transfer, and it really is quite quick, but only really works if you're using Lightroom as your photo management system.

All exciting stuff, this tablet computing world...

[Jonathan]

As for the ability to plug in and go with a CF card, i have not doubt, that at some point it will happen - but more likely to be about iPad 4 or 5, when battery and processor technology has moved on a bit.

Maybe so....

There may be a more insidious reason for not supplying high power to the USB socket.

One of the reasons the iPad is so stable is that it's a closed system - it's pretty hard to get stuff onto it if Apple don't want you to.  If it supplied a decent amount of power to the USB port, you could plug a 2TB hard drive in and watch it churn to a slow death.....

[spinner]

1. CF cards draw much more power than SD cards.  Much.

2. Cameras have batteries in them to power the transfer.

3. This is one of those rare occasions when I don't think Apple is being unreasonable in stopping you doing something that could destroy your iPad.

If I plug a high power USB device into certain ports on my MacPro then I get a warning that it's pulling too much power and has been disabled.  I really would rather it did that than blew something up.  I believe even PCs do this now.

Would be nice to see a battery powered CF reader but that's a whole different thing.

Well you're the Pro so I assume you have better sources than I do, but for all my Googling I can't find a comparison of the two formats. My engineering days are 40 yrs. in the past and I was a Chem Eng. student, but my limited knowledge makes it hard to understand how drawing data from a passive device can be so different. Then again, you're right it does give the warning, so the iPad must be able to measure the draw somehow.

But if these things are overpowering, aren't they defeating the purpose of being USB? Why manufacture something that can't be used in the native form?

[spinner]

That could have been written a bit better, i wasn't having a pop.

I wasn't thinking you were having a pop. I'm miffed because I bought an accessory that did once function, as described on what I believe is a credible tech blog.  While Apple may  be trying to save me from myself it just seems a capricious decision, like so many Apple makes, to shut out ideas and products it doesn't like or can't control. (or didn't think of first)

[hevans]

1. CF cards draw much more power than SD cards.  Much.

CF I is limited to by its standard to 70 mA (CF II is limited to 500 mA, but these are usually micro drives, and rarer)
SD pulls ~40 mA.

Not a huge difference, both operate ~3.3V (although CF can go to 5V).

3. This is one of those rare occasions when I don't think Apple is being unreasonable in stopping you doing something that could destroy your iPad.

No, but the USB standard does require that a port support a single unit load of 150mA current load at 5V, well within the 70 mA CF I load.

If the IPad doesn't support this power drain, then it shouldn't be calling it a USB interface. I wouldn't expect the IPad to operate a USB powered fan or torch...but I would a CF I card.

That said, the cost of buying a new CF I card vs a new IPad does make me appreciate the design decision.

If I plug a high power USB device into certain ports on my MacPro then I get a warning that it's pulling too much power and has been disabled.  I really would rather it did that than blew something up.  I believe even PCs do this now.

As would I. And this has been in PCs for quite a while now (my 5 yr old DELL would shut down the internal USB hub it was shorted).

Would be nice to see a battery powered CF reader but that's a whole different thing.

Not too difficult to arrange. snip the USB cable leading to the card reader, rewire the ground and +5V wires from a battery and reconnect the remaining two data cables as before (or if you're good a stripping wires without cutting them, don't cut them in the first place). Or you could use a powered USB hub that acts as an intermediary (or does the Ipad not support powered USB hubs?) and plug a battery pack into it.

H.

[ABERS]

 

[Jonathan]

If the IPad doesn't support this power drain, then it shouldn't be calling it a USB interface.

To be fair, they don't

It's a proprietary connector that has an Apple made adapter to allow you to plug certain USB devices into it.  AFAIK they have never called nor intended it to be a standard USB interface.

If you really want to be angry about Apple's blinkered mentality then read up on HyperMac batteries (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/10/18/hypermac/) - because the battery in a recent MacBook can't be changed and because some people like to run their laptop away from a power socket for longer than Apple decree, companies had to make external batteries.  The problem is that the magsafe adapter is patented so there was no legal way to connect a battery to a MacBook.  HyperMac came up with the cunning idea of buying power supplies from Apple at commercial prices cutting the end off, throwing the rest away and making a cable that was of huge use to lots of people.  And pretty expensive.  Apple managed to convince a court that buying stuff off them and cutting it up was a patent infringement.  FFS.

And I know because I bought one days before they were deemed illegal.  The cable is now worth more than the battery.

[hevans]

If the IPad doesn't support this power drain, then it shouldn't be calling it a USB interface.

To be fair, they don't

And that doesn't surprise me in the least. 

And neither does the power cord patent. 

I love their products, they are elegant, well designed and technically excellent. But they've really shown a particular talent for evil policies, having surpassed Microsoft, IBM, and all of the other evil companies.

That's why i bought into android.

I just wonder how much longer it will be before the power of Google finally corrupts it.

H.

[picsfor]

To be fair, they don't

They call it a Camera Adapter Kit, and it's sole purpose is to use the connector cable that comes with a camera, and let you plug it into the bottom port.

I'll be honest, i don't see the USB/ Cable connector thing being an issue for much longer - the camera wifi technology is come along nicely, and within a few years, it will be almost standard. How many people are using EyeFi already? An 8gb SD card with a wifi unit built in, busy tranferring pictures to an iPad/ Android whilst storing them at the same time - all without a cable.

Interesting discussion though!

[hevans]

To be fair, they don't

They call it a Camera Adapter Kit, and it's sole purpose is to use the connector cable that comes with a camera, and let you plug it into the bottom port.

I'll be honest, i don't see the USB/ Cable connector thing being an issue for much longer - the camera wifi technology is come along nicely, and within a few years, it will be almost standard. How many people are using EyeFi already? An 8gb SD card with a wifi unit built in, busy tranferring pictures to an iPad/ Android whilst storing them at the same time - all without a cable.

I can predict that Apple will require each camera to have an Itunes app installed to permit the syncing.   

And each of these cameras will need to be vetted by the Itunes store before you can use them.

In the future, it won't be Canon, Nikon, Pentax... it'll be only the Icamera.

H.

[picsfor]

Thank heavens for Monopolies Commissions and such like.

I will only use Apple cameras if they do a better job of what i currently use, and at the moment, Canon are looking safe