Portable HDD w/ bluetooth for Ipad?

pjl123 wrote:

You might give this a read as well.

http://www.tuaw.com/2014/05/15/the-ravpower-wireless-hub-is-a-handy-jack-of-all- trades-for-ios/

This is not much different than any other WiFi hotspot expansion device.

That is, if you intend to use this on hikes (or anything else where you need your cellular data service), using this device will cut you off from the Internet... meaning no tracking, no iMessages, no Find Friends, etc.

Wish there was a device that included a BT 3.0 for outbound streaming option.

I could get behind a device like this...

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hypershop/isticktm-usb-flash-drive-with-lig htning-for-iphone

Except for three reasons:

1. It is ridiculously expensive for the capacity;
2. It doesn't allow memory expansion;
3. I don't trust that Apple will make this device eventually fail... like many of my other lightning cables (even Apple branded once).

All I want is the ability to connect my many SD memory cards to my Apple device. It shouldn't be this painful. If it wasn't for the opinion that Android's OS ***** and I spent so much money in the Apple ecosystem, I'd dump Apple because of this problem.

FYI,

Its not just music but also gigabytes of self-authored training videos that I would love to review while travelling - Currently, I carry my Android tablet to do the job I should be able to do with my iPhone (yes, the screen is big enough).

Reading the FAQ of the above Kickstarter project, I found this:

Why can't you just add a Micro SD slot into the iStick?

Unfortunately the Apple MFi program does not allow usage of removable memory.

Can anyone explain Apple's logic in disallowing memory cards on the iPhone. What is the difference between this device and its built in memory vs a device like this and a memory card slot for interchangable off-the-shelf memory. 😕

Can anyone explain Apple's logic in disallowing memory cards on the iPhone.

IMO, it's pretty simple... primarily security and secondarily media piracy/control.

I appreciate your response but with all due respect, that is utter nonsense. :)

>primarily security

From what?

>media piracy?

How is that affected by differences between:

A) storing content on phone

B) storing content on a fixed memory external device (ie the kickstarter campaign)

C) external device that accepts your own memory card (NOT ALLOWED)

Call me crazy but i think that none of the above storage methods impede piracy or compremise the iPhone's security.

The only consequence of this MFi rule is to ensure high cost for a memory expansion.

To allow the ability to use an SD card, there must be some method to copy files to/from the SD card. This opens a potential security hole that Apple must have felt was not worth dealing with. That's my opinion.

Hey Paul, didn't mean to appear rude in my last reply.

But your comment doesn't make sense. (Re: copying to/from the memory device.)

Whether it's fix or replaceable memory, there is no difference.

Have you looked at that kickstarter campaign? My question was in relationship to that device and one on the FAQs they answered.

I know that there are many iPhone owners that are frustrated with the difficulty of memory expansion. There is no technical reason for this restriction.

I have a 64GB iPhone 5 and I still need access to more [non-cloud] memory but every time I find a 3rd party add-on, there is always a caveat caused by some inane Apple restriction.

Hey Paul, didn't mean to appear rude in my last reply.

Understood, no worries.

Whether it's fix or replaceable memory, there is no difference.

There is a difference. When fixed, all file control/security is though iTunes or an app (which is sandboxed). If replaceable, to maintain the same amount of control/security, there must be additional controls that Apple was apparently not willing to implement.

It is what it is and won't likely change. If an SD card is important to you, look into an Android. Do a little research first though and note the security differences between Android and IOS as well as the amount of spyware/malware in the Android store. Personally, I'm willing to give up a little bit of function for vastly improved security.

paulcb wrote:

There is a difference. When fixed, all file control/security is though iTunes or an app (which is sandboxed). If replaceable, to maintain the same amount of control/security, there must be additional controls that Apple was apparently not willing to implement.

Actually, I think you are misunderstanding how the istick apparently functions. 🙂

According to its description, it functions exactly like a USB memory key... meaning, you can copy anything on to the key via USB port and then plug it into the iPhone via Lightning connector... and through its interface, access the copied data. iTunes (or any other application) is unnecessary to copy data to this memory device.

Of course, it is likely sandboxed on the iPhone side... but that has nothing to do with what type of memory is used on the USB key and that is the reason for my earlier question.

paulcb wrote:

It is what it is and won't likely change. If an SD card is important to you, look into an Android. Do a little research first though and note the security differences between Android and IOS as well as the amount of spyware/malware in the Android store. Personally, I'm willing to give up a little bit of function for vastly improved security.

I am well aware of the differences and I appreciate many of their iTunes app store restrictions. But I think Apple is far too restrictive. And when you think back to the message in Apple's '1984' MacIntosh commercial, it kind of makes the company a bit of a hypocrite.

It seems odd that so many Apple folks frown upon anyone who questions the status quo. 😕 I have discussed this 'weakness' in the past so no sense in beating a dead horse.

The only way I will ever go back to Android is if Apple decides to jump on the ridiculous 'bigger is better' bandwagon and discontinue iPhone 5x sized iPhones.

sdc01 wrote:

paulcb wrote:

There is a difference. When fixed, all file control/security is though iTunes or an app (which is sandboxed). If replaceable, to maintain the same amount of control/security, there must be additional controls that Apple was apparently not willing to implement.

Actually, I think you are misunderstanding how the istick apparently functions. 🙂

You're correct there... I don't know anything about it and wasn't really referencing it, just removable media in general. I'm guessing it has an app that communicates with it, which is of course sandboxed like all apps, which of course restricts its use to its own app. I guess it's good to have if you have no data connection but I prefer something like Box or Dropbox.