I'm one of the many Android users that own one iPad, in my case iPad 2. At the beginning I was under the impression that not having sd card access in the iPad was a real pain, however looking back now, I really don't need it. Dropbox and all the other cloud storage that keep popping all ever is just going to make thinks much better and simple.

Summary, not having sdcard is not a deal breaker at all. I do love my iPad 2

iFrog - Sent from my iPad2 using iPF

I have, this weekend, come up with a solution using a "plug computer" which is very small Linux box with lots of ports and slots (2 x Ethernet, 2 x USB, 1x SD, 1 x eSATA) plus WiFi.

I can connect to it, via iSSH, and copy files every which-way using Linux commands and scripts.

Here's really wild idea. What about a companion device for the iPad that is basically a BlueTooth keyboard + Linux host with various ports and slots. The final piece would be a companion app with a file manager interface that generates Linux commands to copy files as required. I think the Asus tablet has something like this.

Those who aren't interested could stay with the iPad alone, those of us who hanker for hardware I/O options could be satisfied.

Now I like that idea ^+1

RAC that sounds like the Goflex Satellite.

Might look at the Asus Eeepad transformer. With the keyboard/docking station battery life is approx 16 hours. Saw one at Staples. Sort of nice.

What would cause me to jump ship?
This is my first Apple product, it is the original. The product has worked flawlessly.
The only thing that would prevent me from buying another one is Apple's heavy handed dictatorship
of the App store and iBook store. In app purchases was great for Apple till they had enough products sold
to change the rules for purchases, I believe it borders on extortion,for customers. Apple's book store is third rate compared to Amazon's Kindle
or Barnes & Noble's Nook. Yes I know how to make purchases out of app but for me it comes down to principal, and for me that
trumps product and will influence my next purchase. Although Apple's thumb has not yet killed the apps I've mentioned I believe
it will be just a matter of time or no more updates of those style apps will be allowed. I've accepted the other shortcomings of the
iPad with no problems and have adjusted to them, Apple's greed is something I have not.

Originally Posted by MadChef

What would cause me to jump ship?
This is my first Apple product, it is the original. The product has worked flawlessly.
The only thing that would prevent me from buying another one is Apple's heavy handed dictatorship
of the App store and iBook store. In app purchases was great for Apple till they had enough products sold
to change the rules for purchases, I believe it borders on extortion,for customers. Apple's book store is third rate compared to Amazon's Kindle
or Barnes & Noble's Nook. Yes I know how to make purchases out of app but for me it comes down to principal, and for me that
trumps product and will influence my next purchase. Although Apple's thumb has not yet killed the apps I've mentioned I believe
it will be just a matter of time or no more updates of those style apps will be allowed. I've accepted the other shortcomings of the
iPad with no problems and have adjusted to them, Apple's greed is something I have not.

I'm sure that you are not alone in feeling uncomfortable.

Originally Posted by info

Originally Posted by MadChef

What would cause me to jump ship?
This is my first Apple product, it is the original. The product has worked flawlessly.
The only thing that would prevent me from buying another one is Apple's heavy handed dictatorship
of the App store and iBook store. In app purchases was great for Apple till they had enough products sold
to change the rules for purchases, I believe it borders on extortion,for customers. Apple's book store is third rate compared to Amazon's Kindle
or Barnes & Noble's Nook. Yes I know how to make purchases out of app but for me it comes down to principal, and for me that
trumps product and will influence my next purchase. Although Apple's thumb has not yet killed the apps I've mentioned I believe
it will be just a matter of time or no more updates of those style apps will be allowed. I've accepted the other shortcomings of the
iPad with no problems and have adjusted to them, Apple's greed is something I have not.

I'm sure that you are not alone in feeling uncomfortable.

Perhaps not alone but definitely a tiny slice of the market.

Frankly, I don't see another "pure" tablet coming down the pike that would convince me to "jump ship." I'm not looking for a tablet device that tries to be a personal computer. Too many compromises and inadequacies involved. And while I'm an Android fan for many reasons, that platform doesn't offer enough advantages over the Apple ecosystem to compensate for the wealth of applications available for the iPad. Neither, needless to say, does the WebOS.

On the other hand, would I "jump ship" for a PC that comes closer to the functionality of a tablet? That's a tougher question. The Lenovo X220T, for example, is a "convertible" that amounts to a good PC with a touch screen option. And I expect the MacBook Air line to move in the same direction.

Neither option is there yet, though. The Lenovo is a great travel laptop, but it's not a desktop replacement. And that's what I really must have in a laptop. And once that's said, a laptop capable of replacing my quadcore personal computer is simply too unwieldy to be a good tablet.

Originally Posted by AQ_OC

Getting SD and USB ports in a device is almost guaranteed to make the device thicker. And too many opening is not all that hot either. I find that file transfers via the cloud works well for working on stuff and streaming movies (using something like the Goflex) means I don't need to ever be moving lots of files around.

Thickness is important so I probably should have said "mini-SD" instead. Also, 4G is in order now instead of 3G.