SD Cards Hit a Higher Capacity: First 1GB Cards Hit Stores This Month

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,114128,tk,dn010704X,00.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.pcworld.com/news/article...n010704X,00.asp</a><br /><br /></div>"SanDisk has begun production of SD memory cards with a 1GB capacity and expects them to begin appearing on store shelves before the end of this month. SD, or Secure Digital, cards are widely used in devices such as digital still cameras. The higher capacity will mean users with large data storage requirements won't have to carry around as many cards. The 1GB card should be able to accommodate around 2000 images taken at 1,600-pixel by 1,200-pixel resolution. It should also be able to store about nine hours of MPEG4 video or 16 hours of MP3 audio. The company expects the cards to cost around $500, says Bob Goligoski, a spokesperson for SanDisk."<br /><br />For some reason, I'm not terribly excited about this announcement - on one hand, it's great to see that they're finally here after so much waiting, but on the other hand with <a href="http://pocketpcthoughts.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=967601/search=Sandisk/ut=44938f5897829c65">Sandisk 512 MB SD cards as low as $140 USD</a>, will a 1 GB SD card for $500 put much pressure on the 512 MB card for a price drop? Unlikely.

[dma1965]

:D
What I really like about this is that everytime capacity goes up the next lowest capacity card plummets in price. We should see 512 mb cards in the $30-$40 range very soon.

[dma1965]

:evil:
I will not, however, buy Sandisk.
They just plain suck!

[freitasm]

Goodness, I have trouble filling my 256MB SD card!

But you're right, had problems with Sandisk wi-fi SD card, and decided their support is not worth it. Of course this is unrelated to SD memory cards, but the bad taste stays in the mouth.

[Jason Dunn]

:D
What I really like about this is that everytime capacity goes up the next lowest capacity card plummets in price. We should see 512 mb cards in the $30-$40 range very soon.

Uh...did you read what I wrote? They're pricing the 1 GB SD cards for $500, which is very far away from the $140 the 512 MB versions are selling for. That means there's no pressure for the 512 MB price to drop. You will most certainly NOT see a 512 MB SD card for $30 anytime soon...

[corphack]

So SanDisk announced a 1GB SD... would I want to go with them given the drastic variations in quality and performance of their earlier cards?

Suppose Satan announces he's no longer promoting "evil", would you want to accompany him to church?

The only valid predictor of future performance, is past performance.

Based upon their past performance, I think I can reliably predict how their new cards will perform: I don't think I can trust my data to SanDisk.

[Jason Dunn]

So I'm getting the sense here that you guys don't like Sandisk products... ;-)

I thought I had a problem with one card, but it ended up being the reader. I have basically nothing other than Sandisk cards in both SD and CF, and have never had any problems with them. FWIW. :-)

[joelevi]

FWIW I've never had any problems with my Kingston 128mb MC card or either of my two Lexar CF cards.

[corphack]

FWIW I've never had any problems with my Kingston 128mb MC card or either of my two Lexar CF cards.

I've never had a problem with any of my MrFlash, Kingston, Lexar, and Panasonic CF and SD cards. I can't say the same thing about my SanDisk garbage.

And from my experiences with Lexar and Panasonic SD cards, when I need to buy additional cards, they're worth every penny.

[Dave Potter]

:D
What I really like about this is that everytime capacity goes up the next lowest capacity card plummets in price. We should see 512 mb cards in the $30-$40 range very soon.

Uh...did you read what I wrote? They're pricing the 1 GB SD cards for $500, which is very far away from the $140 the 512 MB versions are selling for. That means there's no pressure for the 512 MB price to drop. You will most certainly NOT see a 512 MB SD card for $30 anytime soon...

I gotta agree with Jason here. If your holding your breath for $30-40 512 MB SD cards, your gonna be blue, dead and very stiff by the time that day arrives. Don't get me wrong - I'd love to see it too. Until then, I'm gonna keep breathing.

BTW - I did have to exchange one of my SanDisk 256 MB cards a few months back with SanDisk. Service was actually quite good. The exchange took about a week and went off without a hitch.

[mangochutneyman]

The company expects the cards to cost around $500, says Bob Goligoski, a spokesperson for SanDisk."


So for $500 bucks you can buy one 1GB SD card or 3x512 MB cards...or heck how about a new handheld? :?

P.S. Did anyone else note that Cornice (http://news.com.com/2100-1041-5135239.html?tag=nl) is selling their 1' 2 GB drives for only $70 bulk? 8O I'ld much rather have one of these imo...

[mulekiller]

I've used about 6-8 Sandisk cards (I worked for 3+ yrs at Circuit City, and they always carried them) ranging from Smartmedia 64/128, Compactflash 128/256/512 Ultra, Secure Digital 64/256/ and now 512. I've never had any type of problem with them, no lost data, acceptable transfer rates.

Maybe for some people who are using them in super cameras or for serious data transfering, Sandisk isn't fast enough, but I use them for MP3's and game files, and I've never had a complaint. And the price has always been better than most (especially with a discount).

[moaske]

HA ! I already 'killed' on of their brand spankin' new SD ULTRA II cards ( a 256meg)... and guess what: it's already three weeks, and still nothing... :evil:
But i must say that all the CF's i owned before (and still do) from dreaded SanDisk still work flawlessly... Mostly the problem with SD cards lies in the WORNG type of reader, WRONG formatting, and most of all: disconnect your card from Windows (ie 'Eject') before your ripp it out of the reader... ;)

[yawanag]

Never had any trouble with SanDisk SD or CF.

Can someone tell me why I'd want a 1GB SD Card with a 64 MB Ram? I've got 32 MB now with a 128 MB card and I can't utilize my SD card because of the 32 MB. I've only used half of the 128 but because of the 32 MB RAM, I'm forever deleting something.

I've got most of my apps on the SD card but some files install to Program Files and when I move them to the SD they don't function.

[jngold_me]

My $99 SanDisk 512mb just died today. I can't read from it nor write to it. It cannot even be re-formatted. Yes, SanDisk lives up to its reputation!

Thank goodness I just got a Lexar 512mb 32x card! Which, by the way, blows away the SanDisk in terms of pure speed (and most likely reliability too!).

[Phoenix]

I've heard so many problems regarding SanDisk that I'd stay away from these with a mile long pole. Using SanDisk is like rolling dice. Sometimes you get a seven, but a lot of the time you don't.

Personally, I have Lexar and have never had any troubles. Lexar is reliable media. SanDisk is not.

SanDisk, unfortunately is systematically (at what speed, though, is anyone's guess) ruining their market share by putting out junk.

$500... bah! I wouldn't give a chunk of dirt off of my shoe for that card.

[Ripper014]

Actually I there is a 1gb SimplyTech here at the PocketPC Thoughts store... which I guess is a link to Mobile Planet... and it only costs $259.95.... so I am a little confused about the pricing on the new Sandisk card. Normally the price goes down as you purchase more...

I was at Staples today and directed by an employee to a new Sandisk display for memory... it looks like they are going to make a big push... My comment was "They made to much money last quarter...." and they did.

I have had problems with Sandisk including the replacement of 3 - 128mb SD cards and a 256mb SD card... the second card corrupted the first time I used it on a Sandisk reader... My 256mb card has since been replaced with a Lexar... no problems so far....

Oops ignore my post... lol... didn't see the part about SD... still with my Hp2210 and my experience with SD cards (especially Sandisk) I am not ready to commit that much money to the format...

[Jonathon Watkins]

3 Sandisk cards corrupted so far... and counting. :?

One 1Gb CF and two 256SD cards. The replacements should arrive soon.

Roll on larger sizes and lower prices. :mrgreen:

Just not from Sandisk!

[dhettel]

So I'm getting the sense here that you guys don't like Sandisk products... ;-)

I thought I had a problem with one card, but it ended up being the reader. I have basically nothing other than Sandisk cards in both SD and CF, and have never had any problems with them. FWIW. :-)

Jason you really owe it to your readers, if not yourself to get a SimpleTech, or a Panasonic, or a Lexar SD. I'm sure if you ask someone will give you one :) Use it for a bit. Until you have use something else it is hard to understand the difference.

David

[jimski]

This is only a guess (don't have any real data) but I suppose San Disk outsells the competition by a fairly hefty margin (seems almost everyone posting here has owned at least one). If 1 in 1,000 cards go bad, there are probably going to be more complaints about San Disk, simply because there are more out there.

Maybe I am just lucky (it would be the first time) or dumb, but I have several 64, 128 and 256MB San Disk SD cards (1 to 3 years old) and use them regularly with my; Kanguru and Kingston card readers, Canon Multi-Pass Printer, multiple digital cameras and PPC, without ever having a problem or losing a drop of data. Right now I have my precious PPC backup (which I needed again last week) on a 128MB San Disk card and expect to sleep tonight without a worry in my head. If everyone had the same "screw me once" attitude about Microsoft (don't tell me you have never felt any pain-nobody is that lucky), we would all be typing on Mac's and talking about Palm Pilots.

Look forward to picking up an "under $200" 1GB San Disk card sometime soon (maybe when the 2GB cards come out).

[ricksfiona]

Yup, have had my 128MB Sandisk SD card for about 2 years, no problem.

Just before I got the notification about the 1GB SD Cards, I was trying to look up the price for them. Or even if they had been released yet.

For $500, it's totally not worth getting the 1GB SD card unless MAYBE you're a hardcore photographer. On a Pocket PC, it's more of a luxury and thus, pay the price for luxury.

If the cards for $200 or so, I would be there.... But 512MB would 'suffice' for my business and MP3 needs... For now.

[Terry]

:soapbox: Humm...with 1 GB SD cards, why can't the whole OS, registry, apps, and databases all reside on an SD card? That way when I want to move from one PPC to another, I just move the SD card. The SIM card idea for my GSM phone is a great model. When my Moto died, I just moved the SIM and was back and running! If memory speed is an issue, just copy the darn OS from the SD to RAM.

[egads]

Don't look for flash memory cards to drop in price anytime soon. Most all flash IC manufacturers are on allocation, meaning they will be tough to get. When things are tough to get the prices go UP. I may be wrong, and I hope I wrong, but from past experience it looks as if the price drops in memory are over for a while...

[trachy]

:soapbox:
Wow. No surprises here. I knew before I even started reading this thread that it would dissolve into a Sandisk flame ware. :evil: Can't we once and for all just bury this subject? It's the same thing every time. Maybe we could get a Sandisk forum for the usual:

1. Sandisk sucks
2. I've never had any problems with mine
3. Sandisk sells more, so there's proportionately more problems
Apologies for the rant. Not..enough...coffee...

:nonono:

Now, back on topic. I think it's not unreasonable to think that 512Mb SD cards could eventually drop in price to the same range as today's 256Mb cards. Once the early adopters and professional photographers get their fix of the 1Gb cards, it's bound to happen. Probably at least a year away, is my guess.

[trachy]

:soapbox: Humm...with 1 GB SD cards, why can't the whole OS, registry, apps, and databases all reside on an SD card? That way when I want to move from one PPC to another, I just move the SD card. The SIM card idea for my GSM phone is a great model. When my Moto died, I just moved the SIM and was back and running! If memory speed is an issue, just copy the darn OS from the SD to RAM.

An excellent idea, Terry. That was one of the things I loved about mobile phone sim cards while I lived in Europe. Moving over my address book to a new phone was a snap. I can't imagine why taking it to the next level isn't being discussed. Maybe Robert, with his new internship at MS, can feel this theory out?

[jlp]

I got my 1 GB CF card 8 months ago for $200.

This alone is the reason I will always privilege a 2 slot PPC: CF cards will always have much higher capacity (600%) with a much lower price (for same capacity), resulting in a much, much better deal.

(BTW 1 GB SD cards were promised they would come over a year ago!!)

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

This is only a guess (don't have any real data) but I suppose San Disk outsells the competition by a fairly hefty margin (seems almost everyone posting here has owned at least one). If 1 in 1,000 cards go bad, there are probably going to be more complaints about San Disk, simply because there are more out there.
We've heard this rationale before. This SanDisk debate seemingly has come up once every few months over the past year or two and everytime it comes up we have people from both camps that say they have had no problems or nothing but problems. Funny, that over that timespan, we still have yet to hear anything bad about Lexar.

I also remember a poll that asked what brand people use and while SanDisk was #1 by a comfortable margin over #2 Lexar, the ratio between the two was like 2:1... not 100:1 or 1000:1. Given those ratios, the ratio of complaints don't line up (I've heard numerous complaints about SanDisk and none about Lexar).

Maybe I am just lucky (it would be the first time) or dumb, but I have several 64, 128 and 256MB San Disk SD cards (1 to 3 years old) and use them regularly with my; Kanguru and Kingston card readers, Canon Multi-Pass Printer, multiple digital cameras and PPC, without ever having a problem or losing a drop of data. Right now I have my precious PPC backup (which I needed again last week) on a 128MB San Disk card and expect to sleep tonight without a worry in my head.
I don't think you're lucky or dumb... I'd venture to guess that the vast majority of SanDisk cards work fine. It's just the percentage of SanDisk cards that DON'T function is much higher than that of rival companies.

[ctmagnus]

I'd venture to guess that the vast majority of SanDisk cards work fine. It's just the percentage of SanDisk cards that DON'T function is much higher than that of rival companies.

Plus the possibility of a very vocal minority. People who have bad experiences with a product speak up a lot more than those who have positive experiences.

[Jonathon Watkins]

I'd venture to guess that the vast majority of SanDisk cards work fine. It's just the percentage of SanDisk cards that DON'T function is much higher than that of rival companies.

Plus the possibility of a very vocal minority. People who have bad experiences with a product speak up a lot more than those who have positive experiences.

Yes, so where's the vocal minority for other brands?

Sorry - but I have 3 Sandisk failures under my belt and 0 of my other brands or my friends other brands.

[maximus]

For $500, it's totally not worth getting the 1GB SD card unless MAYBE you're a hardcore photographer.

Well, hardcore photographers wont need 1 GB SD anyway, since all 'hardcore' cameras use CF cards. Only midrange cameras use SD cards. and midrange cameras are usually cheaper than $500 (the price of the 1 GB SD card).

IMHO, the market for 1 GB SD cards is still more to PPC users.

If the cards for $200 or so, I would be there.... But 512MB would 'suffice' for my business and MP3 needs... For now.

This I totally agree. $200 is actually a good threshold for me too. 500 oggs on one flash card. no need to bring my SD cards in my wallet anymore.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

I'd venture to guess that the vast majority of SanDisk cards work fine. It's just the percentage of SanDisk cards that DON'T function is much higher than that of rival companies.
Plus the possibility of a very vocal minority. People who have bad experiences with a product speak up a lot more than those who have positive experiences.
Yeah, I addressed that in the first part of my response. Maybe next time this debate comes up, we'll hear about someone with Lexar issues as opposed to people with new SanDisk issues but it seems that hasn't happened yet and SD cards have been out for over two years now. At some point, the coincidence just doesn't seem so coincidental anymore.