With its bright and touch-enabled display, the iPad is great for viewing and editing pictures you’ve taken with your digital camera. First though, you need to transfer the photos somehow to Apple’s tablet. It’s certainly possible to get the pics on to the iPad using a Windows PC or a Mac as an intermediary, but there are accessories available which you can use if you don’t happen to have a PC on hand. In this roundup, we’ll review four of them.

Samsung matches the middle-of-the-line Apple iPad with 32GB of internal storage, and leaves room to match the king-sized 64GB version with a microSD slot capable of tacking on another 32GB – if.

• The hub comes with one 4K HDMI port, SD card reader slot, TF card reader slot, USB 3.0 slot, 3.5mm audio port and USB C power delivery port. All in all, it’s a perfect pick if you’re looking for a USB C multiport adapter for your iPad Pro 2018. It works with 11-inch and 12.9-inch 2018 iPad Pro models.
• Instead of building a microSD card slot into the iPhone, Apple charges an arm and a leg for storage upgrades. That way Apple can charge customers an extra $150 for an iPhone with more storage.
• USB C HUB for iPad Pro 11 12.9 2020 2018,iPad Air 4,7 in 1 iPad Pro Hub with 4K HDMI,3.5mm Headphone Jack,USB3.0,USB C PD Charging&Data,USB C Earphone Jack,SD/Micro SD Card Reader,adapter for iPad Pro.
• May 11, 2017 All you need is Lexar's tiny microSD reader for Lightning devices, which along with free Lexar Mobile Manager app will allow you to move photos and video between your iPhone of iPad and a microSD.

The issues around transferring photos on to the iPad center on the fact that the iPad still lacks either an SD slot or a USB port. One common workaround is to first download the photos to your computer — through use of either your PC’s built-in SD slot or a plug-in card reader, for instance — and then upload them to the tablet via the standard “Dock Connector to USB Cable” that comes with the iPad.

Yet there might be times when getting access to a notebook or desktop PC from where you happen to be is either inconvenient or just impossible. Does this mean that you’re dead in the water?

Not entirely. Still though, you might run into a few snags along the way. Here’s a look at four iPad accessories that are well worth considering: Apple’s iPad Camera Connection Kit, Newgen’s CR-IPAD51 5-in-1 Card Reader, PhotoJoJo’s Camera Connection Kit CF and SD readers, and Eye-Fi’s Mobile X2 Wireless Memory Card. I tested these using an Olympus VR-330 pocket digital camera.

Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit (MSRP $29.00)

Apple’s own iPad Camera Connection Kit consists of two adapters, or dongles: the SD Card Reader and the Camera Connector.

According to Apple, the iPad and the Camera Connection Kit “support standard photo formats, including JPEG and RAW, along with SD and HD video formats, including H.264 and MPEG-4.”

How To Add A MicroSD And SD Card Slot To Any IPhone For $13

As its name suggests, the SD Card Reader acts in lieu of the iPad’s nonexistent SD card slot. The Camera Connector, on the other hand, has a USB slot.

Apple’s instructions say to connect the SD Card Reader to the iPad before putting an SD card into the Reader’s slot. At this point, “your iPad automatically opens the Photos app, which lets you choose which photos and videos to import, then organizes them into albums.”

I tried the SD card adapter from the connection kit, and it worked as promised — letting me select specific photos or “All” to import, and perform uploads to the “Last Import” Album folder. Photos can also be viewed by the automatically-generated “Event” folders. You’re asked whether to “Keep” or “Delete” the photos from the SD card.

However, as I expected, the Connection Kit’s USB adapter was not always successful, because the port didn’t provide enough power (iOS did identify the problem, with a pop-up stating, “Cannot Use Device: The connected USB device requires too much power.”) My iPad was able to see photos on a 1GB flash drive, but not on a 4GB one.

Newgen CR-IPAD51 5-in-1 Card Reader (MSRP $19.99)

USB-C To SD Card Reader - Apple

Newgen’s CR-iPad51 5-in-1 Card Reader is a three-slot reader offering one USB slot and two media slots. The media slots support five types of media: SD(HC) (Secure Digital High-Capacity), MS (Memory Stick) Duo, MMC (Multi-Media Card), M2 (Memory Stick Micro) and T-Flash (“Trans-Flash,” better known as microSD).

There’s a small slider switch on the side for selecting between the USB port and the two card slots; be sure you’ve set it appropriately for whatever you’re about to plug in to it.

I had no trouble whatsoever getting my iPad 2 to see my 8GB SD card, and to select and copy photos from it.

PhotoJoJo Camera Connection Kit CF and SD readers (MSRP $30 for CF reader, $15 for SD reader, $45 for both)

If you use or expect to use digital cameras (or other devices) that take CF (Compact Flash) cards, PhotoJoJo’s Camera Connection Kit card reader(s) are worth checking out.

According to PhotoJoJo, the readers are “Compatible with both iPad and iPad 2.” They also say that the readers work with all SD and CF cards up to 4GB, but not necessarily with all larger-capacity ones, since the larger ones might be fast enough to need more power than what’s available.

Both the SD and CF card readers worked.

Eye-Fi Mobile X2 Wireless Memory Card (8GB, MSRP $79.99)

Eye-Fi’s Wireless Memory Cards offer an interesting alternative to card readers. In Direct Mode, the card can communicate directly with either a computer, an iPad or an iPhone, without the need for an intermediary Wi-Fi hotspot.

The Model X2 is an 8GB Class 6 SDHC card that includes a 2.4Ghz 802.11b/g/n radio, along with a small USB SDHC card reader for use with a computer during setup.

To work with Eye-Fi, your camera will need to be SHDC-compatible. Eye-Fi’s Web site gives you a list of compatible cameras. Other models might work, too, but you won’t find out until you go through the set-up process.

In addition to transferring photos and videos to your computer or tablet, Eye-Fi can also let you push JPEG and video files directly to more than 45 “photo sharing, print, blogging and social networking sites,” according to Eye-Fi. These sites include YouTube, Picasa and Flickr, along with FTP sites.

Through another cool feature, “Endless Memory Mode,” you can delete photos and videos from the card once they’ve been backed up, meaning you don’t need to worry about running out of shooting capacity.

The card supports a Wi-Fi range of more than 45 feet indoors and 90 feet outdoors. Wi-Fi security options include static WEP 64/128, WPA-PSK, and WPA2-PSK.

Although you don’t need a computer to transfer photos, you will need one (running Win XP SP3 or newer, or Mac OS X 10.5 or later) to set up the Eye-Fi card. Allow at least 30 minutes, or better yet an hour, to complete the set-up process, which involves software downloads, installs, and — if you want — configuring the Eye-Fi card and your iPad to allow for Direct Mode.

Before getting started on set-up, you need to put the Eye-Fi card in the SD/USB reader that comes with the card (this is necessary because SD slots in computers don’t always provide enough power.)

Once I got the Eye-Fi S2 and my iPad configured, I was able, as promised, to shoot pictures and to get them to show up on my iPad in the Camera Roll. In other words, “Direct Mode” works.

A few times, though, the camera popped up a menu screen that I couldn’t actually use for any purpose. However, power-cycling the camera (turning it off and on) once or twice resolved the problem, whatever it was.

Eye-Fi’s tech support deserves very high marks. I called several times — sometimes for troubleshooting, sometimes just to obtain facts for this article — and each time I got a live person who patiently answered all of my questions to my satisfaction.

Eye-Fi also offers two other models of its Wi-Fi-enabled SD cards: the Pro X2 (MSRP $99.99), with RAW power and geotagging; and a 4GB version of the X2 ($49.99).

Conclusion

The best solution for you depends on your own specific needs. There’s a lot to be said for buying Apple’s own products, especially from the standpoint of compatibility.

An Eye-Fi X2 card can be a convenient choice, if you’re packing just one digital camera and the price, setup time, capacity, and potential battery drain don’t raise concerns.

If you also need to connect CF cards, you’ll probably want PhotoJoJo’s CF Reader. The same goes for Newgen’s CR-iPad51 if you expect to be using MicrosSD, Memory Stick or MMC cards.

The usual accessories

The Apple iPad Air comes with a lightning cable and an A/C adapter - hardly a surprise after a few generations of tablets already. There are of course the usual leaflets and a couple of stickers.

The iPad Air retail box

Apple gets plenty of repeat customers, meaning the most likely people to buy the iPad Air are ones that already have at least one iPad. But is it worth it? When the iPad 4 came out, there was very little sense for iPad 3 owners to update but this time it's different.

The iPad Air is a massive upgrade over the predecessors, not just in terms of its compact, light design, but a new, powerful chipset too and a new screen. Hopefully, the table below will give you the gist of iPad Air versus the outgoing iPad 4 and the iPad 2, which will stick around for another while.

Fit and fine

Taking heavily after the original iPad mini, the iPad Air moves away from the sloping edges of old, resulting in a more muscular, and somewhat more compact feel, reinforced by the much thinner frame. The bezels around the screen have been significantly narrowed, which - convincingly - creates an impression of a much more immersive screen.

To run by the numbers, the iPad Air is a whopping 16.2mm narrower than its predecessor, 1.9mm thinner and 1.2mm shorter. The weight is probably the most radical of changes - having lost the unbelievable 183g, the new iPad Air takes a huge load off your hands.

iPad Air next to predecessor

The question still remains of how the Air will co-exist with the new iPad mini with Retina display, which simply is a downscaled replica. In terms of what rival platforms have to offer though, the iPad Air may actually enjoy a certain level of comfort and safety knowing it's the most compact big tablet in the market. On the other hand, the competition has mostly caught up and even edged forward in terms of screen resolution.

Controls and handling

The iPad Air may premiere a new design (in the size-L category at least) but hasn't changed much in terms of controls. The front has the same 9.7' 1536 x 2048 IPS LCD of 264 ppi. Above it we find the same 1.2 MP resolution front-facing camera capable of 720p video capture. There's also an ambient light sensor.

Under the screen lies the familiar home button. Many must've been hoping for a Touch ID scanner on the iPad Air but to no avail. Perhaps next year?

Anyway, the home button seems to have a more solid click compared to our iPhone 5s but it could also just be a unit-specific quirk.

iPad Air up front

The left side is completely bereft of controls, while on the right we find the silencer switch (that will also lock screen orientation) and the two volume keys. They have solid feedback and are generally very comfortable, the only problem is getting to them in either portrait and landscape as they are very far off your fingers.

The sides of the tablet

For the first time on a full-grown iPad we find stereo speakers. These are hardly unforeseen since we saw those first on the original iPad mini, but the pleasant surprise is they are impressively loud. In fact the whole slate vibrates when they're pumping out sound.

There's the now typical Lightning connector port at the bottom. The top is reserved for the 3.5 mm headphone jack and one of the two microphones. The audio jack placement is a little inconsistent - the iPhone has its on the bottom and it would make much more sense to have it there on the iPad too to not have cables running over the screen when you've attached a set of headphones.

The top and bottom

The second microphone is on the back along with an Apple logo with a mirror finish. In the top left corner sits a 5 MP iSight camera, which hasn't seen any technical upgrades besides a reportedly improved backside sensor illumination. Aperture is still set at f/2.4 and the camera still lacks an LED flash.

On the back

Wi-Fi/3G/GPS (Original/1st Gen)

While immense progress has been made by Apple to reduce the burden of handling an iPad Air, the tablet is still on the big side perhaps for single-handed operation. However, when held with both hands the device fits nice and comfortable and the bezels are just enough on both sides for your thumbs to rest without getting into the screen.

Handling the iPad Air

We love thin bezel designs as they put the screen more into focus but what makes the iPad Air a better tablet than its predecessors is the huge weight difference. Being 183g lighter, the iPad Air is easier to handle for prolonged periods of time without making your hands numb.

2 (Wi-Fi Only)

It still not the lightest of loads to keep standing in your hands but, compared to other big tablets like the current Nexus 10 or the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014, the iPad Air really does live up to its name.