Why don’t iPhones have a memory card slot?  

Did you know that iPhone users cannot use a memory card to increase storage? To be more precise, the iPhone does not have a microSD card slot to insert the memory card. This signifies that Apple does not want to allow its user to use a memory card. This makes us ask the question, why? Why don’t iPhones have a memory card slot?  

There could be various reasons why Apple does not support the use of an SD card. If the iPhone supported SD cards, a lot of customers would buy the cheapest model that has the lowest capacity, then expand the memory with an inexpensive card, which makes sense. 

On the bright flip side, Apple is more concerned about the security of its users, its hardware, as well as iOS. Therefore, by not providing a slot for the external device on the iPhone, Apple tries its best to make sure that its system is not associated with any malware that may be bought by it.  

The Micro SD cards generally slow down devices, as SD cards are generally slower than Nano flash memory.  

A lot of users tend to buy the slower SD cards available at the hardware stores, which negatively affects the phone’s performance, which in turn creates a bad name for the company.  

Let us consider Android phones. For example, they use the FAT file system on the SD Card. This does not have a proper permissions system, it allows all applications to access all folders. Phone storage or SD cards based on the FAT file system cannot be used for apps because one app will be able to read another’s folder as well as get sensitive information. FAT32 is a mess whose permission structure is not very secure. 

You may just be wondering that the whole removal of the SD card slot is just a way in which Apple ensures it makes the most money it can, and it might just be true. Which is a brilliant tactic to force the customers’ hand, because why would anyone buy a 64GB iPhone when they can buy a 16GB variant, then increase the storage by inserting a 64GB or a 128GB SD card? 

Market Strategy behind the removal of iPhone’s memory card slot.  

The glaring reason is that Apple wants to control its market. There are only one of two options a consumer could choose if they needed more storage,   

• They should have paid Apple for an iPhone or iPad that had more storage. 
• They would need to utilize Apple’s cloud storage. 

For both system integrity as well as profit reasons, the company does not want to allow third parties to make changes to their devices. If they did not see lots of feedback from PC users, they would not allow them to add memory, storage, or otherwise modify their systems.  

The iPhone still has an advantage over other devices. Every hole in a device, as well as every physical connection that is not hardware (which is mostly soldered), is a possible point of failure. On top of the dirt and moisture, the SD slot is another opening that could be damaged. This could also be categorized as one of the many reasons for the removal of the memory card slot and why they avoid replacement batteries. 

To say Apple may want you to throw away your current phone as soon as the new one comes out (and renew your AppleCare contract), would be a far cry, seeing that they provide long software updates.   

Money is probably the biggest reason why smartphone manufacturers are removing micro-SD card ports from their handsets, particularly in their flagship models. Manufacturers could not charge more for an SD card slot. However, they do have the ability to charge $100 for a few extra gigabytes of flash storage. which makes a lot of sense in terms of making money for the company. 

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