Apple's new MacBook Pros can boot from media in SD card slot
Apple's new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros introduced this week feature an SD (Secure Digital) card slot primarily for reading and writing media files to SD cards, but this tiny slot can also serve as a lifesaver, allowing you to boot from an SD card during a state of emergency.
In a tech note published this week summarizing uses and compatibility for the SD slots, Apple notes that you can install Mac OS X on an SD card and use it as a startup volume simply by changing the default partition table to GUID using Disk Utility, and then formating the card to use the Mac OS Extended file format.
This capability can be particularly useful in the event that you run into problems with a MacBook Pro's built-in storage options, particularly those equipped with traditional hard disk drives, which include moving parts. Should these drives fail or show early warning signs of failure, you'll want to abstain from any extensive reading and writing from them immediately to best preserve the integrity of their data.
Having a properly formatted SD card containing a Mac OS X installation could in some cases prove incredibly useful, allowing you to boot from the card and troubleshoot or rescue critical files from the problematic drive before matters grow worse.
Running DiskWarrior or other drive diagnostic and repair applications off the SD card boot volume would also be more efficient then using the traditional method of bootable optical discs that can also contain those apps, but function at a fraction of the speed.
Of course, Apple's stated intention behind its move towards SD card slots on the first two tiers of its professional notebook offerings is geared towards the rapid transfer of media -- such as photos and video -- from the wealth of SD digital cameras on the market.
The company notes that the new MacBook Pros have a maximum speed of 240 Mbit/s for SD media using the SD card slot, which easily exceeds the transfer rate of most SD media. For example, Class 2 media has a maximum transfer rate of 4 Mbit/s; Class 4 media has a maximum transfer rate of 4.8 Mbit/s; and Class 6 media has a maximum transfer rate of 45 Mbit/s.
Any SD card that conforms to the SD 1.x and 2.x standards should work in the slots, though they also accept cards that are Standard SD (4 MB to 4 GB) and SDHC (4 GB to 32 GB).* MultiMediaCards (MMC) can also be used, as well as MiniSD, MicroSD, and higher density formats like MiniSDHC and MicroSDHC, assuming they're first inserted into one of the "passive" adapters on the market that conform to the width and thickness specifications for the slot.
The SD card specification for a memory card is 32 mm by 24 mm by 2.1 mm.* But Apple says you can also use thinner cards, such as the aforementioned MMCs.* Cards that have a thickness greater than 2.1mm or that have surfaces that exceed 2.1mm, should not be used, the company warns, as*they may damage the SD card slot if inserted.
The slots also accept cards that exceed 32 GB, but as Apple notes, most media manufactures preformat their media using common block-and-cluster sizes that do not approach the theoretical limits of a given file system.*
Most SD cards use the FAT32 file format which is commonly available up to a capacity of 32 GB.* Some smaller capacity cards use the FAT16 file format, which is generally available in capacities of up to only 2 GB.
SD cards that use the exFAT file system are not supported, nor are SDIO (Secure Digital Input Output) cards.
In a tech note published this week summarizing uses and compatibility for the SD slots, Apple notes that you can install Mac OS X on an SD card and use it as a startup volume simply by changing the default partition table to GUID using Disk Utility, and then formating the card to use the Mac OS Extended file format.
This capability can be particularly useful in the event that you run into problems with a MacBook Pro's built-in storage options, particularly those equipped with traditional hard disk drives, which include moving parts. Should these drives fail or show early warning signs of failure, you'll want to abstain from any extensive reading and writing from them immediately to best preserve the integrity of their data.
Having a properly formatted SD card containing a Mac OS X installation could in some cases prove incredibly useful, allowing you to boot from the card and troubleshoot or rescue critical files from the problematic drive before matters grow worse.
Running DiskWarrior or other drive diagnostic and repair applications off the SD card boot volume would also be more efficient then using the traditional method of bootable optical discs that can also contain those apps, but function at a fraction of the speed.
Of course, Apple's stated intention behind its move towards SD card slots on the first two tiers of its professional notebook offerings is geared towards the rapid transfer of media -- such as photos and video -- from the wealth of SD digital cameras on the market.
The company notes that the new MacBook Pros have a maximum speed of 240 Mbit/s for SD media using the SD card slot, which easily exceeds the transfer rate of most SD media. For example, Class 2 media has a maximum transfer rate of 4 Mbit/s; Class 4 media has a maximum transfer rate of 4.8 Mbit/s; and Class 6 media has a maximum transfer rate of 45 Mbit/s.
Any SD card that conforms to the SD 1.x and 2.x standards should work in the slots, though they also accept cards that are Standard SD (4 MB to 4 GB) and SDHC (4 GB to 32 GB).* MultiMediaCards (MMC) can also be used, as well as MiniSD, MicroSD, and higher density formats like MiniSDHC and MicroSDHC, assuming they're first inserted into one of the "passive" adapters on the market that conform to the width and thickness specifications for the slot.
The SD card specification for a memory card is 32 mm by 24 mm by 2.1 mm.* But Apple says you can also use thinner cards, such as the aforementioned MMCs.* Cards that have a thickness greater than 2.1mm or that have surfaces that exceed 2.1mm, should not be used, the company warns, as*they may damage the SD card slot if inserted.
The slots also accept cards that exceed 32 GB, but as Apple notes, most media manufactures preformat their media using common block-and-cluster sizes that do not approach the theoretical limits of a given file system.*
Most SD cards use the FAT32 file format which is commonly available up to a capacity of 32 GB.* Some smaller capacity cards use the FAT16 file format, which is generally available in capacities of up to only 2 GB.
SD cards that use the exFAT file system are not supported, nor are SDIO (Secure Digital Input Output) cards.
Comments
The company notes that the new MacBook Pros have a maximum speed of 240 Mbit/s for SD media using the SD card slot, which easily exceeds the transfer rate of most SD media. For example, Class 2 media has a maximum transfer rate of 4 Mbit/s; Class 4 media has a maximum transfer rate of 4.8 Mbit/s; and Class 6 media has a maximum transfer rate of 45 Mbit/s.
SD cards that use the exFAT file system are not support, nor are SDIO (Secure Digital Input Output) cards.
Ok, that means the new SDXC format just announced by SanDisk using speeds 104-300 Megabytes per second, storage of up to 2TB and exFAT is not supported on these new MacBooks. The new SD format/card was just announced, I might repeat.
Next round of Mac's hopefully should have a flush mount spring release SD reader (to avoid accidents) and to be able to use the SD as a auto file/time machine/bootable clone backup by keeping the SD card inside the Mac nearly all the time. Along with compatability with the new SDXC standard, I hope.
Perhaps Apple will come out with it's own eHFS+ or something or are we slipping ever further into becoming a Windows PC. *cue horror music*
...this tiny SD slot can also serve as a lifesaver, allowing you to boot from an SD card during a state of emergency.
Note you want to use SDHC for 20 MB/s fastest boot speed (otherwise known as SD Extreme) on these new MacBook Pro's w/SD, still it's slower than a hard drive 3-4x slower and less capacity. You might want to use a large USB instead it's faster to boot from.
Security issue also. Bypass logins that way.
Ummm kinda like USB and FW?
Not sure I get your point?
Dave
How will SD cards of the near future change things?
I'm skeptical about the security by-pass concern. The system is the one on the chip and you won't have any access to the hard drive unless you know the user ids and passwords.
The OS X Install disc is a bigger security threat as far as I can see.
Begone CD's and DVD's!
Exactly. This also makes me wonder if I can create a boot disk on an external USB 2 Scan Disk device on a Mac Pro or is it specific to Apple's internal version ... Ok gotta try lol
... Next round of Mac's should have a flush mount spring release SD reader (to avoid accidents) and to be able to use the SD as a auto file/time machine/bootable clone backup by keeping the SD card inside the Mac nearly all the time. ...
I'm pretty sure this is the exact purpose that Apple *doesn't* want you to use the slot for. It's that kind of gimmickry that is really out of place in the Mac World and one of the main reasons they don't generally like to put card readers on their devices.
Personally, I hate the spring loaded slots as they never work right and tend to lead you to leaving the card in the device, but I would bet that the main reason they left such a mechanism out is that they are telling you (wordlessly) that the card is a temporary storage port and not a spare removable HD.
Security issue also. Bypass logins that way.
Should be able to lock out the sd slot-good market niche here.
Begone CD's and DVD's!
I was thinking the same thing when the discussion of the SD card slot came up in another thread. It might sound crazy, but I can imagine the path forward that drops those huge (relatively speaking) optical drives. The CD/DVD drive is a severe constraint for Apple in making their laptops smaller, cheaper, lower power consumption, lighter, etc. SD card slot looks like a promising option.
One step would be to deliver OS X on an SD card (this will require all Macs to have the slot of course). But Apple could offer both retail packages options. That seems very un-Apple though.
But I think this is definitely a leading indicator.
I'm pretty sure this is the exact purpose that Apple *doesn't* want you to use the slot for. It's that kind of gimmickry that is really out of place in the Mac World and one of the main reasons they don't generally like to put card readers on their devices.
Personally, I hate the spring loaded slots as they never work right and tend to lead you to leaving the card in the device, but I would bet that the main reason they left such a mechanism out is that they are telling you (wordlessly) that the card is a temporary storage port and not a spare removable HD.
i agree. i'm incline to think that most users using SD cards to transfer their image files to their computer would rarely leave their card in the slot. when the image files are transfered, the SD card is removed from the slot and back into the camera. if there is more than one SD card, then one goes back into the camera and the other goes back into its storage case.
they are telling you (wordlessly) that the card is a temporary storage port and not a spare removable HD.
OMG- like how many times have we told them this over and over this week? It's even stated in the body of this thread itself. This SD slot's inclusion have been spelled out for them from the getgo over and over yet they complain that it's not something else?
i agree. i'm incline to think that most users using SD cards to transfer their image files to their computer would rarely leave their card in the slot. when the image files are transfered, the SD card is removed from the slot and back into the camera. if there is more than one SD card, then one goes back into the camera and the other goes back into its storage case.
Funny how our individual experiences mold our preferences.
I once had a HP work laptop and I popped my card in and it fit flush. Great ...downloaded my photos and all that and then "out of sight..out of mind" I forgot about it. Days later I'm grabbing my camera and I wonder where a bunch of my pics are. "Oh shit!" I left it in the laptop.
To me a card sticking out slighly is in fact a reminder that it's there and I like it.
Interesting now given the fact most digital camera now can send the pictures directly to your laptop wirelessly..via wifi or blutooth....this seems like a step back plus having it stick out so much is really un-Apple like...appears as an after thought......
Yes but once you get to 32GB these cards become secondary storage and thus viewing them within the context of "only" photography does them injustic.
Imagine 32GB of music or videos or whatever you wish. If Apple follows the trend to SDXC in 3 years you could be running a 256MB card that can throughput 40-50 megabytes per second.
I think the small size is more attractive to Apple than ExpressCard.
Should be able to lock out the sd slot-good market niche here.
Or keep your laptop with you, either way.
you can i believe boot from the USB also ie using a techtool pro data USB card.
they ought to put the expresscard back in there.
I think this is definitely a leading indicator.
I agree. Remember when Apple was the first to ditch floppies.
I see optical drives gone within 2 years on all Macs.
If you want to use discs (Blu-ray, etc.), you will buy an external drive and connect via FireWire.
Yes but once you get to 32GB these cards become secondary storage and thus viewing them within the context of "only" photography does them injustic.
Imagine 32GB of music or videos or whatever you wish. If Apple follows the trend to SDXC in 3 years you could be running a 256MB card that can throughput 40-50 megabytes per second.
I think the small size is more attractive to Apple than ExpressCard.
Even better. In 3 years make iTunes store all your media in the cloud and have all your computers in-sync also. No storage taken up on your computer at all
...but I would bet that the main reason they left such a mechanism out is that they are telling you (wordlessly) that the card is a temporary storage port and not a spare removable HD.
I guess we will see if the complaints start rolling in about people damaging their SD cards and slots by forgetting to remove it then shoving their MacBooks into their carrying bags, if it's a problem or not.
I'm looking forward here, to revisions to the MacBook Air lineup.
With up to 2TB on a SDXC and a thin form factor, perhaps it will eventually be some sort of internal mass storage for a new line of ultra thin Macbook Airs. Maybe that's why the MacBook line is nearly extinct now. (white one is the exception)
Since SD cards can be formated GUID and OS X installed...
2TB...whoppie!!!