I have heard about the back side of "iXpand flash drive" development which adds USB terminal and Lightning terminal and adds up to 64 GB of iPhone capacity

If you are using an iOS device such as iPhone or iPad, you may think that "there is no way to exchange data externally with the local", but on January 28, 2015 the USB terminal and Lightning terminal are connected from SanDisk The installed flash drive "IXpand flash drive"Was released. The capacity was 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, and it was an item like "Why did not you leave?", So I asked Arecore about the backside of development.

SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive for iPhone and iPad
http://www.sandisk.com/products/mobile/ixpand/

Arrived at SanDisk's office.


A man in the photo is Ms. Dinish Bahar of Vice President of Retail Product Marketing, SanDisk Corporation.


Firstly from the history that the iXpand flash drive was developed. Currently, 1.4 billion photos are uploaded to SNS every day, of which about 3/4 of the total digital images taken by smartphones and tablets are occupied. In addition, the number of mobile devices will increase to 75 billion units in 2020, and the scale of digital data is expected to reach 40,000 exabytes (40 billion terabytes).


It is expected that the average capacity growth rate of the entire smartphone by 2018 is expected to be 200%, the average capacity of the premium smartphone will be 50 GB, and the proportion of smartphones equipped with the microSD slot will increase to 78%. In other words, the amount of contents created by mobile devices will increase more and more.


Also, 82% of users emphasize "transferring content" because "wanting to back up content safely or properly" "want to eliminate memory shortage". For these reasons, firstly for AndroidUltra Dual USB DriveI developed and sold iPhone users saying "I want you to make it for iPhone" raised, so it seems that the iXpand flash drive has been developed.


IXpand is an item that makes it easy to transfer data between iPhone / iPad / Mac / PC. It solves the capacity shortage of the device itself and it will be able to play even animation of the format which can not be played natively on iOS.


You can check detailed usage of iXpand flash drive and dedicated application from the following article.

If you insert it on iPhone or PC you can add up to 64 GB capacity SanDisk "iXpand Flash Drive" I actually tried using reviews - GIGAZINE


The specification of the iXpand flash drive looks something like this. There are three types of capacity: 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB, compatible with iPhone and iPod equipped with Lightning connector and iOS 7.1 or later, Mac OS X version 10.5 or later · Windows XP / 7/8 or later devices compatible. Estimated market price assumes that 16GB is around 10,000 yen, 32GB is around 14,000 yen, 64GB is around 20,000 yen, with a guarantee for 2 years. Of course AppleMFi licenseI am receiving. As for iXpand at the time of sale in the US, iXpand is higher by 16GB · 59.99 dollars (about 7000 yen), and "Ultra Dual USB Drive 3.0" for Android terminal is 16GB · 22.99 dollars (about 2700 yen), but iXpand is higher , This is because licensing fees have been raised against Apple.


Why are these capacities like this, because users have two types of people, roughly divided. Users using 16GB · 32GB of memory have Macs and PCs as major storages, and people who use iXpand "for data transfer purpose". Once you transfer it, you do not have to leave videos etc inside iXpand so you do not need to have that much capacity. On the other hand, users who need 64 GB of memory do not have a major machine and need to take a backup. Are not you making anything larger than 128GB? When asked, he said he wanted to realize after understanding the market needs.


Bahar is actually demonstrating. It is the application screen that is reflected on the wall, it seems that we have spent a year of development on development. Kickstarter of the cloud-funding platform already has a similar product "IStickAlthough the reason why iXpand was released at this time is as follows, the problem of "maturity of market" and the problem of "Memory development for iOS devices was technically very difficult" It was said that there was a problem. It was iXpand that eventually many developers managed to develop sleep deprivation.


It is totally different from Ultra Dual USB Drive for Android, but this is because iXpand has a battery unlike Ultra Dual USB drive. So, the power of the device is not consumed while using it on iPad · iPhone.


Lightning cable is made of rubber and has flexibility, so there is a width of the memory body, but it is possible to use it with the case attached to the iPhone with such feeling.


In addition, it has become a design pursuing good looking and comfortable feeling, there is a problem that "iStick" which has already been sold is "difficult to use due to the design that any terminal surely goes out" On the other hand, iXpand is designed with attention to ease of use such as being attached with cap. Applications are also easy to use with UI specialized for iPhone users, and they seem to be particularly proud of the user experience of the application.


Next, to the story of Ultra Dual USB Drive 3.0. It has improved the already sold Ultra Dual USB drive, with micro USB and high speed USB 3.0 connector,OTGCompatible Android device Enables ultra-fast file transfer between PCs.


The real thing is like this. It is rather small compared to iXpand without a battery ... ...


The length of the USB terminal has been adjusted as long as 7 mm, making it even easier to use even on Android terminals with the case attached. Although iXpand has a dedicated application, this is because iOS users have different needs and usage from those of Android users, in the case of Android terminals they are not special applicationsSanDisk Memory ZoneOperation can be done from an existing application called.


Ultra Dual USB Drive 3.0 usage feeling etc. can be confirmed from the following review articles.

Up to 64 GB SanDisk "Ultra Dual USB Drive 3.0" that can be inserted directly into a PC or a smartphone - Review - GIGAZINE


Specs are like this. Three capacities of 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB are available, and the speed is up to 130 MB / sec because USB 3.0 is adopted. Compatible with major Android devices, planned to be released in April 2015. The warranty is 5 years, the price is undecided.


This enables data transfer from Android device to PC, Mac, TV, etc.


The speed is 130 MB / sec. It seems that it is the result of examining the price side. If you speed up, the price rises, so this time it is set to speed of 130 MB / sec .Sandisk USB memory 64GB Extreme USB 3.0How much does it cost if I make it as fast as I do? As I asked, I laughed and said, "I can not answer a bit." However, since iXpand is USB 2.0, Ultra Dual USB Drive 3.0 seems to be able to transfer faster than iXpand.


When asked about development, "Although development was exciting for both of the two products, there was a previous version for Ultra Dual USB Drive 3.0. Since it was already a best selling product, Improvement of connector length adjustment / pursuit of appearance should have been carried out, but in the case of iXpand it is more difficult, long and complicated because it is development from the beginning ". It was necessary to understand what kind of function should be installed in order to solve user's problems, such as automatic synchronization function, understand user's needs, how to make the user easier to use, Dinish.


Actually using iXpand exclusive apps, I was curious that the image can not be scaled in the application, but those points will change as feedback is improved in the future It is said that there is sex. As SanDisk is always aware of "the product to be developed is suitable for the name of the brand" as a leader in the global memory market, as development and improvement will be continued according to the user's needs in the future, Mr. Dinish Said.