mwc 2014: In less than a decade, phone memory cards have grown from 128MB to 128GB

Emerging in 2005 out of the need for a memory card small enough to fit inside a mobile phone, microSD cards have rapidly matured to their current status of global ubiquity and adoption. This year's Mobile World Congress marks a significant milestone in their growth, with SanDisk introducing the first 128GB microSD card. That will store a thousand times more photos, videos, and GIFs than the original maximum of 128MB.

At such large sizes, microSD cards are approaching the typical storage you'll get on an SSD-equipped laptop or tablet, which will surely contribute to the ongoing erosion of the distinction between mobile devices and PCs. SanDisk is targeting Android phones and tablets with its new €149.50 card, even though some device manufacturers have moved away from including microSD slots in their flagship devices. With the availability of free cloud storage services also growing, it might seem like the humble microSD card is on its way out, but if it keeps growing at its present pace, it might just stick around for a while yet.

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