Owners of the new 14" MacBoook Pro and 16" MacBook Pro are reporting problems using the SD card reader. This is according to a lengthy discussion thread found on the MacRumors forum page.

The SD card reader was one of the most exciting features to make a long-awaited return to the MacBook Pro models after a six-year absence. However, it appears to be causing havoc.

Several users have indicated that their machines do not function properly when an SD card is inserted. What is curious is that there is little consistency in the complaints, as the problem seems to vary depending on the specific SD card.

"I have tried many cards and found no pattern in brand, size, type, format, age, etc. It seems to be completely random. The only consistency is that if a card works, it always works, and if a card doesn't work right, it never works right," one user stated.

Some users reported not being able to access files, while others reported "unusually slow transfer rates." Curiously, one user stated that he experienced similar problems when using an external USB-C SD card reader on an older MacBook Pro with M1.

"It seems super flakey and inconsistent. Half the time it recognizes the card successfully (although it takes 30 seconds to 1m) and half the time it spits out an error," the user explained. Apparently formatting the card does not solve the problem, and the user stated that his card "works as expected" with other readers.

Another user reported constant error messages, slow read speeds when reading the SD card, and even crashes of the Finder tool, despite "using a fairly new 64GB SD card and it was working fine."

Also, the Finder tool crashes.

It is also not clear which cards work fine and which cards have problems. Also, the inconsistency of the reports makes it difficult to distinguish what is the main culprit behind the problem. However, many users agree that using an external SD card reader via USB-C seems to work better than the MacBook Pro's actual SD card slot.

According to MacRumors, Apple responded to some of the reported complaints, stating that "the company is aware of this issue and a fix will be provided in a future software update." At this stage, however, it is hard to say whether the problem is hardware-related, given that some users have been able to resolve the issue by replacing their MacBook Pro.

This would not be the first time we have heard of problems with the new MacBook Pro. Just a week ago, we reported about users having problems with MagSafe charging and external monitor connections on the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Hopefully, the rumored 2022 Pro XDR display with Apple's custom silicon will not cause similar problems.

We have reached out to Apple for additional comments and will update this article if we hear back. If you are considering purchasing this machine, please see our in-depth review of the 14-inch MacBook Pro and our review of the 16-inch MacBook Pro.