Hi everyone ^^
I would like to have something cleared up in my mind. Recently I purchased a microSD card off a reputed Ebayer. I checked the images on his auction, and they clearly were of Japan manufacturing. However, after receiving the goods, to my dismay, the card was Taiwan made. Now, after reading the reply below (note that the business is an official Kingston distributor), I would like the know the truth behind these two cards. What makes them different?
Right now, I am writing this with extreme regret in my mind. Since I have not received my R4 I am yet to test performance, however I not expecting much good. Has anyone tested a Taiwan microSD on their R4?
I would like to have something cleared up in my mind. Recently I purchased a microSD card off a reputed Ebayer. I checked the images on his auction, and they clearly were of Japan manufacturing. However, after receiving the goods, to my dismay, the card was Taiwan made. Now, after reading the reply below (note that the business is an official Kingston distributor), I would like the know the truth behind these two cards. What makes them different?
QUOTE said:Dear Customer,
In order to let us know what was the previous message, pls use "reply to this email".
We noticed you have heard that the Taiwan made microsd are inferior. We would not agree. This is a semiconductor which is completely different from other household electronics like a microwave oven. Taiwan is highly reputated in this industry. If you ask where it is made, you are indeed asking hundreds of questions like where the wafer of every single component inside was made in....
and where the epoxy is from....and etc..
Unlike other small or unknown brand, Kingston will never emphasized where their products are made and thus neither shall we. Kingston need not to do it and that is meaningless.
All production from lines around the world will strictly conform to their standards and products will not be out of spec. More important, it is still Kingston and have a lifetime warranty.
Since you are the second one asking the same question, we started to look at our stock lot yestereday. We found around 10 days ago both 512mb and 1gb microsd are a mixture of both taiwan and japan. And on last Friday's lot, 512mb and 1gb are purely taiwan. Obviously Kingston has swapped most of the processes to Taiwan and we don't think we will receive a japan made microsd anymore. Up to now, not clarified yet. Therefore we cannot give you an exchange either.
After carefully judged, we regret to inform you that in this case, we cannot give you a refund nor can we accept your return. The reasons are that:
1) Card are not defected.
2) It is still a genuine Kingston and have lifetime warranty in australia.
3) we never mentioned or emphasized it was made in Japan in the description because it is completely not a selling point for a semiconductor. We are not selling a microwave oven...
4) about the photoes - we don't even notice the change but even if we realized the mixture of taiwan and japan made, we will not change the photoes. What can we change to?
5) It is not an serious offense of "item not as described"
However, being an honest dealer of Kingston, what we can do is :
1) Within the first year, if the card is defected, you can send it back to us for warranty. Kingston will come collect it for maintenance. After this period, you will need to send it yourself.
2) When sending it back, you must have the blister, the paper card inside with a warranty label on it, the card holder, the sd adapter and the microsd card. Our brown enevlope is not needed.
P.S. Tell you a little secret of Kingston's warranty service:-
  Since these cards are so tiny and compact, once the cards are defected, they can never be repaired or fixed. So how can the warranty be done? According to our past experience of two mmc mobile cards, Kingston will come collect it, and then just send a new replacement to us within a few days... You may notice that how confident they are. Hope you will not tell everyone about this, we don't want to do too much paper works.
Welcome to contact us again anytime.
Regards
Right now, I am writing this with extreme regret in my mind. Since I have not received my R4 I am yet to test performance, however I not expecting much good. Has anyone tested a Taiwan microSD on their R4?