The rumor is that Tesla will use the storage for other purposes like caching Google Maps tiles, so I think it will pay off in the long term. I have never used on-board storage in any of my cars because I find its a pain to maintain, so this seems like a good idea for me, but YMMV. But agree, would be nice to get a Tesla USB stick.
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I had thought they included a larger NAND/storage footprint for the upgraded sound package. When they removed the "1,000 storage" from the standard sound, I assumed they reclaimed this for the map tiles but those with the "Studio Sound" package would still have some space left over.
With my previous vehicles/head units, I've found the metabase/organization was more optimally integrated with onboard storage vs the constant scanning/refreshing required by removable media and my primary reason for opting for it.