No doubt that is the case for some. For me I have multiple datasets I work with and bringing one from slow storage to fast storage was taking too much time. So I went for the bigger drive when I upgraded,
...so, its not for you - fine - although it sounds as if it gave you a "better than nothing" solution until you upgraded.
I have an SD slot on my current 15" 2015 MBP and I never use it.....
"You never use it" doesn't mean that "nobody else ever uses it".
Pft, it's a MacBook "Pro," where are the SDI and XLR inputs/outputs?
...and where's my 20mA current loop interface? How am I going to connect my Teletype 43 with the paper tape reader?
OK, you were deliberately being facetious but lets remind ourselves why - SDI is unencrypted digital video that would probably incur the wrath of Hollywood if included on a "prosumer" machine costing less than $5k, both use hulking great connectors that are too big for even a 2015 rMBP to accommodate and both are likely to go hand-in-hand with other requirements (e.g. for XLR, high quality DAC/ADC and preamps for XLR in/out with the accompanying gain controls, monitoring facilities - plus the Mac would probably need to pull 48 Volt phantom power out of its hat), so most potential users are
already using external USB/Thunderbolt boxes from the likes of Black Magic or Focusrite. Also, since the whole point of XLR is low noise, there's a strong argument for having the analog circuitry outside the computer in its own box. So, yeah, while I'm sure that there are people out their who'd love a pair of XLR sockets in their MacBook, there's a long list of justifications for
not including it it beyond "Random user says they don't personally need it."
There's a spectrum between "USB-C/TB3 ports only" and "don't forget the MIDI, IEEE488 and S-Video". Apple has gone for one extreme end of that spectrum - and been very frugal with the number of USB-C ports (which now have to do everything, including connecting the charger) to boot. On a 2016+ MBP - connect the charger, plug in your SD/MicroSD reader and.... on the nonTouchbar MBP you're out of ports, on the better models you've used up half your ports, and so you're shopping for a dock/hub (either an expensive Thunderbolt one or a cheaper USB-C one with major bandwidth limitations).
To be clear, the OP was talking about a lack of a microSD slot, not the removal of the SD slot.
...but keeping the SD slot would be a pretty good solution for microSD users since microSD to SD adapters - if you didn't get one bundled with the microSD card - cost about $1/shot and (unlike other dongles) actually make the cards easier to handle.
