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Sometimes Apple makes the dumbest moves...

SDAVE said:
How would they know who uses it and who doesn't? That's just stupid. ExpressCard should be standard in all laptops.

SD card...really? What if the person uses a Sony camera which has MemoryStick? They have to use a USB to Memory stick adapter. They could have included an ExpressCard multi card reader that doesn't pop out. Much better, imo.
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They know because they did their market research. Hence they left it in the 17" MBP for power users. I am one of the over 99% that don't use the ExpressCard and am happy with the SD card reader. Sony memory sticks are not the industry standard. The memory stick is the sony standard. What's next supporting floppy drives that less than 1% of accountants still use?? and haven't switched over to usb flash drives.
 
SDAVE said:
Like remove the ExpressCard slot on the 15" inch MBP.

Good thing I got the Unibody MBP when it came out :D
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seriously? You think anyone in the world will ever care about an express card in a 15" laptop?

"Oh noes GM no longer make a heated beverage compartment"
 
fteoath64 said:
Yeah, adding USB3 would be very news worthy but this is Apple, ultra conservative in hardware.
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Apple is the company responsible for popularizing the original USB spec when they pulled all the other ports for keyboards and mice. Likewise when the 3.5" FDD disappeared. And there aren't many backlit LED displays on other brands' notebooks. I could go on. I think it would be more fair to say Apple can be ultra cautious in hardware.
 
MacModMachine said:
YES, they new apple repair manuals state its SHDC and SDIO compatible
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SDIO? Wow, I didn't expect that, sounds like they're trying to move the industry into another direction- From wikipedia.

Devices that support SDIO (typically PDAs like the Palm Treo, but occasionally laptops or mobile phones) can use small devices designed for the SD form factor, like GPS receivers, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth adapters, modems, Ethernet adapters, barcode readers, IrDA adapters, FM radio tuners, TV tuners, RFID readers, digital cameras, or other mass storage media such as hard drives.

A number of other devices have been proposed but not yet implemented, including RS-232 serial adapters, fingerprint scanners, SDIO to USB host/slave adapters (which would allow an SDIO-equipped handheld device to use USB peripherals and/or interface to PCs), magnetic strip readers, combination Bluetooth/Wi-Fi/GPS transceivers, cellular modems (PCS, CDPD, GSM, etc.), and APRS/TNC adapters.
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Thanks! Makes my decision easy!
 
MacModMachine said:
what are you talking about....read what i wrote...


EXPRESS CARDS had nothing out when they came out...except the lexar ssd's thats why no one used them...now there used alot more.
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Sorry, it read like you were surprised that even 1% used the express card slot, and that simply the card reader would be sufficient for the future.
 
I can honestly say that i have only used the Express Card slot once or twice, on my old Titanium PowerBook G4, and i only used that because my firewire port went bad, and need an adapter.

However, i think they mad a smart move. Most of the pro items people have been listing that people use in the field can be bought in a USB form. I always, have wondered why they didn't use a SD slot. I mean, they are super cheap expansion. Plus, a lot of Photographers i know would be super happy about this, but at the same time disappointed because they did use the CF reader instead which is used in most Pro body cameras.
 
akutad said:
They know because they did their market research. Hence they left it in the 17" MBP for power users. I am one of the over 99% that don't use the ExpressCard and am happy with the SD card reader. Sony memory sticks are not the industry standard. The memory stick is the sony standard. What's next supporting floppy drives that less than 1% of accountants still use?? and haven't switched over to usb flash drives.
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There's a difference. Floppy disks are an old, slow format that has since been replaced with newer, faster formats. Things that require ExpressCard, however, (like SxS cards and eSATA) are new, fast formats that haven't been replaced by anything better but you suddenly can't use because now there's no ExpressCard slot. Not to mention that ExpressCard is infinitely more useful than the card reader, and encompasses all the capabilities of said card reader, and it was the fastest interface on the computer.

And it's not just Memory Sticks. How about xD cards and Compact Flash?

MacModMachine said:
YES, they new apple repair manuals state its SHDC and SDIO compatible
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What's the bandwidth of SDIO devices... I can't imagine it's anywhere near ExpressCard.

Sweetfeld28 said:
I can honestly say that i have only used the Express Card slot once or twice, on my old Titanium PowerBook G4, and i only used that because my firewire port went bad, and need an adapter.

However, i think they mad a smart move. Most of the pro items people have been listing that people use in the field can be bought in a USB form. I always, have wondered why they didn't use a SD slot. I mean, they are super cheap expansion. Plus, a lot of Photographers i know would be super happy about this, but at the same time disappointed because they did use the CF reader instead which is used in most Pro body cameras.
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Again, eSATA is much faster than USB or Firewire. ExpressCard could match that. Now you can't use it.
 
Furrybeagle said:
And it's not just Memory Sticks. How about xD cards and Compact Flash?
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So where does it stop? If there isn't room for an ExpressCard, there isn't going to be room for 20 "one off" sockets for every variety of storage device format.

FWIW, I'm using a Transcend USB SD/SDHC reader to copy my P&S pics from an SDHC card to my MacBook. Not perfect, but not a huge deal for smaller (4GB) memory cards. Sony owners should be used to that sort of thing by now -- unless they only buy Sony stuff.

Furrybeagle said:
What's the bandwidth of SDIO devices... I can't imagine it's anywhere near ExpressCard.
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I would sure like to know this as well. All I can find is that these cards can function as a proper IO system in addition to storage, but nothing very specific. Are they actually faster or do they support larger storage sizes, or do they just have additional functionality on top of SDHC?
 
John.B said:
So where does it stop? If there isn't room for an ExpressCard, there isn't going to be room for 20 "one off" sockets for every variety of storage device format.

FWIW, I'm using a Transcend USB SD/SDHC reader to copy my P&S pics from an SDHC card to my MacBook. Not perfect, but not a huge deal for smaller (4GB) memory cards. Sony owners should be used to that sort of thing by now -- unless they only buy Sony stuff.
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That's the point. ExpressCard provided an elegant, high bandwidth solution for all 20 of those format, in addition to eSATA. And they had room for it in every MBP and PB before this. In fact, with all the space they gained from using an enclosed battery, there should be MORE room.
 
I agree that the MBP 15 has took a step towards mainstream consumers, thus forcing Pro users to opt for the 17".

Personally, I use a Mac Pro for heavy lifting...so the 13" MBP may make for a good portable next time around.
 
Mezzanine224 said:
I'm calling 3rd party Apple re-sellers, and checking Amazon. Right now, the previous gen entry level 15" MBP has dropped to $1,499. That's a $400 drop from yesterday.

If you do audio/video/graphics work, do some digging and find the MBP with the Express slot. You'll most likely get it at a great price.
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US Apple refurb store has them for $1349. Got mine an hour ago.

[ETA]
Just checked and they are still listed on the site.
 
sushi said:
Looks like it will work with FW as well.
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But there are many Pro audio users who are adamant that you need your AD/DA, audio drives, DSP all on seperate buses to get the most stable solution.

I myself agree with this, granted it's easier on a desktop, 1 HD as the Boot drive, 1 HD as the audio drive, 1 HD as the sample drive. Audio interface and DSP (Powercore) on separate FW buses by using a PCI FW card. But for those who want the most stable and portable audio rig they now only have the one option, the 17" MBP, which granted is a lovely machine, although it should have a quad core in there by now.

It's not only Apogee, there's the Pro Tools crowd who can use

http://www.magma.com/products/pciexpress/

Or for those who like RME gear

http://www.rme-audio.de/en_products_hdspe_expresscard.php
 
I really don't think people are seeing Apple's big picture. The MacBook PRO is just a name now. Sure us professionals invested tons money in the beginning, but now we don't even compare to the number of sales from the average consumer.

if Apple could take a feature out to make life easier for the average consumer, then they are probably going to go that route because it adds a selling point for "ready out of the box"

Just go into a Apple store and take a look at the store layout, All of the iPods and MacBooks are in the front of the store in the open...... guess where the Mac Pros are? in the very back corner.....

Apple doesn't care about the professional anymore, they make more money selling consumer notebooks then selling Mac Pros...... Even the Mac Pro is starting to be tailored to the consumer by not offering workstation graphics.

Really, I'm not fighting against the versatility of express card, I'm just being realistic as to why Apple has made the shift.......
 
UrFatMom said:
seriously? You think anyone in the world will ever care about an express card in a 15" laptop?

"Oh noes GM no longer make a heated beverage compartment"
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Are you seriously comparing a heated beverage compartment to an EXPANSION SLOT on a laptop?

15" laptops are probably the most used laptops in the world.

You're probably one of those Apple fanboys who approve of whatever Apple does. Admit it, they make stupid mistakes. This is one of them.

There are plenty of people who shoot with Sony SxS HD camcorders, they could just pop in the ExpressCard in there and edit right off of it. Now they have to buy expensive adapters and use USB 2.0 which is MUCH slower than the ExpressCard slot. Don't tell me they have to get 17" laptops. They're huge.

It's understandable that the 13" doesn't have it. But 15" 1nd 17" are the top tier laptops. How about those DJ's who have expensive ExpressCard audio cards...and the sound designers with ExpressCard sound cards? Oh yeah, they have to lug around a 17" laptop now if they want to upgrade.
 
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