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Bnitez

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 9, 2009
6
0
So I know I can put memory cards and stuff in there, but are there adapters, or anything else?
 
I think he's wondering if there are any sort of add-on accessory cards that can use an SD slot, like there are are ExpressCARD. I don't know of any...but I'm not sure why that is. It could work, I think...someone should be able to make a 3G data card or something.
 
That's what I meant :p sorry if i didn't express myself well, I'm trying to revise for a history final AND browse the forums.

So no add-on gadgets?
 
I had hoped that it would at least be a multicard reader. Would that have screwed with the aesthetics THAT much?
Seriously, it's all about looks. Nothing else.
 
For the 13" I think the SD slot is a nice bonus, for the 15" it is a waste, and inadequate replacement for the express card.

I am looking at the HP laptop I am using at work, it has an SD reader AND expressCard. :rolleyes:
 
Seriously-- is this replacement for the ExpressCard slot going to have some professionally useful purpose in the future?! Because at this time SD is not professional and I'm concerned why it was included.

Concerned? Yes. I need to buy a MBP today and originally I wanted the 15" but now I'm wondering if I should get the 17" which is bigger than I wanted. SD defies logic to me. It's not professional! Is there some hidden secret about the future of SD and it being a replacement in any way for ExpressCard?
 
If what I've heard round the forum in another post is true, and I don't have a way of absolutely confirming this, the SD card slot also does SDIO, which means gadgets (gps and whatever they make)

Probably a bit slower than express, but there is a chance to grow a market here and a pretty clear price signal for manufactures to pick up on.
 
Does anyone know for sure that the SD slot supports SDHC? I can't find any tech specs on Apple's MBP pages. It only seems to say SD slot.
 
if you have to have the ExpressCard, there is a killer deal in the U.S. refurb store. Previous gen unibody MBP for 1350.
 
I had hoped that it would at least be a multicard reader. Would that have screwed with the aesthetics THAT much?
Seriously, it's all about looks. Nothing else.
And this is probably why Apple resisted adding any card reader for so long. You're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't.
 
I am sure it supports SDHC, it just makes sense. Now if it does support other devices like GPS, etc. that would be nice. But it still would not be a replacement for the express card.

Good deal on refurbs last-gen MBPs though.
 
Does anyone know for sure that the SD slot supports SDHC? I can't find any tech specs on Apple's MBP pages. It only seems to say SD slot.


SDHC support is one unknown. Shame on Apple for having such "slim" documentation.

However, another concern is if it does SDXC support, which is the new format that was validated this past February. SDHC is only good up to 32GB cards, and even semi-pro dSLRs are already using 16GB capacities to get moderately 'deep' magazines.

As such, if the MBPs are only good for SDHC (and not SDXC), by the time that they're 3-4-5 years old, they're not necessarily going to be particularly useful to a Photo Pro.

And BTW, the other very important question is...
...how long (Hours:Minutes) does it take to download an 8GB-16GB card today? If its as slow as USB, it can take over an hour.


-hh
 
an HDMI port would've been the best option...instead of an SD port.

no sound comes out of the mini display port anyway, so more wires to hook up to a TV display. :rolleyes:

pretty much every tv out there comes with HDMI ports...

And I though apple were designing these macs with emphasis on "creative usage" photography,film,publishing, etc...

they have moved away slightly from their original target market in the powerbook days to capture the masses while hurting their #1 users/market.
 
SDHC support is one unknown. Shame on Apple for having such "slim" documentation.

However, another concern is if it does SDXC support, which is the new format that was validated this past February. SDHC is only good up to 32GB cards, and even semi-pro dSLRs are already using 16GB capacities to get moderately 'deep' magazines.

As such, if the MBPs are only good for SDHC (and not SDXC), by the time that they're 3-4-5 years old, they're not necessarily going to be particularly useful to a Photo Pro.

And BTW, the other very important question is...
...how long (Hours:Minutes) does it take to download an 8GB-16GB card today? If its as slow as USB, it can take over an hour.


-hh

It would be safe to say that it is SDHC compatible. For $1400 they would be stupid to not spend the extra (maybe) 50¢ to make the reader SDHC compatible. The standard has become the norm, and has been available for years. No way would Apple put an ancient card reader in when they finally bow to people's wishes of having a card reader.

And I would assume that if it is not capable at the moment of SDXC, that it will be in the future, as that should just be a matter of a firmware upgrade. The only (main) difference between SDHC and SDXC is FAT32 vs. FAT64 (exFAT).

Presumably the card reader is attached via an internal USB 2.0 hub, which means that it will be pretty slow for large cards. One would hope that they hook it up faster than that (especially if you try hooking up one of those 2TB SDXC cards at any point in the future), but it will take a disassembly / system profile to be sure.
 
If they don't support SDHC, that would be a travesty. Most people need 8+ GB SD cards for their cameras.
 
i think apple assumption is that there aren't alot of things that uses the expresscard which can be done with firewire and usb. So they removed the expresscard slot for a SD card which is a mainstream flash card which majority of people actual uses.
 
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