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techfreak85

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jan 13, 2008
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Why are there SD card slots on the 13, 15 inch, but not the 17 inch? Who really uses the Expresscard slot? And it seems like 17in people are more of the photo type people.:confused: I dont get it.
 
I suppose Apple wants to have a laptop which has an expresscard slot for the people who absolutely need it.
Many users are claiming that pro DSLRs use Compact Flash, so SD won't help.
 
The MBP 17" arrived 3 months later than its smaller siblings (only 5 months ago), so it's possible that it was too early for physical changes to the case.

Another possibility is that Apple considers the 17" to be the only model that's literally "pro" -- after all it's the only one with a matte screen option and more than two USB ports. One of the telltale signs of a truly professional laptop is expandability, and the ExpressCard slot is the very last vestige of expandability on Apple's portable lineup. The 17" would end up on the wrong side of the fence between professional and prosumer if they ditched the EC port.
 
Probably because it was too early to change the case. Also, it has the room to spare, and you can use an express card to "give" it an SD slot
 
There are many cheap SD card readers that fit in the expresscard slot. So conceivably, if you owned a 17" MBP, you could just put one in there. It also gives you flexibility to put anything else you want in there. It's just a differentiator for the 17"er, to separate it from the other two - gives you a bit more flexibility.
 
If they were so hell bent on adding a card reader, why didn't they just go for one of those 8-in-1 readers that will handle anything from SD to CompactFlash to Sony memorysticks? Trading an EC port with some lame thing that only takes SD is just bonkers.

I'll be replacing the PC I'm typing on in a week or so with an MBP 17", and while the MBP has a lot more juice than this 3 year old PC it's quite the downtrade in connectivity.

I'll be going from
4x USB
1x Firewire
SmartCard reader
ExpressCard Port
PCMCIA Port

to

3x USB
1x Firewire
1x ExpressCard

Bleh.
 
So maybe Apple should make the 17" the Macbook Pro^2. Or maybe the Macbook Pro for real this time.

I'm still a little unclear as to the big reason for the switch to SD from expresscard. Sure the whole 1% thing but...
 
Apple has stated that Leopard can be installed onto an SD card in the new MacBook Pro's. Does anybody know if this is the case with an SD card reader connected to an ExpressCard slot as well?
Don't all answer at once! I suppose nobody knows if Leopard can be installed on an SD card connected to an ExpressCard SD card reader then. I'll keep looking around online then, and maybe I'll come across someone that actually knows something about Mac's. ;)
 
Hate to drag off topic, but I've had an Apple wireless keyboard with a number pad for like 3 years. Unless you're referring to something else.

aluminum one

to the guy asking if you can boot via SD via ExpressCard:
you can boot via eSata via EC, via USB Dongle, Via FW800, via EC-SSD, and i presume via SD via EC....
but why would you, with so many options.
you can get a 32gigabyte usb dongle.
 
They will, for what ever reason the 17" MBP is off cycle with the other laptops. I expect it the expresscard slot to disappear from the 17" MBP in the course of time.
 
Why put an SD card in any Apple Computer to begin with.

Put in a card slot that a pro can use .... like a PC Card Slot.

I can put in my CF Card to PC Card adapter, among many other adapters.

Given that the 17" is NOW the only MBP with an Express Card Slot ( which replaced the PC Card Slot that the Powerbooks had ) many will say it is the only PRO model left.

SD Card is one that I'll never use, and neither will my daughter with her Sony Digital Camera when she gets her 13" MBP.

I am glad I bought my 15" uMBP before Apple stripped it of the Express Card slot, there is a better chance I would use it then I would use the SD slot.
 
I used to have a 15" MacBook Pro (the 2.16GHz Core Duo-based machine) and I had both an SD/MMC/Memory Stick Express Card and a CF reader Express Card.

The SD/MMC/MS card fit flush into the machine, so I usually left it in. The CF card reader stuck out (since CF is wider than the ExpressCard 32 slot), so I didn't leave it in most of the time, but it was pretty fast and left my two USB ports available for other things.

Personally, I think they should have left the ExpressCard slot on the 15" though the SD slot on the 13" was probably a smart idea.
 
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