MacBook Pro SD/ExpressCard Slot Tradeoff: Brilliant or Blunder?
Apple’s new/refreshed MacBook Pro 13″ and 15″ models each come equipped with an SD Media Card reader slot, but in the case of the 15-incher, this has required elimination of the ExpressCard/34 expansion slot that had been in every 15-inch MacBook Pro since the get-go, back in 2006. This has led to a crescendo of protest from certain classes of MacBook Pro users who depend on the expansion interface, even though an ExpressCard/34 slot is still offered on the 17″ MacBook Pro.
Does this move represent wise decision-making, or is it a blunder on the scale of the misbegotten elimination (now thankfully rectified) of FireWire support from the first revision 13″ unibody MacBooks? I think the ExpressCard/SD Card tradeoff makes some pragmatic sense. It would be great to have both formats, but for most users, SD Card support will be more functionally useful. Apple CFO Phil Schiller was quoted on Monday saying that surveys had determined only 10 percent of MBP owners ever used the ExpressCard slot.
As much as I like the idea of having ExpressCard capability in my laptop, I’m doubtful that I would miss having it on any machine that has built-in FireWire. I did make a fair bit of use of the PC CardBus slots in my G3 PowerBooks back in the day, and still do use the one in my “road” Pismo for a Buffalo G54 802.11g adapter card I use in conjunction with OS X’s AirPort software to log onto Wi-Fi hotspots. However, built-in AirPort has been standard on even the cheapest Apple notebooks for about five years now. On the other hand, an SD Card slot would be very useful for transferring image files from my digital camera. (Alas, my 13″ unibody MacBook has no slots and no FireWire.)
However, there are a minority of users who depend on the ExpressCard slot — for example, 3G cards for Wi-Fi connectivity, Gigabit Ethernet cards to provide a second network connection, or cards to provide extra FireWire ports on their own dedicated bus operating at full speed instead of daisy chaining devices. There are also ExpressCard-based PCI expansion options used by audio and video pros, and they work with ExpressCard interfaces. ExpressCard-based eSATA interfaces are also available for data transfer faster than FireWire 800 can support, and some folks, of course, use ExpressCard-SD card adapters or a variety of other media card readers such as 7-in-1 readers or 12-in-1 readers that can read much more than just SD cards. With an SD Card slot, you can only read one type of card.
All that said, Apple’s director of portables, Todd Benjamin, told PCMag’s Mark Hachman in an interview this week that the ExpressCard 34 slot was dropped from the 15″ MacBook Pro because the “vast majority” of owners use USB connectivity, and that Apple opted for a SD Card slot because that format has become “ubiquitous.”
The obvious solution, if one absolutely requires ExpressCard support, is to get a 17″ MacBook Pro, which at least is now more reasonably priced at $2,499, and most professional notebook users should find that affordable. The 17-incher is a bit larger and heavier to lug around, but having the bigger display is no hardship, and as a 17″ PowerBook owner myself, I would say that the diminished portability aspect is often exaggerated. I’ve found mine a surprisingly tractable road warrior-ing machine.
So, which would you prefer: ExpressCard 34 or SD Media Reader?
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Josh C. on June 11th, 2009 at 9:45 am
Having seen on Macworld that you can install OS X on an SD card, I’ll go with that. World’s smallest boot drive- also solid state!
As you said above, the only reason I could see the need of an ExpressCard slot is for external FireWire- but since we have FireWire built in, who needs it?
Jake on June 27th, 2009 at 7:47 am
A blunder for Apple.
I make extensive use of the express-34 card that’s on my MBP 15″. I normally upgrade macs every 6 months to a year, but not this time. All my external drives are SATA. Whoever talks about the express card-34 as being a ‘firefire’ has no clue. The express card lets you transfer about 5 times faster than the 800-FW. I have files that are 35 and 45GB, without express card, I’ll be living like a caveman waiting for the fire to start. According to Apple ‘only’ 10% of Mac users ever used their express card – Is that a reason to ’spit’ on 10% of millions of customers? I am very disappointed with Apple. It has become too much of a mass market, with very small customer base. It boils down to sort of a monopoly. With my next PC, I will not choose Apple, and Linux will be my OS of choice. For a computer pro, Apple is not reliable and/or flexible enough. It is very bad to be at the mercy of one vendor (who has very little understanding of pro users). They can continue to produce toys for teenagers, but they can also drop the ‘pro’ from their machines.
Will on August 22nd, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Ooh! Well said! If they are going to mark a machine as a “Pro”, shouldnt there be a logical reason to have an express card to begin with, i mean its for the pro’s right? Which just strengthens the point, apple is aiming for a younger more, irresponsible market which in turn is turning the more dedicated followers into plain old fags for supporting them…. Lets have a round of applause for open computers please….
marc on August 22nd, 2009 at 10:54 pm
the 06 model mbpros had a load of defects that were, unwelcoming at best (overheating, videocard issues etc). hopefully these unibodys corrected those flaws but, at the price of customer loyalty?
For a new pro line, throw away with the damn unibody and re-invest in the poly carbonate or go REAL pro with carbon fiber.
Mrk on November 20th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
I strongly disagree. I am a Music Technician and use a UAD sound card that is critical for my production and my mixing. I cannot use another system as I have spent thousands of pounds on this card for plug ins etc but love the portability of the 13″. The jump between the Macbook and the Macbook Pro have shrunk which is positive for the normal end user, but for the prosumer and the specialists, this jump is very unwanted.
TJ Draper on June 11th, 2009 at 9:55 am
Apple should have at least given us a configuration option to still keep the express card slot on the 15″ MacBook Pro! This is a giant step backwards for me as a professional who very much prefers the 15″ over the unwieldy 17″ MacBook Pro. As a media professional, I need the express card slot for some adapters I have, as well as an eSATA card for my eSATA ONLY drives. When I get ready to upgrade from my previous generation MacBook Pro very soon, I will be forced to buy the 17″ laptop, which in all other respects I DO NOT WANT! I want a 15″
This is a bigger deal breaker than taking the matte option away from us on the 15″ and then only allowing us to have it back on the 17″. I do not need super color accuracy on my laptop, I need seeability in all conditions and the seeability of the glaring glossy display (while probably the preference of some) is horrible for me. When I need color accuracy in a monitor for color correcting or matching purposes, I use the calibrated monitor in my office in a controlled environment.
The #1 liability of being a Mac user is this: Since our entire computing world revolves around ONE VENDOR and ONE VENDOR ONLY for our hardware, we are at the whims of Apple’s engineering decisions, even when those decisions hurt the user. It is times like this when one can understand the desire of PC users to stick with the PC.
Please, please please give us options back Apple! I can see how SD card slot or glossy displays would be preferable to some, but for those of us that need the matte display and the express card slot PLEASE give us the option! I don’t understand why we can’t have options!
Ken on June 16th, 2009 at 1:03 am
Buy a refurbished unibody 15″ Macbook Pro right now for HUNDREDS of dollars off. It is a great deal and has the express 34 slot, removable battery, faster SATA bus, larger L2 cache etc. I just ordered the 15″ 2.53 4GB 320 GB 512 VIDEO for $1449. DO IT NOW, THEY WILL BE GONE SOON!
mac engineer on June 16th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
there’s a decent trade off to the SD card or the express-card i bought a MBP 15.4 in with express card slot and don’t regret it the SD wouldnt be nice but i have o have my express card slot for double the firewire and my server admin connections but what sucks is i bought mine a week before the new ones came out and paid 400$ more than the new ones cost!!!
JR Foster on June 21st, 2009 at 10:35 am
I agree with TJ Draper. It’s a PORTABLE computer, and the 15″ and 13″ are much more portable. I fly around a lot using the macbook pro to upload huge video files to separate hard drives, and even then, I have to use a PCMCIA adapter for the Panasonic P2 cards going into the express card slot. Apple, please give us options.
Galley on June 11th, 2009 at 9:57 am
Don’t know that I’ve ever actually seen an ExpressCard device.
Andrew Williams on June 11th, 2009 at 10:05 am
I don’t see any problems with losing the ExpressCard. But, I also have no need for it so I’m sort of bias maybe. I would have a lot more use for the SD slot because of my camcorder and camera. It saves me from having to have a USB SD card reader.
And the fact that Macworld said it can run OS X is a huge PLUS.
Now, to just buy a new MBP.
BTW, this is coming from someone who has a MBP already. It’s a 15” 2.16 GHz, about 2 years old. =(
Jake on June 11th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Since the MacBook Pro is a Professional level computer, Compact Flash please!!!
Mike on August 23rd, 2009 at 1:05 pm
I agree with Jake. Just about all Professional photographers use Compact Flash cards, and many buy the 15″ (with dedicated graphics card) for its more compact size (vs 17″), NOT SD cards! So “Blunder”. Give me back my Expresscard slot.
Jeremy M. on June 11th, 2009 at 10:12 am
I’m glad I got in the MBP 15″ a month ago before the ExpressCard went away (and while I can still swap out a second and third battery!–S. Asia has power only part of the time, after all). I intend to use it for 3G connectivity while traveling internationally, and very likely for eSATA with a new LaCie External HDD. If they were going for usability, they should have replaced the EC with a universal 12-in-one card reader. Sole SD card functionality excludes the Nikon-user community. That said, presently I use my SD card reader more than any other possible EC devices, at least stateside. Would like it in addition, though. But no drama, really. I’ve had to explain to friends and clients how they might use the EC slot, so I think Apple did the market research correctly. The 15″ MBP should have been able to accommodate both, IMO, though.
John on June 11th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Its a fine trade off imo. If you need to use a wireless card, just get a usb adapter for it.. they’re like $20 on Amazon.
chris on June 21st, 2009 at 8:01 am
USB wireless adapters tax the system much more, also some of us work in IT and need a little flexibility. I often end up connecting eSATA, a serial port and an extra ethernet port quite often.
Graham on June 11th, 2009 at 10:29 am
I would prefer the express card slot because when I need a 3g card I have it and if one wanted an SD card reader one could put one in the express card slot and it would be flush with the system as if it was built in.
IF YOU FEEL THE SAME WAY I DO TELL APPLE HERE: http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html
Zane on June 11th, 2009 at 10:35 am
I would’ve preferred a multi-format card reader (SD/CF/MS/xD), like the one in current generation Thinkpads but I guess we can’t have everything.
My pet peeves are the lack of a faster GPU and the glossy screen that’s being forced down our throats. The 9400M was a good option in 2008 but just doesn’t cut the mustard going into the DX11 era of 2010. I think something like a 9600M on the 13″ MBP spec sheet would’ve been a nice option. And for the love of God, give us the option of a matte display Apple! Not every Macbook owner uses the screen to look at their face or apply lip gloss and stuff.
James on June 11th, 2009 at 11:01 am
I’ve never found occasion to use an ExpressCard slot, but I can understand users’ frustrations with its loss in the new models. However, the author of the linked blog post is going overboard in his complaint that “Apple… made a very foolish decision which affects all 15″ MacBook Pro owners in a NEGATIVE MANNER.” Actually, it doesn’t affect 15″ MacBook Pro owners AT ALL; their computers still have the EC slot. When replacing their computers, yes, then it becomes an issue, one which comments here and on the linked post have already suggested a few solutions for.
Ultimately, he says that users who want an SD card slot can get around it (by plugging their cameras into the computer via USB), but doesn’t want to have to do it himself at all. The reality, however, is that there are likely far more SD card users than EC users, and it makes sense to force a minority of users to adjust their usage than it does to force the majority to do so.
tom on June 21st, 2009 at 8:07 am
You could have kept the EC slot and thrown a multi-reader in there.
It does effect 15″ macbook pro owners becuase if they like the product they have an want to upgrade said product, they can not and must find a new product.
I am an IT consultant and loved using my mac. Sadly I am forced to find a PC laptop as my upgrade since 17″ is just too much to haul around all day and its pretty bulky imho. The PC will let me add extra network interfaces, eSATA, a serial port for maintance on routers and the like.
I guess this just shows that apple is not concerned enough to even give an option and are forcing certain professionals to go back to a pc
Grodesh on June 11th, 2009 at 11:16 am
I need the ExpressCard to connect my e-sata hard drive. I can only hope that by the time I need to upgrade my Macbook Pro, Apple will have finally decided to put an e-sata plug on their laptops! Or else I’ll have to look elsewhere…
Evan on June 11th, 2009 at 11:55 am
I use the ExpressCard slot almost every day with a P2 Card Adaptor at work to offload P2 video footage. I already have an SD card reader for USB, not sure why I need a slot for a dedicated format over a slot with multiple uses. I’m glad I got my new MBP 15″ before this update!
pixel on June 18th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
I’m just as lucky as you. I’m glad I got the 1st gen unibody w/ expresscard slot to work with my P2 data as well, but what concerns me is what alternative will we have in the future when it is time for a replacement?
Scott Rose on June 11th, 2009 at 11:58 am
You can always add an SD card reader — and DOZENS of other addons — to an ExpressCard slot. But it doesn’t work the other way around. With only an SD card reader, you’re stuck with ONLY being able to use SD Cards. No CF cards, no extra FireWire ports, no eSATA ports, no ExpressCard modems, nothing.
Absolutely ridiculous move on Apple’s part, which is a slap in the face to all of us Mac users.
This is the problem with being locked into one hardware vendor like Apple. We Mac users are literally TRAPPED PRISONERS TO APPLE’S WHIMS, unless we want to switch to using PC’s instead.
chris on June 21st, 2009 at 8:09 am
I’m very much in the same boat as you and sadly will probably be getting a PC when I upgrade. I’ll hold off and maybe apple will give options for those of us that actually need this to do work and wanted to support them
Steve on June 11th, 2009 at 11:59 am
The only thing I’ve ever put in the ExpressCard slot in my 15″ MBP is… a SD card reader. So I think it’s great. Being able to create a bootable emergency SD card is hot hot hot as well.
And at #11, personally I’m thinking that by the time it’s new laptop time, that eSATA drive is going to look quaint and slow next to the USB3.0 stuff that will likely be available in the next year or two…
Chris L. on June 11th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Let all the whining and wailing and gnashing of teeth over the “loss” of the ExpressCard slot not obfuscate the fact that many users of same had, at best, very mixed experiences with their ExpressCard adapters. For every one who bemoans the loss, I can name another who tore his hair out over lost FireWire connexions, stuck CF card readers, line-dropping audio adapters, malfunctioning eSATA adapters, or wireless modems with shaky drivers and flaky uptimes. Those are just instances of which I have personal knowledge, having been asked to help. For others, just Google “expresscard problems”.
The omission of FireWire on the previous MacBooks, on the other hand, was an outright disaster. I know of many colleagues who either postponed a planned MacBook acquisition until Apple would come to their senses, or ruefully went for the white plastic MacBook.
Seems to me that Apple have decided to cut their losses and pacate the many, while risking the ire of a vocal – and hitherto lucky – few.
And, Josh C. (#1): If you read my comments over at MacInTouch, you’ll see that installing OS X on an external SD card via USB reader (and even virtualized systems, too!) has long been possible on Intel Macs. It’s just that, now, Apple have decided to officially take this solution aboard; hardly astonishing, since the SD reader is internally connected to the USB bus.
My condolences to eSATA orphans: they’re really the ones left out in the rain. But there is a cruel moral to this: never, ever, rely on external disks with a single interface.
chris on June 21st, 2009 at 8:17 am
You are correct, getting an eSATA hdd without also getting firewire or at least a usb hookup is kind of silly, but it happens and I also feel for those people.
I have been using express cards. I use them on my PCs as well. I’m an IT consultant, I travel to different client sites with my laptop and a heavy bag filled with other stuff. I need a bit of flexibility to work on clients sites and 17″ is pretty large to be considered easily portable.
That flexibility lets me connect to the console port on equipment, get extra networking options so that I can bridge connections or check multiple networks. eSATA is just so fast and nice to use that I am a bit sad when I am forced to use something else.
Apple doesnt exactly have much in the way of flexibility as it is, but they are making it so certain groups of people can not just rely on an apple and must get a PC if they want to do the job they are paid for.
There have been more than a co-workers and clients that have been angry and put off mac purchases (in the case of co-workers they went with PC’s since they were also fairly angry)
It might not have been used by everyone but it was needed by certain groups and it is very silly to not even give an option to have it instead.
brian g on June 11th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Too bad…a bootable SSD in an express card slot works so darn well (wintec filemate ultra) on the previous revsion mbp and is a ton cheaper than an internal SSD!
Brandon Eley on June 11th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
I use the ExpressCard slot in my MBP for my Verizon Wireless card. The USB wireless cards are bulky and put stress on the USB port, and since I use my VZ Wireless card everywhere outside the office, it’s definitely a necessity. I’m very glad I have the latest gen MBP with an ExpressCard slot.
Oh, and I have an SD card adapter for my ExpressCard slot, so I’m not sure where Apple is coming from with this update. I hope they’ll reconsider by the time I need to upgrade…
Joe on June 11th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
The only Express Card I’ve used is the eSATA for speed. They need to add a eSATA port to the Macbook Pro’s.
Norman Allen on June 11th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
I will miss the ExpressCard slot a lot. Being a photographer, I got tired of waiting for transfers of large files from my DSLRs via USB2.0. I recently got a Delkin ExpressCard Compact Flash reader, and the transfer times were cut IMMENSELY. I’m not talking seconds. I’m talking minutes. I wasn’t a believer in ExpressCard until I started using it.
Unfortunately that MBP is old and I recently ordered the new one. I refuse to go back to USB for transferring files, so I ordered a firewire CF reader.
Regardless, I think SD is useless.
mark on June 11th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
huge horrible stupid blunder.
a pro machine w/o ec support? arrrgh.
(besides if i need a card reader i can plug one into the ec port.
tom on June 21st, 2009 at 8:19 am
I agree a “Professional” machine, that a lot of professionals cant use and I’m sure will be taken up by casual users who would be just as fine with much lower specs…
Stephanie on June 11th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
If anybody is threatening to purchase a Winblows PeeCee instead of a Mac because of this, then they should. Too many people have switched to Mac in recent times, so if some want to go the other way, then good luck and all the best! It’s great that Apple’s market share has increased so much, but I don’t want trojans and hackers taking advantage of that.
I have three Macs, and one of them is a 15 inch 2.5 GHz MacBook Pro with an ExpressCard slot. Would I be able to boot from as SD card as well if it is installed into an ExpressCard SD reader? I understand it would be slow, but I do like the idea of an emergency system on a SD card.
tom on June 21st, 2009 at 8:25 am
Money is apples goal, and more money usually comes from an increased marketshare. We should not just sit complacently and accept changes that make our system a poor tool for the job we are using it in.
Security is mainly there on our OS becuase of obscurity and there are exploits and the like out there for mac’s, you just wont see them floating around too much and most likely no one cares enough to target your machine
Why do you think the expresscard sd reader would be slow? However you should be able to boot from it
Brandon Eley on June 11th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Stephanie, I’m not considering switching back to WinBlows but it WILL affect my repeat purchase cycle. I usually buy a new MacBook Pro every 12-18 months, but I’ll probably stretch this one out to 24 or even 36 months because of the inconvenience of also having to upgrade my Verizon EVDO card as well. It’s just a pain, and will probably cost Apple one of my upgrades (worth about 2 grand).
You win some, you lose some…
Andrew Bednarz on June 11th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Never used the Express Card slot in my MBP, can’t see that I ever will. SD makes more sense.
Stephen van Egmond on June 11th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Hey, if anyone wants an ExpressCard MBP I’ll happily trade mine for an SD version, with some money to even things out.
svan@svan.ca
nelson on June 11th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
I was thrilled with the lower prices of the new MBP, then I found out the 15 inch doesn’t have the express adapter. The 17 is good, but it is hard to work with on airplanes. As a video editor, I was hoping to plug an esata and a Matrox MXO2 Card into the MBP for p2 acquisition and editing.
We video and film guys (plus graphic artists) keep Apple going and we rely on the brand to keep making top of the line product. I am going to try and get a last generation MBP if I can find one. I really want the 15inch. 2 inches doesn’t seem like a lot, but when you are flying back from a shoot in coach trying to edit on a computer that will hardly fit on your lap, life isn’t that fun.
I really hope Apple comes back with the slot or someone can find a workaround to use a port for esata, raid and I/O capture cards.
lj on June 12th, 2009 at 1:40 am
2 reasons the SD slot rocks.
1. A Mac OS X solid state boot drive ready to pop in whenever you want.
2. Works with Bootcamp. Windows can sit on a card without stealing from your HD.
I’ve never used my Express Card slot and not from a lack of trying or wanting to. But there are hardly and out there that do anything of interest to me. I understand eSATA is nice and some people have made that investment… but most SD cards I’ve see add Firewire (check) or SD/media card readers (check). I’m excited.
chris on June 21st, 2009 at 8:28 am
Nothing special here,
you can do similar things with various forms of media and this is hardly anything new.
I’m glad your excited and it works for you. I am personally frustrated
Hell, they are probably even going to hook the sdcard reader up through usb…. :’(
Matt J on June 12th, 2009 at 2:21 am
I think what a lot of people are missing is that the ExpressCard port took up a lot more space than the SD slot does. And Apple won’t be letting this void go to waste. Losing the ExpressCard will almost certainly have allowed Apple to increase the size of the battery, something which ALL users benefit from, whereas the ExpressCard probably only benefited ~1% of users. It’s unfortunate for those who used the slot, but Apple has never been in the business of keeping features around for a tiny subset of users.
chris on June 21st, 2009 at 8:29 am
This is a good point I did not think about while I was sitting here being irritated…
Aleksandar on June 12th, 2009 at 3:51 am
Absolute deal-breaker. The first thing I did after I saw this on the text streams is to fire up a MBP feedback to Apple expressing huge disappointment.
I use 3G card when out of home and use eSATA expansion card when at home. Just look at what they call “pro” machine – apart from two measly USB ports and 1 FW, there’s not a single expansion slot. That’s not a pro machine, that’s consumer machine.
17″ is not an option, that’s simply too huge to be used as portable machine.
Even with USB and FW800, that’s way too slow (eSATA is 2-4x faster) for the kind of stuff I move around. Like, I guess most audio/video/photo pros move around. It’s a ridiculous decision – MBP allows 500GB (could enter TBs with replacements) disks, 8GB of memory – it invites to use MBP as powerful studio machine. And then when you need to move it of the machine, you’re forced to wait while USB is chugging along.
The way things stand, I’m gonna stick with my two gens old MBP 15″. Immensely stupid of them. They should have kept the MacBook and MacBook Pro lines, instead of making them all consumer MacBook stuff.
chris on June 21st, 2009 at 8:30 am
I agree completely and feel much the same
Shaun on July 8th, 2009 at 9:42 am
Ditto for me as well. It’s a deal-breaker. Apple is really just charging more for the MacBook series by calling it “Pro”. What’s “Pro” about it?? What “Pro” that you know uses an SD card? Pro’s need the speed and options on a laptop, and are willing to pay for it. For those that never needed the ExpressCard slot – that would make you a MacBook user and you got to save some money. All that has happened now is that the consumer user base is forced to pay “Pro” prices (albiet with a small price drop), and the pro user group is forced to use a consumer machine. No one wins.
On another point, Apple is saying that only 10% of MacBook PRO users used the ExpressCard slot?? WHY buy a MacBook Pro then? I think they are lumping both MacBook AND MacBook Pro users together and saying 10% used the slot so they could justify the consolidation of the two machines (saving them money). They then spin the whole “boot from an SD card” thing that apparently impressed many users – even though they could easily do that with an SD express card.
Very frustrating.
Doug B. on June 12th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
In my ExpressCard slot I use: esata, G3, CF card reader, and for a second FW 800 (for when I am dogin the built in FW buss). I was going to upgrade to get the 8GB internal RAM on the new unibody but with no ExpressCard slot…. I am now shopping for a Dell or Lenovo.
Unibody first gen. 2.8 GHz 4 GB RAM
20 plus year mac user
Doug B.
Pro Photographer
LittleSnail on June 12th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
This is a big mistake on Apple’s part in my opinion. The decision has clearly been made to reduce production costs without affecting 90 percent of MBP buyers. However, this is supposed to be a “Pro” machine and surely, as such, it should cater for those 10 percent of people who do require a machine that allows a degree of expansion.
As an audio professional, I consider myself a Pro user and, having waited a few months to upgrade my laptop to benefit from the “upgraded” models, I am now seriously considering buying an end-of-line model from the previous generation. While I must admit that I have never used an ExpressCard slot on any previous machine, the lack of any expansion possibilities whatsoever on the newer machines really puts me off.
they are so smart on June 13th, 2009 at 12:47 am
It took Apple years and countless protests by users to realize that macbook pro buyers may prefer the 13″ format, cause they want to travel light but need the full features of the pro version. Now that they finally honnor that they faill to recognize that these users need the express card slot for 3G connections. I could not care less about a SD slot. What would I need it for if I have usb/firewire connectivety to a sd-based device such as a camera or mp3? A slot for a SIM card and built in mobile phone would at least have made some sense. But why not let me decide what expansion function I want to use? The 17″ inch is a bulky waste of space. I guess my next laptop will no longer be a mac.
Anthony on June 13th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
If Apple discarded the express card slot to save money, well, that’s a missed opportunity for them. They could have instead bring forth the expresscard format en masse (since practically every macbook pro user up to this point has a ‘useless’ expresscard slot. Hey I’ve got news for you Apple. why not tap into the Expresscard format with your already millions of macbook pro users and come out with your own set of expresscard format peripherals. we’ve already got modems, readers, SATA, tv tuners, audio and video interfaces etc. from thrid parties so imagine nice Apple multi-card readers which sit flush with the new and old MBP, and maybe something sweet such as the frontrow remote which sits in the expresscard slot.Adding the expresscard slot only to disband it after 2.5 years is a missed opportunity indeed. And APple is known to drive innovation to the standards. Dont give it the treatment like you’ve done with the firewire port. I was hoping Apple would innovate but an SD card reader is really a step backwards.
Keith on June 14th, 2009 at 10:32 am
I have an 15″ MBP which I use for pretty much everything – including on-the-road video editing and live video mixing.
I use the ExpressCard for eSATA support and to add additional Firewire 400 ports.
Matt on June 14th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Quite disappointing to see the Express Card eliminated. I rely on it for my Verizon EVDO card. Using a USB device means I pretty much have to be stationary and can’t leave it in the computer. I was ready to buy a new unit MBP myself, but I’ll stick with my two gen old 15″ MBP for now as well. I’m worried the 17″ is just a little to big to be portable. If they’d stick EVDO or HSDPA into the laptop, I wouldn’t care as much. Bummer.
chris on June 21st, 2009 at 8:32 am
17″ is too big to be portable in my opinon, your in the same situation I am
Michael on June 14th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
The current Sony Pro video cameras, EX1 and EX3 shoot on SXS cards that need a ExpressCard/34 slot for downloading the data. Carrying a 17inch MacBook Pro into the field is a bad option – all of us have been waiting for a smaller MacBook Pro. But now, with the option gone on both the 15 and the newly introduced 13 inch, there is going to be a great demand for “legacy” 15 inch MacBook Pro’s. A damn shame.
Tim Naylor on June 14th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
Apple blew it big time. It was bad enough eliminating FW 400. But to eliminate all possibilities of E sata us is just down right stupid. I work in video/film and the 17″ is a pain in the ass to use on the field. The 15″ is pretty much standard especially for downloading, tranferring and transcoding data. One FW 800 and one USB pretty much makes it useless in my line of work.
Unbelievable, the Old Macbooks where as good as this in terms of connectivity. No longer deserving of the “pro” moniker.
Jim on June 15th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Well, I’ve been endorsing Apple’s Logic Pro for the last 6 months and I have to use the ExpressCard/34 expansion slot for my audio interface as I do alot of multitrack recording. The 17″ is to big and a pain to carry around. I would like to see some options from Apple.I am currently using a first generation Macbook pro which is on its last legs.
AlienSexGod on June 15th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Pro means Pro
Pro Expansion please NOT consumer sing card reader (easy to plug in a USB or firewire card reader)
Pro’s using expansion slot run SATA Raids and/or pro interfaces off them.
Many want the portability of a 13 or 15″ and plug into a 24″ on a desk
Naybe they should call this MacBook Consumer Al. NOT MacBook Pro?
How about Apple builds in Native eSATA out & a Pro expansion slot for interfaces
3G built in would be cool too!
chris on June 21st, 2009 at 8:33 am
Thank you for saying this!
)2eality on July 21st, 2009 at 7:49 pm
You are a legend ASG!
Right On!
( though you do suck at typing :P)
Andrae on June 16th, 2009 at 3:24 am
Thank God Apple left the ExpressCard in the 17″ model. I have a new unibody 17″ MBP so it doesn’t affect me. Anyone looking to get a mac portable below $2500 and need this port wow unto you. I know why Apple made to move… due to the new battery. But it’s kind of a fascist move.
Jay on June 16th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
I actually am looking for a new mac laptop and was initially excited about these new macbook pro’s. However, i’m really disappointed at the lack of the express slot on the 15″ macbook pro. I don’t know what apple is thinking. I’m a pro user, use Panasonic P2 cards regularly, want eSata support. I mean, really, who is this laptop for?
DanS on June 16th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
As a graphic designer and DSLR amateur photographer, I’m often taking photos in the field. With a 4 or 8GB compactflash card and USB only, you’re looking at tens of minutes for a full card transfer, vs. a few minutes with a PCI-enabled HD Controller ExpressCard reader. I’ve experienced a five-fold decrease in transfer time and less stuff to lug around.
A shame that Apple has removed expansion from the *professional* line of portables, preventing the very people that use, back and evangelize their products from using said products *for their needs*. Road warriors? Audio & Video professionals? Photographers? These people, featured on Apple’s Pro website no less, now have less options available to them, and have to deal with less capability in their workflow. I’d gladly sacrifice 100g of battery (and its associated battery life) for a more expandable portable machine.
(And to those that are amazed at Windows on a SD card, this can be done with a USB key or CompactFlash card. Nothing special here.)
I can definitely attest that working in coach is difficult enough with a 15″ MacBook Pro; upgrading to a 17″ to retain the ExpressCard slot really isn’t an option for the space conscious, unless Apple’s willing to pay for a 1st Class upgrade on all of my flights!
tom on June 21st, 2009 at 8:36 am
With the comments a lot of other people here have been making about the change, I would guess most of them are more what I would consider casual/consumer and less “professional”
Brian on June 16th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
The decision to remove the ExpressCard from the 15″ is an example of breathtaking misunderstanding of the market. For actual professionals USB in audio production is absolutely in no way a replacement for ExpressCards. To even say so indicates how far Apple has fallen from the tree of creativity that made them the clear choice for portable audio production. An SD card is fine for a consumer toy but it has no place in a professional machine. Apple has really lost credibility with pro users on this move. It’s just breathtakingly bad decisionmaking.
Jonathan on June 17th, 2009 at 1:39 am
They aren’t building the pros for the pros anymore….they are marketing the pro laptop to the general public….way to go Apple….ignore the pros that have stayed with you from day one…
Pro Photographers don’t use SD cards
Pros need the flexibility of the expansion slot
Pros need matte screens
Pros need a computer company that won’t forsake the pros that was always the core users over the years
Adam on June 23rd, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Apple is ridiculous. As a filmmaker, pro digital video cameras are all moving towards SSD to store their footage. A very popular camera, Sony EX1/3, utilizes the SxS cards which are basically SSD in a Express34 card. This makes it so easy to transfer footage–you just pop it into the drive!
Not to mention breakout boxes, such as the Matrox MXO2 utilizes that spot.
For all of you who say, why don’t you just go get the 17inch? Removable Battery!!
If I am at a shoot off the grid, I need to transfer footage from the camera to laptop, without a removable battery the laptop is useless.
Aaron on June 24th, 2009 at 7:08 am
Absolutely, completely in 100% agreement with you Adam. I shoot with the EX1, and use the MXO2. Not to mention that Apples claimed “Up to 8 hrs. of wireless connectivity” battery life, translates to video editors as “About an hour and a half of importing/editing/encoding/burning”.
I share your rage.
Aaron on June 24th, 2009 at 7:05 am
As an on-the-road video editor myself, I’m noticing that most of the outrage is coming from those in the video field. And why shouldn’t we be angry? Apple has invested heavily if Final Cut Studio, paving the way for amazing creativity and production. And that workflow depends heavily on that ExpressCard slot.
15″ happens to be the most ideal size to fit in a bag that isn’t just a laptop bag. (Any other stealth reporter bag users out there?) Guys like me have a lot of gear to haul around, and are not interested in 2 more inches of screen real-estate for the hassle of getting yet another bag to carry it around in.
It personally saddens me, being one of the 10% that depends on the ExpressCard slot, to be considered not worth keeping the ExpressCard alive for. Yes, yes, I know, just get the 17 incher and stop whining. Well, my assistant has a 17″ and despite Charles Moore’s experience (not being a video guy) the difference between our setups is remarkably different, his being the clunkier. As for me, I’m hanging on to my 15″ MacBook Pro for as long as I possibly can. Sorry Apple, you won’t have me running to upgrade any time soon.
Jeffrey McPheeters on June 24th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
As a semi-pro videographer and photographer (serious hobbyist and assistant for some professional collaboration projects) the recent removal of the express card slot causes me concern and I am possibly going to get a discounted 15″ MBP with discreet graphics card and EC slot, mainly because I want the possibility of expansion when new protocols arrive in a couple of years. ON the other hand, for my CF cards, I prefer FW800 anyway, since I can use a single reader with multiple desktops AND when on the road with a laptop. Also, I am aware that Compact Flash is going the way of the DODO at some point and SD is becoming the ubiquitous standard for the near future. Canon’s top DSLRs now use both CF and SD and I expect within 5 years, CF will be gone since SD is advancing more rapidly than CF it appears. Still, EC give flexibility that a fixed reader does not. A Pro-laptop should have an expansion slot, just like Pro desktops have several. iMacs and MacBooks (and may Mini’s) could benefit from the SD card slot. Give the pros the freedom they need.
GEOFF Taylor on June 30th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
I am a filmmaker, who travels with my very old 15inch MBP alot. I need a new one. But now im really torn…
I like the good old fashioned matte screen and my two firewire ports, even though one is still 400. I nearly upgraded in october to the 15inch with the express card… very appealing, though annoyed about the gloss screen after years of matte and less firewire.
Which do i buy if i use final cut and other video programmes? i want to travel, and multi task on this machine? Is their a cheap away around not having the express card slot. i can get used to the glossy maybe. Why cant apple give us “pros” options instead of selling with silly gimmicks for the masses?
Ray on July 3rd, 2009 at 3:02 pm
As a long time pro in the television production business, I agree with all the pros above.
I am just now ready to do some editing in the field with footage we have been capturing to an eSata array on the mac tower over the last few months. I starting to look at Mac laptops (to use with the eSata array). Now I have a wrench thrown into my planning.
I will wait a short time to see if an aftermarket adapter comes out (fingers crossed), and if not, plan to purchase a “used” Mac Book Pro that does have the Express34 slot – so that I can do my job. I vote with my wallet. I am hoping that Apple hasn’t really blown it.
Rob on July 5th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Blunder !!!!
I need express card slot ! firewire/ esata ..
for SD, use a express/SD adapter, works fine.
no I don’t want to carry a 17″,
and I do want higher rez than 1400×900 on a 15″
at least an 1680×1050, even take an 1920×1200.
and option to replace superdrive with disk, since SSD is nice,
but not enough space.
Kristy on July 8th, 2009 at 10:05 am
This is a massive mistake, and shows Apple turning its shoulder to the exact group that has been a large vocal cheerleader. Apple dominates the TV/Film production space. Production meetings 10 to 1 are using Mac laptops vs PC’s. While not all of those will use the ExpressCard slot, it’s mandatory (read: not an option) to not have the faster options for the few that need it. And those that need it are often confined (in either space, budget or simply preference) to the 15″ or smaller size. To stay in the Mac world, users will certainly seek out second-hand machines in droves.
I suspect (or perhaps strongly wish) that Apple will correct itself in the next models, after seeing the error of its ways. It’s happened before, and it MUST happen again, or face loosing a large part of of the professional world.
Matt on July 9th, 2009 at 12:23 am
I’ll be getting a previous generation MBP thanks. I run an Apogee Symphony mobile with the express 34 slot for multitrack recording with Logic Pro. Firewire is not good or fast enough in a recording studio. Too much latency. Thanks a ton Apple.
Dave on July 13th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
I use my MBP 15 to transfer footage from my Sony EX-1 – that is until a large coffee landed on it. Was about to buy the new MBP – then realized I really don’t want it. Bummer – express 34 slot is how it should be – That’s why it is called a “pro” for professional users.
David J on July 15th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
I think Apple will come to regret this one.
My wife uses a 15″ MBP and I have a 17″ MBP. We both rely entirely on our Verizon V740 Express Cards for on the road access. I have no problem with my 17″ MBP, but it is just too large for her to easily tote around.
Also of note… every digital camera I have every used allows you to plug it directly into your computer to copy photos. I seldom remove the SD card to download photos, even when they are coming from my Nikon D200.
So… who exactly does this switch to SD card help? Sure as hell doesn’t help me! I just hope Apple will offer some type of an internal device I can use to replace the now missing Express Slot?
Tomas on July 18th, 2009 at 4:37 am
A lot of pro video users will be sad just now.
Biggest issue is SXS cards and another one big, big issue is Matrox MXO2 which was developed specially for Final Cut Pro…
And Final cut Pro is yours software, Hey Apple – do you now?
It is still same story for a years. Many pro’s are still on the road and they need small light laptop with integrated I/Os. I remember many pro-foto guys they switched back to 12 inch PC laptops, because Apple didn’t offer any good piece of hardware.
Now there is a new pro target, apple wants to lost. Video guys. Hey editors! Do you want an express card? Spent a couple more hundred bucks more and buy 17 inch pro…, if you want edit.
Almost every PC laptop from between 600 and 1000$ has a eSATA port, express card and 7 in one card reader included, with optional choice of better resolution….
NickJ on July 22nd, 2009 at 2:13 am
This decision means professional musicians wanting low latency audio in an Apple laptop have only one option. Firewire doesn’t cut it. Industry standard interfaces such as the RME multiface need the express card slot. Why not have SD AND express card? Plenty of windows machines seem to be able to provide this.
Sylvester Garza on July 24th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Very shocking news and a big blunder on the part of Apple. As it has been stated, cameras and other devices that use SD can be connected via the USB port, all that requires is having the appropriate cable handy. As photographer who shoots tethered to my mac book pro, I use my EC slot to connect to esata drives to download and back up my images . . . with the new crop of Mac Book Pro, I do not have the option of just having the appropriate interface cable handy.
There’s no way to do it . . and I don’t want to lug around the 17 inch model.
it should be called the MacBook SemiPro or The MacBook Prosumer . . . as it has most certainly lost it’s “Pro” Status in my book.
Christian L on July 26th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
yup. no expresscard bad.
mirror on the display bad.
non-removable battery bad.
funny how everybody says how the unibody’s exterior shell
is sturdy, solid and tough……..whats the point if one big DROP
can potentially shATTeR the mirror inside?
…applecare wont cover that= byebye $$
its not fiber glass. its GLASS.
no point for a tough unibody shell
if u have to be gentle with it all the time.
no?
GGP on July 29th, 2009 at 10:27 am
I think the biggest issue is that they traded a slot that has MANY uses (including SD if you choose) for one that more people recognize. I want options in a “pro” level machine, but I actually use the express card slot all the time.
My prediction is that apple is going to start delivering software on SD card and lose the optical drive next. That’s fine with me, I’d take the express card slot back in exchange for DVD drive.
Spanky D. Rascal on August 2nd, 2009 at 10:04 am
Most people posting replies here supporting this move to SD only have no concept of the power and versatility the express card slot offers. I have a Verizon Air Card for wireless access, a Parallel port converter for updating printer firmware, a 21-in-1 multi card reader, and an eSata converter for my external drives.
I have used USB for wireless access and it’s worlds slower. I have not found a reliable alternative for the parallel port converter. Not all high end printers have a USB connector for firmware updates. My card reader supports SD as well as 21 other formats like the CF cards my digital SLR camera uses. I have used USB connected external hard drives, and they are the reason I bought the eSata converter. I can transfer hundreds of GB’s of data with my eSata Express Card in the time an external USB drive moves only a few GB’s.
With the loss of the Express Card Slot on the 15″ MacBook Pro, I will be forced to spend hundreds more for a bigger, heavier laptop. I believe Apple has screwed the pooch with this decision.
thejone on August 3rd, 2009 at 12:53 am
I think that not having express slots in the 15″ the calling it a Mac Book “Pro”
is an oxymoron. It’s not a “Pro” unless it has features that Pros use.
An SD card? WTF.
Should be called a “Mac Book Pleb”.
There’s no way I want to carry a big ole’ 17inch pizza box around with me!
Let’s hope Apple put their brains back in for the next release!
marc on August 3rd, 2009 at 11:46 am
hey apple,
ich muss sagen, dass es jetzt kein mac book pro computer gibt, den ich mir kaufen würde, da ich auf einen ExpressCard Slot angewiesen bin !!!
ich bin musiker und arbeite mit der uad solo laptop.
der 17″ ist für meine anwendungen viel zu groß! 13″ und 15″ sind wirklich gute formate!
somit bin ich die 10% … :(
wenn ihr es vertreten könnt auf 10% der macbook-pro anwender zu verzichten, ist es eine sehr traurige entwicklung!!!!
john on August 12th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
Apple has blundered before- with the elimination of the larger slot on the old MacbookPro G4- the one I could put my compact flash card into for a fast download. I suppose the majority of non professionals will be happy with the SD slot for the same reason- but most “Pro” cameras still use CF cards.
Now, I’ve gotten used to using a card reader for stills -but the express card works great for video from my Sony XDCAM EX.
I can be shooting on one card while downloading another- something that will be impossible if I have to use the camera as a card reader.
I refuse to buy a 17″ laptop. My lap’s not that big.
I was considering going in the other direction-buying a 13″ Book Pro next time- now I’ll have to upgrade to a PC-or take really good care of my current MacBookPro. Apple has let me and a lot of other professionals down.
Jeff on August 14th, 2009 at 8:48 am
i just bought a $1599 refurb’d 15″ MBP. The March ‘09 version, 2.66GHz, 4GB RAM, 512MB graphics mem. It was the older gen, so it doesn’t have the newer battery, but it does have the ExpressCard slot.
I shoot Canon 50D, using CF cards. What would be fastest for reading these CF cards, Firewire 800 or ExpressCard slot?
Keith on August 15th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
In terms of the hardware ExpressCard is faster. Firewire 800 runs at 800Mb/s whereas ExpressCard runs at 2500Mb/s.
That said, none of that is going to matter when it comes to CF as the cards themselves run significantly slower. CF cards run at multiples of 150Kb/s and even the fastest listed on Wikipedia tops out at 90Mb/s (a 600x card).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CompactFlash
In your case, you should need to ask yourself which port you want to tie up for the CF card and how much the reader costs.
rodolfo on August 17th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
well… it’s the last step to finally turn the MacBookPro in the perfect teenage toy. I see in this forum that college and high school students are really happy because they can transfer their girlfriend’s photographs much easier now Apple’s got rid of that funny hole … what the hell was that expresswhatever for- anyway!
seriously… it’s really pathethic. I am keeping my Santa Rosa MBP and I pray to god that it lasts a couple years more. New MBPs were a pee over professionals’ heads just for the matte screen and firewire removal but this SDexpresscard tradeoff is a poo over us!!!! And it’s just fun how people here talks about booting the OS over the SD card…. guys, it’s USB inside my god! (and by the way I suspect then all USB ports are shared) … What is going on?
Thomas on August 26th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Yep, the USB ports are all shared. They even state that the current is max 1/2 A TOTAL, not per port. Really sucks that you can run AT MAX one USB 2.5″ HDD without an external WALL wart. I’m mobile, not ON A WALL!
But an ExpressCard slot could have solved that IF THEY HADN’T REMOVED IT!
I bought a notebook not realizing this blunder. I tossed it in the trash.
Paul Freeman on August 31st, 2009 at 2:18 am
This is a blunder. I’m a professional photographer and all my cameras use compact flash cards. So the SD slot would be useless for me.
The expresscard slot is something I’m thinking of using for installing an SSD. I couldn’t do that on the new laptop, so I’ll drive the old one into the ground.
Apple gave me a reason *not* to upgrade. I don’t think thats wise.
This seems like a shift to serving the amateur market rather than the pro market. Certainly a bad move for professional photographers. Ideally I’d like a 13″ with the pro features, that seems impossible. Its sad to see the 15″ going consumer as well. The 17″ is too heavy. I hate to say this, but if things keep moving in this direction I may be forced to hack Mac os onto a windows laptop when I need to upgrade.
Philip on September 3rd, 2009 at 4:58 pm
On my current Intel Mac Book Pro I use my express card slot daily. I use it with media cards of all sizes and e-Sata hard drives. I was going to buy a new 15 inch mac book pro but I am going to hold off to see if it comes back into production. An SD card reader will always be an SD card reader. An express card slot can be a SD card reader and much, much more.
Scott on September 4th, 2009 at 8:18 am
Blunder.
I now have a reason NOT to upgrade to a new MBP. I need the ExpressCard slot to offload video footage from an SxS card. Sure, I could get a 17″ MBP but portability is critical for creating media on the road so I need a 15″ or smaller… with an ExpressCard slot!
D on September 6th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Hey guys I was thinking of getting a mbp 15″ 2.8 ghz, 500gb, 7200 rpm laptop, to start getting heavy into music production, use their logic studio I believe it’s called. Since I know pretty much nothing about comps or even professional music editing (I have an older Roland workstation, and I haven’t really gotton serious about it until now) will the lack of an ec port stop me later on down the road, when I become more experienced?
PDF Ninja on September 21st, 2009 at 3:59 pm
They should’ve made it a purchasable option. Besides, it’s about time that they start including an eSATA connector, in addition to FireWire.
Most serious cameras use CompactFlash, and professional photographers use fast FireWire card readers anyway.
My vote is to make this configurable at the time of the purchase. I’d choose the one with eSATA without hesitation.
graphicer on September 30th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Real pro’s use 17″! only posers would complain about their screen being too big when they are working in video. Apple has always made their 17″ model way more robust than the 15″ because real pro’s used 17’s. This last edition that gave expansion slots to 15’s taught them a lesson. People will always buy the cheapest solution possible. Apple has simply made your choice easier. 17″ or go home. most of you will go with 17″ because you will not want to take the time to deal with windows environment.
As a graphic designer, I’ve always felt that 15″ is too small. I inherited a 15″ powerbook G4, and i was never able to get work done, it sat next to the couch and became a web surfing computer and I reverted back to my desktop Tower for real work. That powerbook finally broke last week and I bought an early 2009 17′ MBP. I’ve died and gone to heaven.
Really what are you people complaining about, a 17″ is only a slightly bigger foot print (less than an inch all sides) and an extra pound of weight. If you are a power user, then most likely you have an external mouse, so you need more space than a 15″ will give you anyways. I don’t know of many designers and A/V people who work out of their lap.
rodolfo on October 20th, 2009 at 12:08 am
what if your a pro & not working in video? xD
Pollodiantres on October 2nd, 2009 at 10:14 am
I just ordered one of the last remaining $1599 refurb’d 15″ MBpro, 2.66GHz, 4GB RAM, 512MB graphic mem. I said “one of the last remaining” because yesterday I wanted to order the $1699 2.8 GHz, but today it was out of stock.
I see in the picture that has the EC slot and it doesn’t say that has the internal non-removable battery nor the useless SD slot, so I guess that means is the March model that has the EC card slot, although curiously enough in the specifications doesn’t said so… look, no mention to the EC card
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC026LL/A?mco=MTA4MzQ4MTA
I cross fingers it has it, since I work in video and need to attach the P2 card reader.
ferne on October 19th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
I am not a pro but I wanted to buy a new 15″ I use my ATT card in the slot to connect to the internet when I am traveling. If I upgrade is there any way to connect that works as well as my express card?
rodolfo on October 20th, 2009 at 12:14 am
of course you can use a 3G modem over USB if you have an USB port, but the computer USB bus will be quite overloaded and of course you are left with only one usb …
Besides you have to make sure that the total energy consumption of the USB ports don’t exceed 0.5A or you would need an external AC adaptor.
ferne on October 20th, 2009 at 6:56 am
Does a 3G modem with USB work as well as an express card? Mac does not have an express card on the 15 ” so I know this is the alternative BUT is it a good one?
rodolfo on October 21st, 2009 at 11:57 pm
“work as well”….. its a hard question but the answer is …. probably not. Mind the ExpressCard slot is like a PCI slot, that is, connects the modem to the motherboard with a high speed bus, that is independent from the USB or FireWire lanes. To give a rough example, the PCI bus is like a High-speed train, while the USB is like a small motorcycle, and the Firewire, although it has a similar transfer rate, it’s much snappier, because it has circuitry specialized on maintaning a constant and predictable speed, opposite to the unpredictable bursts of the USB.
The MacBookPro has 2 usb hubs, that is, 2 usb “highways”, each of them capable of running at around 480 megaBITS/s, that is, 60 megaBytes/s. The real transfer rate goes down to around 45MB/s, as there is some overhead in the transmission. Compare this with the unshared Full-Duplex (two lanes) of 2.5 gigaBits of the ExpressCard slot, that is, 312,5 MBytes/s.
To worsen things, this transfer rate is SHARED, because on each USB port there’s a lot of fancies connected: ISight, Card Reader, Multitouch Trackpad. So the MacBookPro’s USB’s are already busy, and prone to receive intererference from the multiple stuff attached internally on each USB, specially if you attach demanding realtime hardware like Sound Cards.
To worsen things even more, the power rating of the USB’s in MBP is only around 1.2A (see previous post from Tom on this very subject), so if you connect the 3G modem and an (demanding) external hard disk, chances are you have to plug the external HD for the power is not enough to feed both things.
Said this, your 3G modem will probably work OK, but you are quite close to the edge.
I’d recommend you to attach only the USB modem, and attach external hard disks, if any, in the Firewire port. AND too, get information on how internal connections are done in your MBP, ie, one port will have the SD card reader attached, while other will have the iSight and the Trackpad. Always connect demanding stuff on the LESS shared port. For example, if you are using the SD card, avoid plugging a hard disk or the 3G modem in that USB. In the old MacBookPro (santarosa) for example, the right usb is shared with the isight and trackpad, while the left one thankfully is free. There are many users that complain about certain peripherals only working properly if attached to the left one. I don’t know how is it done on the unibodies.
hope this helps.
Joaquin Medina Villena on October 23rd, 2009 at 12:49 pm
For me is a big blunder:
As musician and composer I use extensively the express card slot of my 15,4″ macbook pro (the first unibody model); I don´t like his glossy screen (I prefer the mate screen of my previous Macbook pro), but the loss of the express card slot is too much for me: I use it for extra firewire ports or e-SATA, so I have my firewire audio interfaces in a different bus than my Hard disks. for a pro machine this is not acceptable, and the 17″ model for me is not very portable.
Regards.
Mark on October 26th, 2009 at 12:23 am
Blunder with a capitol B.
What’s more it sends out a genuinely alarming message to Apple’s Pro customers that they are second rate citizens compared to the high volume ranks of i-pod boppers.
It isn’t acceptable to have not one single genuinely Pro-level laptop in a 15 inch size.
Firstly let me answer that chap that said ‘pros use 17 inches’. That’s nonsense. Most true pros use Mac Pros at home anyway and need something portable for the road. 17 inch machines are a pain in the butt for travel. The clearance required to open the 17 inch screen means that you cannot use it in many, many train/plane situations.
The express card slot was a wondrous thing. You could use it for compact flash, e-SATA, FW800, FW400 etc… yes… probably even SD – not that I’ve ever bothered looking since it isn’t a pro card format and the USB slot was perfectly good enough for any SD needs I had.
Which is another thing… If you were going to limit a MacBook Pro to a single format, and you had genuine aspirations of serving your pro-community, wouldn’t you at least use a Pro card format rather than one used in ‘point and shoot’ snappy cameras and mobile phones?! To have switched the slot from Express Card to Compact Flash would have been a bad move but at least useful to a few pro photographers.
Many, many pros need the substained transfer speeds of e-SATA. They also need to be able to copy FROM an external source TO an external source. With the old model one could do that using the combination of express card slot and FW800. Now you can go fast (and only fairly fast, not very fast) in one direction only using the FW800. And yes, they do need to do such transfers on the road not just at their office with their MacPro!
If ‘no one realised what the express card slot was for’ as Apple claim, then how about a little education. They have Apple Stores and a website, no? And a paper flier explaining the wonders of the express card slot in an MBP box wouldn’t have cost too much.
Apple do seem prepared to listen on occasion – like the reinstatement of the 15 inch anti-glare screen option. Which was a great move. Now if there were an MBP 15inch anti-glare with an express card slot I would have bought one of those last week instead of deciding to pimp up my current machine and sit it out. Many, many of my film/video colleagues are doing the same. Waiting, hoping that Apple will see sense.
Or are Apple holding fire until USB3 or some new light pulse connection arrives, and is this just some sort of hiatus? At least that would be an honourable reason rather than an abandonment of the pro-market. But they should either say so or provide express card in the meantime or risk damaging their brand in professional arenas.
Brand management is the thing here. Currently in order to own the best operating system on the planet you have to buy in to limited hardware options. And so long as these meet your needs then everyone is happy. This is one instance where the pro-market has lost out and it has no other hardware vendor to turn to.
If Apple decide to reposition itself to the mass market and abandon it’s pro customers I believe it would be to the detriment of the company brand in the longterm.
I – and many of my colleagues – hope this situation is rectified with the next round of MBP updates.
rodolfo on October 26th, 2009 at 9:31 am
yup agreed with most of your comments. I also hope they rectify, they should in fact, in the pro world people is not that concerned about alluminium or unibody. and some time ago macbooks did make a difference… just not now. they are living because of good press, but people is increasingly getting tired of such stupid decisions.
Bobby on October 27th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Blunder- What was Apple thinking? If they want the SD card Slot, they should have put it on the Macbook consumer line. With the Express 34 slot you have a variety of options which “Pros” need and use. and if it is not being used today, you have the option to use it tomorrow. I just can’t believe this! It shows the ignorance of “Todd Benjamin” and Apple needs to remove him. All they have to say is get a 17″MacbookPro, I lugged around a 17″ and could not stand it. It is too big to take everywhere. Try using a 17″ on a plane Mr. Benjamin. Most “Pro” photographers use CF cards, and Most Pro’s working with with use P2, SxS, CF, or a firewire deck, how can you hook up a firewire deck and a external HD to capture your media now Mr. Benjamin? 17″ right? Not if I’m paying !
Apple, you left the pros out of the picture here, and just a few months ago without have the Antiglare Screen. You did the right thing and brought it back, do the same with the Express34 slot.
franky303 on November 4th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I am really needing expresscard 34 for running external hardware with an PCI expansion chassis. – It is a HUGE step backward losing that expansion availability. whoever wants a SD cardreader can buy one with USB connectivity and plug it to any laptop. – If you need ec34 support on a laptop, which doesn’t offer it, this truly makes 15″ MBP totally useless for me.
And i really don’t like the idea of having a 17″ super big laptop, especially as 15″ offers everything i need.
I can only hope that the new MBP will offer ec34 again. – The other option of course is, purchasing a “normal” laptop that offers ec34 and run OSX on it.
But really, you guys at Apple, please keep MacBook PRO a PRO macbook, and not macbook! – if i spend half more money on an apple, i can at least ask for an ec34 slot, not ???
captspaulding on November 9th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Boy do I feel silly. I just received my new loaded 15″ MBP and can’t use 1) My Verizon 3G card, 2) My 3 external eSATA drives, and 3) even my MOTU UltraLite audio interface, which uses only FW400 cables. I could buy an adapter cable for the audio interface, but then would have to get new enclosures just to connect the drives in FW400 mode (due to the interface). It never occurred to me that they might do this.
I will be trying to return the machine and keep using my older one, until hopefully Apple comes to their senses. The speed bump is not worth the loss of disk performance and connectivity. BTW a 17″ is too big for my requirements.