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Yeah but Apple has a point if less than 1% of the market was actually using the slot; the replacement to an SD slot makes a lot of sense and here is why;  Almost all of the newer digital camcorders are using SDHC cards and/or HDV tape recording.  Since the new laptops have an SD slot, those cards can be instantly plugged in and media transferred; which is a lot faster than digitizing via FCP/Firewire/HDV or DV tape.  Most of the pro still cameras also use SD cards.

Like I said before -- I actually own a ExpressCard FW800 adapter.  I have yet to use it even once this year.  Recording to DVCAM; it does not make sense to capture via the AJA IoLA or IoHD when I can just hook the deck directly via Firewire.  And when we get the new AJA KiPro hard drive recorders (which is a no brainer for anyone spending a crap load on DVCAM tapes) that adapter will probably never be used.

From my perspective -- the people who need the ExpressCard slot will have bought the 17" anyway, so it really is a moot point in my book.

The more important fact here is that you can drop 8GB of RAM into the laptops now -- that kicks ass.

-mark

Although I see the reasoning behind Apple's decision; I'd still rather have the ExpressSlot -- way more options.

-mark

avkills wrote:

Although I see the reasoning behind Apple's decision; I'd still rather have the ExpressSlot -- way more options.

It doesn't have to be one or the other (that's just what Apple wants you to think).  The express slot is free.  The connector costs mere pennies.  The connector is so inexpensive that even the cheapest, most stripped down, barebones PC laptops have this slot -- in fact, most have TWO.

Choosing between SD and EC is like choosing between a fast CPU and a grey color scheme.  The proposition itself is illogical because color doesn't affect cost -- all colors cost the same, give or take a few cents.

avkills wrote:

From my perspective -- the people who need the ExpressCard slot will have bought the 17" anyway, so it really is a moot point in my book.

The more important fact here is that you can drop 8GB of RAM into the laptops now -- that kicks ass.

I just don't get the "pro=large" argument.

8GB of RAM does kick ass indeed.

Gatchaman wrote:

avkills wrote:

From my perspective -- the people who need the ExpressCard slot will have bought the 17" anyway, so it really is a moot point in my book.

The more important fact here is that you can drop 8GB of RAM into the laptops now -- that kicks ass.

I just don't get the "pro=large" argument.

8GB of RAM does kick ass indeed.

Do some editing on a 30" Cinema display for a long time and then go do the same thing on a wimpy 1024x768 or 1440x900  display.  Then you will get me.

-mark

Maybe I haven't noticed or maybe this is new but Apple nerfed the 15in Pro in terms of resolution. There used to be an option for a 1650x1080.

13in while nice, is also not that impressive. Really doesn't have that great of an advantage in specs over the plain MB. If it had a 9600GT or something with dedicated VRAM then maybe but...just a MB with a few frills...ehh .

What I want is a 13" MacBook Pro with a 1680x1050 resolution and an OS with resolution independence.

Actually, I don't need the res independence. I sit close enough to be able to see everything. Even if they're really small. I just want the option. But Independence would be nice.

Fine, if not 1680x1050, at least bump it up a notch. Like give the 13 the resolution of the 15's lowest setting. 1440x900. I used to use a Mac mini with a 20" ACD at 1680x1050. So I made a compromise when I got my 13" MacBook losing a large amount of screen space. I'd really like to have a little more back, but I don't want to get a 15" or a 17" laptop. They're way too huge and unwieldy for me. 13" is just right. Just want a higher resolution.

I've simulated a 1680x1050 resolution on my MacBook by viewing a screenshot of my mini at full screen. And sure, stuff looks tiny, but it's not that bad IMHO. With resolution independence it would be moot. I also simulated a 1440x900 resolution. I'll take either really. Just want some more pixels to work with. An extra 160 horizontally and an extra 100 vertically at least.

Please, Apple? Preferably before next Spring?

Haha, yeah right.

13" MacBook Pro Owners Reporting Possible SATA Speed Caps
Apple MacBook Pro owners reporting lackluster speeds possibly capped by Apple

Some Apple 13" MacBook Pro owners have been left confused due to slower SATA connection speeds than expected through their laptops.

The MacBook Pro laptops in question are supposed to see speeds of 3Gbps, but some owners have been capped at just 1.5Gbps.

"I just checked my system information and the SATA connection is reporting 1.5 Gigabit as the speed," a post on the Apple support forums reads.  "I discovered this when I benchmarked my Vertex 60GB SSD and noticed that the speeds were a lot slower than before (I used to have a 15" umbp).  This is a huge disappointment and very surprising."

It's unknown if this current problem is an accident, or if Apple is intentionally shipping laptops with these storage speeds intentionally.  Some users on the Apple support forums think it's an honest mistake, while others are suffering disbelief that Apple would intentionally cap the SATA drive speeds.

Traditional mechanical HDDs don’t seem to be affected much by the 1.5Gbps connection, but some owners of high-end SSDs are pretty irate about lower than expected read speeds with the latest 13” MacBook Pros.

The thread posted at MacRumors is more than 30 pages in length with numerous pages of clutter, though there is some interesting reading material available.  DailyTech sent over an e-mail to the Apple support team, but will likely be told no comment until an official statement -- if Apple wants to release one -- is made.

avkills wrote:

From my perspective -- the people who need the ExpressCard slot will have bought the 17" anyway, so it really is a moot point in my book.

What about all the people who have mobile broadband cards which mount flush in the MacBook like the current Sprint one I own?

Bat wrote:

Coupla short articles at AT.

Apple's 2009 MacBook Pro: Battery Life to Die For
Apple's latest MacBook Pro breaks 8 hours in one of our battery life tests. The new MacBook Pro is the best Apple notebook I've ever tested....

The New MacBook Pro Part II: Lower Battery Life Under Vista & SATA Issues
We've got the first battery life results under Windows Vista and it still doesn't look good. The new...

And reduced SATA speed seems confirmed, no observed technical reason. Product differentiation, perhaps?

The slower SATA speed is stupid as well.  Windows not getting as good battery life is no big surprise to me.

-mark

avkills wrote:

Aaron_R wrote:

avkills wrote:

From my perspective -- the people who need the ExpressCard slot will have bought the 17" anyway, so it really is a moot point in my book.

What about all the people who have mobile broadband cards which mount flush in the MacBook like the current Sprint one I own?

Hmmm good point, I forgot about those -- most of the ones I've seen are USB.  Maybe they can swap them for USB ones. Overall it was a dumb move; but as usual "Apple knows best..."

Sure we can swap them for the USB one except that'd cost a lot of money since we can't sign a new data plan contract until our current is expired. Plus the USB toggle device will stick out of the MacBooks and have the potential to be forgotten at home/office/car/etc. Yes it was a very lame PC move.

Last edited by Aaron_R (2009-06-16 3:05 pm)

jerwin wrote:

Someone needs to take the macbook apart and discover if space precluded the ExpressCard slot. I really don't care one way or the other, but a reality distortion field cannot mask the fact that some people like expandability.

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09 … _slot.html


I would have preferred the ExpressCard slot too, but it's not a deal breaker for me.  I'm more concerned about the slower SATA - I see SSD drives coming down in price and I might want to get one in 2-3 years.  It's enough to make me second guess buying a Macbook right now. (or consider getting a last gen. MBP)

kman wrote:

jerwin wrote:

Someone needs to take the macbook apart and discover if space precluded the ExpressCard slot. I really don't care one way or the other, but a reality distortion field cannot mask the fact that some people like expandability.

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09 … _slot.html


I would have preferred the ExpressCard slot too, but it's not a deal breaker for me.  I'm more concerned about the slower SATA - I see SSD drives coming down in price and I might want to get one in 2-3 years.  It's enough to make me second guess buying a Macbook right now. (or consider getting a last gen. MBP)

Some were speculating (hoping) a firmware update would bring the drive speed up? I mean Apple cut the speed in 1/2, back five smurfing years w/out any explanation. This has got to be an issue that is fixable, like enabling n networking speeds on Macs well after they shipped via that .99 update a couple years ago.