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Nassifer · Jun 1, 2009, 12:40 PM

Hello all I just have a thought that would be a nice little feature for the next gen of macbooks, and so for a built in SD Card reader, or in that just a regular card reader that would read multi cards, I have my camera have to lug an external card reader with me and that kind sucks, I try to be as portable as I can. Just a thought.

Abdulah

slugslugslug · Jun 1, 2009, 05:58 PM

I would probably use one if they put it in there.

But it's not gonna happen.

Spheric Harlot · Jun 1, 2009, 06:03 PM

Your camera doesn't support USB?

I find card readers hugely irrelevant, since my cam hooks up directly via USB and iPhoto immediately allows me to import all photographs.

turtle777 · Jun 1, 2009, 06:05 PM

Ain't gonna happen.

Apple never built any card readers in their laptops.
What analogika said is true: syncing of cameras via USB has been standard for years.

What's you camera's make and model ?

-t

Nassifer · Jun 1, 2009, 06:48 PM

I have an Olympus E620, I just do not like to do it that way I guess I am old school, I do not want to waste the battery life.

Abdulah

Hg2491 · Jun 1, 2009, 07:17 PM

My friend has a slick memory card reader that resembles a USB drive. Here's the link to the Amazon page.

davidbk1 · Jun 3, 2009, 01:46 PM

There are also expressCard readers that fit flush if that works for you. I personally don't mind toting a 6" USB cable to plug my camera in.

slugslugslug · Jun 8, 2009, 01:15 PM

Wow, I'm glad I didn't say I'd eat my hat.

Because it happened (on the 13" and 15" models), and I haven't gotten 'round to making a hat out of fruit leather.

Mrjinglesusa · Jun 8, 2009, 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by turtle777

Ain't gonna happen.

Apple never built any card readers in their laptops.
-t

Really?

Simon · Jun 8, 2009, 04:19 PM

Turtle would like you to spell that "O'Rly". And add a

like he would dammit.

Spheric Harlot · Jun 8, 2009, 05:56 PM

Originally Posted by slugslugslug

Wow, I'm glad I didn't say I'd eat my hat.

Because it happened (on the 13" and 15" models), and I haven't gotten 'round to making a hat out of fruit leather.

I'm stunned.

WTF, Apple?

Anybody doing serious on-location recording work now buys the least-portable 17" MacBook Pro just to get a second storage (Firewire or eSATA) bus?

Seriously, WTF?

I mean, the 13" MacBook w/ better screen, FW800 and backlit keyboard is my perfect machine. But the card slot?

jokell82 · Jun 8, 2009, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

I'm stunned.

WTF, Apple?

Anybody doing serious on-location recording work now buys the least-portable 17" MacBook Pro just to get a second storage (Firewire or eSATA) bus?

Seriously, WTF?

I mean, the 13" MacBook w/ better screen, FW800 and backlit keyboard is my perfect machine. But the card slot?

I do serious on-location recording work, but I gave up using the laptop many years ago. I don't know many people who still use their laptops, either. And the ones that do use the firewire devices (mostly the Digi 003 Rack) that have an additional port built in.

macfix · Jun 8, 2009, 09:21 PM

"I mean, the 13" MacBook w/ better screen, FW800 and backlit keyboard is my perfect machine. But the card slot?"

I could really go for a 10" netbook from Apple.

Spheric Harlot · Jun 8, 2009, 09:37 PM

Originally Posted by jokell82

I do serious on-location recording work, but I gave up using the laptop many years ago. I don't know many people who still use their laptops, either. And the ones that do use the firewire devices (mostly the Digi 003 Rack) that have an additional port built in.

Additional BUS, not port.

As in, tracking 48 channels into the machine via Firewire, and out to the drives via an ExpressCard.

iampivot · Jun 9, 2009, 01:48 AM

From the tech spec page at apple.com, it now looks like it's only the 13" MBP that supports the apple headset with microphone. It's not mentioned on either the 15" or 17" MBP. Has support for it been removed from these?

Big Mac · Jun 9, 2009, 01:51 AM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

Anybody doing serious on-location recording work now buys the least-portable 17" MacBook Pro just to get a second storage (Firewire or eSATA) bus?

Do you know of an eSATA EC card that works properly in OS X? It doesn't look like many people have had good luck with them.

Spheric Harlot · Jun 9, 2009, 02:17 AM

I just read (on an audio mailing list) from one guy running a cheap €35 eSATA ExpressCard, with no problems whatsoever.

No random unseating, either - that really appears to depend on the card manufacturer. There are FW800 cards that pop right out unless you tape them in, and there are cards that fit snugly and work just fine.

jokell82 · Jun 9, 2009, 06:03 AM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

Additional BUS, not port.

As in, tracking 48 channels into the machine via Firewire, and out to the drives via an ExpressCard.

Come on, seriously? How big do you think the market of people who track 48 channels at once without a rack for a desktop machine is?

PBG4 User · Jun 9, 2009, 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

Additional BUS, not port.

As in, tracking 48 channels into the machine via Firewire, and out to the drives via an ExpressCard.

Buy the base 15" MBP model introduced last Fall then. They're only $1349 at the Apple refurb store.

bishopazrael · Jun 9, 2009, 05:00 PM

Originally Posted by turtle777

Ain't gonna happen.

Apple never built any card readers in their laptops.
What analogika said is true: syncing of cameras via USB has been standard for years.

What's you camera's make and model ?

-t

having said that, this move of apple's to put in the sd card reader feels like it did when they dumped firewire... I don't see this lasting. There are too many other types of mem cards and they put in just one.

Consider:
I shot a film on the Red in Oct of last year. They used CF cards. Most other cams do due to the high volume storage ability.

Sony phones and other accessories use the Sony M2 cards.

Granted that most cameras and such do use SD, but still... i don't see this sticking around for very long.

olePigeon · Jun 9, 2009, 05:17 PM

I'm surprised they didn't go with CF. Can't CF read SD cards anyway? At least that's what I read.

slugslugslug · Jun 9, 2009, 05:27 PM

Look, they might have actually been tight on space, and CF takes more space.

And really, SD is winning (and it's about time someone did). Sony is putting it in their SLRs, Sony Ericsson is putting it in their phones, it's in lots of flash-based video cameras, and it's the most common card format in all kinds of miscellaneous devices(e.g. the iPod speaker dock I just got). If you're using any other kind of flash memory card these days, it's in a camera, and you can decide whether to get a card reader or plug the camera in with a cable.

Yes, a lot of high-end stuff uses CF, but they're a pretty small slice of the overall market these days.

Spheric Harlot · Jun 9, 2009, 05:33 PM

Originally Posted by slugslugslug

Yes, a lot of high-end stuff uses CF, but they're a pretty small slice of the overall market these days.

Well, it makes sense to include the consumer standard in the Pro 'books, rather than the professional standard, I suppose…

Of course, the audio industry, which now thankfully gets FW 800 on the 13", is flabbergasted over the killing of ExpressCard on the 15" machines (only two or three years after everybody finally got all their outrageously expensive outboard crap upgraded to ExpressCard). So it's probably just that talking...

Simon · Jun 9, 2009, 05:44 PM

I still don't get why Apple chose FW800 plus SD slot over EC/34. The latter would have given people so much more options (including both of the former).

What are the chances the SD slot will stay around for about as long as the sans-FW MB? And with what will they replace it?

Spheric Harlot · Jun 9, 2009, 05:47 PM

On the 13", there's no question: FW800 + SD slot uses WAY less internal space than the entire recessed EC34 with connection architecture.

on the 15", I imagine that a trade-off against battery capacity may have weighed in, as well.

Simon · Jun 9, 2009, 05:54 PM

Space, eh?

Then why did they add the SD card slot if that meant reducing the battery size (or integrating it) and/or removing an audio port? Why should an SD slot be that important?

Seriously. It's not a rhetorical question.

Spheric Harlot · Jun 9, 2009, 05:55 PM

Because it's semi-pro.

Or something.

Pro machine - gotta have them slots, else people is gonna be bitchin', you know.

turtle777 · 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by Mrjinglesusa

Really?

Originally Posted by Simon

Turtle would like you to spell that "O'Rly". And add a

like he would dammit.

Ouch. I was as wrong as Simon was on his FW prediction.

Ah well, we're even

But to be honest: the FW is infinitely more useful than the SD card slot. If I had to chose, I would have preferred that I was wrong.

-t

Simon · Jun 9, 2009, 06:25 PM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

Pro machine - gotta have them slots, else people is gonna be bitchin', you know.

SD card and pro? Not really. But hey, whatever.

megasad · Jun 9, 2009, 06:34 PM

What do people think of the possibility this will support SDXC? SDHC is a given but that's now maxed out at 32GB...

slugslugslug · Jun 9, 2009, 06:50 PM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

Well, it makes sense to include the consumer standard in the Pro 'books, rather than the professional standard, I suppose…

Okay, you got me. Though, really, the 13" models especially are going to sell to plenty of non-pro users. And probably a good many pro Mac users don't have a dog in the CF/SD fight, if they're not photo or video pros.

Of course, the audio industry, which now thankfully gets FW 800 on the 13", is flabbergasted over the killing of ExpressCard on the 15" machines (only two or three years after everybody finally got all their outrageously expensive outboard crap upgraded to ExpressCard). So it's probably just that talking...

That does seem like a real bummer. Claiming space constraints as an excuse for not throwing it into the 13"ers seems valid (esp. since I don't think the last <15" Mac laptop that had an expansion slot was Pismo). But removing it from the 15" sucks for y'all. I wonder if they did a lot of market research on how much use the ExpressCard got, or if it was just the whim of a product manager.

turtle777 · Jun 9, 2009, 06:54 PM

Hey, plenty of reason for the audio industry to upgrade to 17"

-t

Spheric Harlot · Jun 10, 2009, 02:11 AM

Originally Posted by Simon

SD card and pro? Not really. But hey, whatever.

"Semi-pro. Or something."

You don't do sarcasm, eh?

I thought the tone of my post was bitter enough.

Simon · Jun 10, 2009, 03:01 AM

Oh no, I got the sarcasm. It was funny indeed. But after an hour it wore off.

I'm still waiting for a reply form somebody who has some decent armchair reasoning to offer. So far all I see is people with

painted on their faces.

But as I said, I'm actually curious what possible reasoning could have led to this choice. So far nothing really plausible has come up.