By SteveJack
Heard the complaints about Apple’s new MacBook Pro’s lack of a FireWire 800 port? Well, such complaints are largely moot.
Apple’s new MacBook Pro features an ExpressCard/34 slot. This slot can be used for hot-pluggable I/O expansion cards that the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) plans as the replacement for CardBus as the preferred solution for personal computers. Uses for that ExpressCar/34 slot can (or will soon) include such solutons as: TV tuners, hot pluggable FireWire 800 adapters, extra FireWire 400 port(s), Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity products, CompactFlash adapters, Flash memory cards, Gigabit Ethernet networking cards, External SATA (eSATA), which claims peak interface speeds up to 3 times faster than FireWire 800, and more.
ExpressCard Bandwidth support:
• USB 2.0: 480 Mb/s
• PCI Express: 2.5Gb/s
There are two sizes of ExpressCards. The smaller one is 34mm wide (ExpressCard/34) and the other is 54mm (ExpressCard/54). Apple new MacBook Pro features an ExpressCard/34 slot. Both modules are 75mm long and 5mm high. Note that the ExpressCard/34 has the advantage because it will also work in the slot designed for the ExpressCard/54 slots, but not vice versa. Note also for the sake of total clarity and my desire to state the painfully obvious: ExpressCard/54 modules will not fit into MacBook Pro’s ExpressCard/34 slot.
Various manufacturers have told MacDailyNews that they are currently working on ExpressCard/34 modules, including FireWire 800 solutions. Expect announcements soon.
So, if you want a FireWire 800 port on your MacBook Pro or a TV Tuner or an eSATA port or something else, Apple has given you the ExpressCard/34 slot, so that you can do exactly what you want. After all, it would be silly to expect everyone to pay the cost of a built-in FireWire 800 port, if they’re not going to use it, or they want eSATA or something else instead, right? And, since the cards are hot-swappable, you could have multiple cards and switch them out to your heart’s content.
The next time you hear someone complaining about the lack of a FireWire 800 port on Apple’s new MacBook Pro, just explain that if they’ll just wait a bit for new ExpressCard/34 modules to ship, they can have FireWire 800 or whatever else they might want soon enough.
SteveJack is a long-time Macintosh user, web designer, multimedia producer and a regular contributor to MacDailyNews.
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So good. No more bitching about it……Rock on Macbook Pro.
So good. No more bitching about it……Rock on Macbook Pro
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hehe.. geeks will always find something to bitch about, they’re so miserable.
Complaints are not moot. Without a native port, we lose use of the slot when we may have wanted to use it for some other purpose – samples of which are listed by Jack himself. Condemn those who want to use FW 800 to loss of the slot for something else and think that complaints are now moot? Think again.
Use ExpressCard to Stop Whining.
It’s a concept similar to all the iPod accessories. You can’t use the radio tuner and voice recorder at the same time. Soon you’ll see new products come out of the woordwork, and Apple will have an ExpressCard category in its Mac Accessories page on the Apple Store.
Patience is it all it takes; we been waiing since last June for these Macs (and they’re EARLY!), we can afford to wait a little longer.
Mr. Wells,
Not including the FW800 port allows the MacBook Pro to be smaller, lighter and less expensive for everybody who does not own FW800 peripherals. It isn’t only negative for everybody.
Hg Wells,
The cards are hot-swappable.
Mike,
You guessed it.
uhh, neither are shipping so this is all moot.
some of those express 34 are expected 1st Q 2007! Yah-humbug.
Yorktown, the cards cannot be swapped if an external FW 800 (only) drive is in active use. A number of us have Lacie FW 800 drives (or other such peripherals) and would like to be able to use them concurrently with other things as we can now.
Mike & G, I understand that some of you are unable to use basic pieces such as an external hard drive in your iMacs and iBooks, but the world does not only revolve around the needs of newbie Mac users with consumer level computers. Some people do more than Internet browsing, email, and looking at a few family photos.
Daner, you are correct. However, I do also wonder how many additional millimeters in thickness would have had to be added to include FW 800 ( or a faster optical drive). Perhaps too many. Perhaps an acceptable tradeoff. On the other hand, if I can get adapters to use with an external SATA (with which I am not familiar) that is purportedly three times faster than FW 800, then I could be happier.
isn’t the firewire800 port smaller than the fw400 port (granted the inside pieces might be smaller but they still included it on the 1″ 17 PB) so the argument that they didn’t include fw800 to make it smaller is flawed. I still think they should have included it since you might have an external drive connected to that tv tuner so it can record straight to that drive. But I guess it’s better than nothing and apple is now using an industry standard so any product that comes out, apple can also use so I guess it’s still sort of a win.
Intel does not support FW800. ExpressCard/34 is a good solution. Not everybody wants FW800 anyway. For those that do, add it.
I think FW800 is a gruesome oversight. FW400 is terribly slow, and it strips a critical port from the computer. And HELLO, a card slot is good for only one device at a time; sure you can switch cards out but not if you need multiple functions at the same time. And as many are pointing out vaporware devices are useless. This SUCKS!
They should leave out the Airport, Blue Tooth, and optical drive, too, since not everyone needs those. But of course charge the same price.
Hg Wells said:
Mike & G, I understand that some of you are unable to use basic pieces such as an external hard drive in your iMacs and iBooks, but the world does not only revolve around the needs of newbie Mac users with consumer level computers. Some people do more than Internet browsing, email, and looking at a few family photos.
Real simple then: don’t buy it. Write Apple and tell them. I am not a newbie, and I have many external drives [thankfully nothing in FW800], but this MBP still meets my needs, even though it won’t allow me to use my Verizon EVDO card [though I expect that matter to be solved]. So, for me, I buy it. But your needs are obviously not met.
Do the various ExpressSlot cards make the issue “moot”? No, I agree with you, but this issue is also not a deal-breaker for many. And those many are not merely newbies. I have been a Mac user since 87, and I own two Aluminum PBs. But the MBP was good enough for me to take that next step. The world also does not revolve the smaller universe of “advanced” users, whatever those are. Apple had to start somewhere in this transition. I am pretty happy with the decisions they made [bought both an iMac and an MBP]. Do I wish there were no compromises? Of course, but that prospect is rarely an option.
what about a workaround the lack of an s-video port, pardon my ignorance, does anyone know if there is a solution to this valuable port going missing in the fast new macbook pros?¿? thanks for any helpful replies
External SATA (eSATA), which claims peak interface speeds up to 3 times faster than FireWire 800
WELL OK THEN!
Of course one can only hook one eSATA drive, so that means a large external drive with 7,200 RPMS and slow as hell.
Sort of a waste right now until someone comes out with a external 15,000 RPM with about 256MB of cache.
Sure “daisychain” and RAID O you say, then your eSATA interface becomes a bottleneck.
migueloncito
There are DVI to S-Video adapters. You can use S-Video out on the MBP via this adapter.
MW: working.
And this is the “Pro” version laptop – wonder what the consumer version laptops will leave out???
To me, the majority of Apple computers are now being built aimed at the average consumer who uses his or her computer to just surf the internet, writes e-mail, plays with photos and downloads videos and music through iTunes. The last part being the most important factor (more revenue $$$$) to Apple.
Why we don’t have FW 800 on the MacBook Pro:
“…Apple said it would have required them toi build a specific FW800 card (Intel does not support it), and that they had no plans for it…”
http://www.hardmac.com/news/2006-01-15/#5013 – Article title: “Why we have no official info on the MacBook Pro’s battery life”
It’s possible that they may add it in a future release, but Apple may have preferred to get the first Intel-powered Macs out of the door sooner in order to encourage developers to port their apps more quickly (not to mention the fact that they would have been left woefully behind in the speed race).
“Complaints are not moot. Without a native port, we lose use of the slot when we may have wanted to use it for some other purpose – samples of which are listed by Jack himself. Condemn those who want to use FW 800 to loss of the slot for something else and think that complaints are now moot? Think again.”
I’m with you 100%. Aside the fact that I’ll have to shell out extra $$ for a FW800 card, the Macbook now has one less default feature than it used to. I’m not thrilled about the slower Superdrive, either. For what ever reason, Apple seems to be moving away from Firewire lately (see the current iPods), and I find that somewhat depressing as it’s better technology than USB2.
As a Mac user since 1988, I can’t remember the last time Apple took away non-obselete features when upgrading a product and then charging the same money. I hope this is just a case of them rushing the ‘book to market to beat the Windoze competition and not a sign of things to come.
Either way, I’m definitely going to wait until at least Version 2.0 to buy a new MacBook (Hate that name. They need to go back to Powerbook ASAP).
I really hope they bring all these little gadgets to market soon. I would love to pick up a ExpressCard Compact Flash reader for like $20-$30. FW800 may be useful someday, but currently I have no devices that use that (it’s a cool connector though).
Also I thought FW800 was hotswapable, I know in OS X you probably should “eject” the disk before unplugging it, but big deal…then you could hotswap your express card for whatever else…better than the SCSI days. I’ll bet manufacturers will come out with all types of expansion ports for these – dual USP, Dual FW400&FW800;, hopefully SATA.
What’s more inexcusable is that they left out the modem.
I’ve never used the FireWire 800 on my PowerBook G4. I have used the modem a lot!
The external USB modem is a joke for true road warrior like mayself. It is just another damn thing to lose!
Maybe all the hotels in Cupertino have high-speed Internet in the room, but out in the real world it is still a rarity. Hence the modem is essential for staying connected. Lose that damn USB modem and you are SOL!
So let’s start squawking about the missing modem!
(The lack of a modem on the desktop iMac is not a problem to me.)
MW = ready => Without a modem, a MacBook Pro is not road ready.
Sing-along!
“Old MacDonald had a MacBook, eee-aye, eee-aye, ohhh!
With a MacBook here and a MacBook there, here a Mac, there a Mac, everywhere a MacMac,
Old MacDonald had a MacBook, eee-aye, eee-aye, ohhh!”