Does Apple have something against ExpressCard? USB ports? Card Slots?

Apple has been known for creating high-quality computers that are simply put – gorgeous – in their industrial design and aesthetics. Starting from the original iBook to the current-generation MacBook Pro and to the newly-announced (and now shipping) MacBook Air – the design team at Apple has been constantly bringing out beautiful designs. Some even call Apple’s products “fashion statements”. However, a power user like myself finds that Apple has been favoring form over function as of late, and this can be seen in such omissions as the lack of ExpressCard slots in Mac notebooks.

If we look at the current notebook lineup, we see 3 separate lines of notebooks: MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro. All follow the same design principles and aesthetics – thin profiles, clean lines, and full-sized keyboards. Out of the three lines, however, only one line has an ExpressCard slot: the MacBook Pro. To me, this is ironic, since the Pro is the one that would benefit the least from such a port. Before the “why?”, let’s see what the ExpressCard slot can and is used for.

This slot can be used for many different purposes, but in general it used for expansion. The user can plug in an ExpressCard that will add USB, FireWire, and eSATA ports to the notebook. Having a direct connection to the motherboard, the ExpressCard has a very fast throughput speed, as opposed to a single USB port, which only has so much bandwidth inside the computer’s data transfer busses. More importantly, the slot can be used for wireless broadband modems/cards and even external video cards. So when I say that the MacBook Pro line benefits the least from such a slot, I say it because it has the most ports out of the entire line-up of Mac notebooks. The glaring omission of the ExpressCard slot in the MacBook Air is unacceptable. The Air’s ports are practically non-existent and an ExpressCard slot would give the user the ability to put that powerful Core 2 processor through its paces by using an ExpressCard external graphics card to play some Halo (on Windows, of course). Or it could be used to add a FireWire port and import moves from a camera, or even connect to an external hard disk. Or how about adding a Gigabit Ethernet jack like this one from Belkin all though the ExpressCard port? The same questions can be asked of Apple about the omission of the ExpressCard in the regular MacBook.

Would it be so difficult to fit this port into the MacBook (Air or regular?). I don’t think so, since the slot itself is so thin and small. It sure is possible to squeeze it into the regular MacBook if not the Air. Would it be cost-prohibitive for Apple? Well, considering every single PC manufacturer (yes, every single one of them) has an ExpressCard slot in their notebooks (even their ultra-portables), it surely is not for Apple – being the high-margin, over-priced hardware manufacturer the company is. So does Apple have something against ExpressCard? Some “beef” with them? Some dirty laundry? Does anyone know what’s the deal here?

While on the subject of expandability, what is it with Apple only including two (count-em!) USB ports on the MacBook Pro 15″? The 17″ has three! The Dell XPS1530 – a direct and less expensive competitor to the 15″ Pro has three. The Dell M1730 has four. And Apple’s notebooks made for the “Pros” has one less, while being priced a few hundred bucks more. All of these “hardware deficiencies” and higher prices have me seriously considering purchasing a Windows machine from a PC vendor – something I thought I wouldn’t do after the day I switched to the Mac. And Dell, as of this writing, seems to be the only vendor with a clear computer strategy. But that’s a different story coming later in the week. For now, go ahead and build your own PCs and Macs online and compare them in price and hardware/software. See what you get and let me know what you think!

P.S: while on my soapbox, how about built-in media card readers, Apple? Why should I have to carry around a USB adapter with me to import pictures from my camera when Dell and HP have these really cool built-in slots for the cards? (Okay, maybe they’re not really “cool”, but they’re functional). Eh?