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| Re: Airport Slot Clarification & More 12:06 PM EST Tue Jan 23, 2001 | |
| Michael Sneider What are people going to put in that PC slot? A SCSI card? Maybe... but a SCSI card is for external devices, and those can be used on the FireWire or USB chain. A CompactFlash/Smart Media adapter or IBM Microdrive adapter? Quite possibly. And the single slot will do fine. A video digitizer? Maybe, but the 'professional' will run this through the FireWire port. And it would be cheaper for the non-professional to use a USB-based digitizer. But how many people do video digitizing on the road anyway? Plus, I'd think if they did, they'd be stuck at an electrical outlet anyway- so stringing things off the USB/FireWire wouldn't be a power issue. What else is there really. Doesn't need a modem PC card. Doesn't need a network PC card. FireWire card? nope. USB card? nope. Wireless networking? nope again. And how many people need a zoom-video PC card and a CompactFlash reader simultaneously? I can see how Windows laptops would need 2 slots (modem, ethernet & FireWire), but there isn't much that needs to be added to the PowerBook G4 (or the FireWire PowerBook G3 2000 for that matter). I've got a PowerBook G3 2000 with an internal AirPort card. I'd call myself a major power-user and I can say the only card I've ever had in the PC slot was a SanDisk CompactFlash adapter for my digital camera's memory cards. With the PowerBook's on-board ethernet, modem and AirPort, there isn't much left for the PC slot to do. And the Sony Vio has only one slot, too, I believe. And for those who say a CDRW would be better for the PowerBook- While I'm sure that there are many people who would like that, the vast majority of people are happy to have a DVD drive for watching movies while traveling (my favorite thing to do with the laptop). Yes, choice would be nice, but there is one company making CDRW modules for the pevious PowerBook G3s and I don't think they are selling off the shelves. Adding a media-bay to the PowerBook G4 would ruin the sleek design, and a combo DVD/CDRW would be expensive. Apple could consider making that a BTO option, but who knows- maybe the combo DVD/CDRW drives are too thick still. I think Apple has reached the best balance they could have without offering too many different models of the same machine to remain profitable. ...And I want one. |
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