What Apple has against eSata?

[toke lahti]

Why would it be so bad to have an external fast disk in addition to one internal?

Is there a huge (like more than a cent per computer) licensing fee for Apple to cut their profits like with blu-ray?

Or can there be some ideological barrier? (Different ports are so confusing?)

 

[Blue Velvet]

It's possible that they see it as a passing thing with the advent of USB3 and faster Firewire on the horizon which I'm sure they will be wedded to.

I'm not sure what future speed increases are planned for eSATA nor does it seem to have the versatility of being useful for much else apart from hard drives. At least with Firewire and USB you can have other devices like scanners, cameras and printers running off those ports.

I still prefer FW800 because I can have longer cable runs. My external drives running off the MBP are in a bookcase. I'm hoping that FW800 becomes more prevalent in the UK at least; peripherals are still not that easy to find in mainstream outlets.

In short, they probably see it as a bit 'fringey' but also easily addressed with expansion cards for those who want or need it.

 

[djc6]

Maybe they're still working on a mini-eSATA port? Apple needs more adapters in their miniaturized port portfolio!

 

[kurosov]

I see esata as an interim solution until usb 3.0 hits. Not really any point in supporting a new format that will be pushed into obscurity in the next couple of years.

 

[clickgr]

A big drawback of eSATA is that it doesn't transmit power whereas both Firewire and USB do it.

 

[Sebby]

Maybe they're still working on a mini-eSATA port? Apple needs more adapters in their miniaturized port portfolio!

I see an over-priced adaptor coming on!

 

[SoybeanStasher]

The speed boost from using eSATA was so negligible to me that it wasn't worth the hassle of taking the ExpressCard in and out all the time. Firewire 800 is close enough in real-world usage.

 

[Big Boss Man]

eSATA has multiple uses for those who use their laptops as a DAW. Apogee has an eSATA interface for their converters. Universal Audio is releasing a new eSATA hardware plug-in. Apple really needs to come up with a better strategy on interfaces for external devices. Losing firewire on the new MacBooks was a huge let down for the recording community. It basically disqualified the machine from use as a DAW. At this point there are no USB3 devices for audio recording. If they were to get rid of both firewire and eSATA in favor of USB3, then they lose the entire recording community.

 

[Migsy]

eSATA is a doomed format. Why would Apple spend even a single cent in supporting it?

FW800 devices will work on FW3200 controllers, USB3 devices will work on USB2 controllers .... eSATA? You're on your own. eSATA is a complete hack to begin with, let alone anything resembling a standard interface that can be relied upon in the years to come.

I personally am relieved that Apple isnt wasting any time with it, and wish it would just die a quiet death like it deserves.