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MacBook Pro will support 34mm PC Cards

As the dust settles a bit around MacWorld, it seems a few details about the new MacBook Pro's are becoming clearer. First on many PowerBook users' minds: will my EVDO card work without PCMCIA?

It turns out a little naming confusion is the key to this mystery. On the "What's Inside" page for the MacBook Pro, under the Expansion category, you may notice this entry:

  • ExpressCard/34 slot

It turns out that ExpressCard is just another name for the ever-confusing standard known as PCMCIA. The good news is, yes, Virginia, there is a Stevie Claus, you will be able to have your EVDO card. The bad news is that this ExpressCard is a 34 millimeter slot. So, if you are rocking the usual 54 millimeter PCMCIA cards, you're going to have to buy some new gear (think Hammerfall PCMCIA for you audiophiles, wifi cards for you wardriving mac geeks, and EVDO cards for the roaming journos). One card that will fit in the MacBook Pro's slot is this 4-in-1 media card reader.

[more info about EVDO usb dongles and other ungainly hardware patches for existing PCMCIA cards on the MacBook Pro]