I got my MacBook Pro about a month and a half ago. Since then, it’s been a tender love affair, accented by long days spent together, just trying to get to know each other. So far, it’s been a really great time. However, there are a few things on the notebook that are missing. For example, such as a docking station port (another story for another day) and a built in card reader. The computer, does however, come with an Express Card/34 slot. However, between me and you, I don’t know how or why something as simple as a card reader was left off of so nearly complete a notebook; but that’s another rant for another day.

Suffice it to say, that without a way to get to any of my flash cards, I’d have to rely on either the USB connection between my PPC and my notebook; or the card reader on my wife’s desktop to read them. Thankfully, with the addition of the APIOTek 18-in-1 Card Reader Express Card, that would soon be a problem I had left behind me.

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This is a stock photo of the card from the APIOTek web site.

The good news is that the card does what it does well. It reads cards. I don’t have any MemoryStick based cards. I really just don’t like Sony’s products. Buying a Digital Studio desktop six years ago broke me of that habit. However, their cameras are top notch…even if they do use a proprietary memory card format; but again, another rant for another day. However, the 18-in-1 card reader reads SD/MMC cards very well.

The biggest problem that I had with the card was that the term 18-in-1 is really deceiving. It will read just about every kind of card you can imagine, provided it has the SD/MMC or MemoryStick form factor. APIOTek says that the reader will also read miniSD and microSD, for example; BUT the card will only read and write to them if they are in one of those three form factors (SD/MMC/MemoryStick). I have a 1GB microSD card; and the reader had no problem getting at it, but only after I put it in an adapter. Same with the 1GB miniSD card I’ve got. As far as I’m concerned, if I have to use an adapter, in order to get access then it doesn’t read the smaller card. It reads the adapter-sized form factor. Which is why I say 18-in-1 is deceptive. Yes, it will read the smaller cards; but only after you turn them into the larger cards.

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My MacBook Pro with the card inserted

You can barely see the card once its in the card slot.

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A close up of the Express Card/34 slot on my MBP with the 18-in-1 Card inserted

The SD/MMC/MemoryStick card goes in the center of the card, and sticks out, away from the notebook.

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A size comparison. The Express Card/34 card on the right vs. a PC Card on the left

Dawg-gone the Express Card form factor is small!

Specifications:

Dimensions 34.2 mm x 75 mm x 5 mm
(1.35″ X 2.95″ X 0.02″)
Operation Voltage +3.3V ~+3.0V
(�5% wide range power supply)
Interface Express Card/34
Chipset GL-827 (USB 2.0 - 480 mbps)
System Environment Operating Temperature: 0�C ~50�C
Operating Humidity: 20% ~80%RH
System Requirements Mac 8.6, 9.x, 10.1.2, and above
Supports Windows 2000, ME, XP / VISTA ready

Real World Use
I used the card to read pictures and to transfer GPS Map data to cards that would be read on one of my PPC’s. Writing directly to the card instead of through an ActiveSync connection is much faster, especially since the APIOTek card supports transfer speeds that rival USB 2.0 connections. In many cases, I forgot that the card was actually in the notebook. Its that small and unobtrusive. It also works on both the Mac and Windows sides of my MBP, so leaving it in isn’t an issue. In all, once I got it to read a card, it did exactly what it was supposed to do.

Conclusion
The card isn’t a bad product. In fact, it does what it is supposed to do quite well. I was very pleased with its performance. However, when you see 18-in-1, you would think that the card reads 18 different, native cards without the use of any kind of an adapter. With the APIOTek card, that’s simply not the case, and in the end, I was disappointed with the card. Using an adapter means I have to keep track of just one or two more items when using the card. That’s the last thing someone like me needs…to carry more little things in their Gear Bag.

While the card performs as you’d expect, AFTER you got the memory card in the reader, I’m not entirely certain that its worth an MSRP of $34.95.

The APIOTek 18-in-1 ExpressCard 34 is available from Other World Computing (the only site where I could actually find it)
MSRP: $34.95
What I Like: ExpressCard 34 format is small and compact; easy to Carry and store; edge sits flush with my MacBook Pro when inserted, making it nearly invisible; works with both Mac OSX and Windows XP/Vista
What Needs Improvement: Reading of any form factor smaller than SD/MMC sized cards requires the use of an adapter (to get you to SD/MMC form factor); I shouldn’t need an adapter for any card reader marketed as an 18-in-1 reader