I have for many years asked why modern laptops have a PC Card (PCMCIA) and more recently the ExpressCard slots. Years ago, the PC card slot was the only way to add functionality like a WiFi card, and sometimes even basic networking, but today (and for many years) most laptops come stacked with so much built in (networking, modems, Wifi, USB, FireWire, multi-monitor video out) that the inclusion of an expansion slot seems just like a waste of money and space in an environment that has limited space to begin with. <\/p>\n
Despite the limited usability of the slot, nearly all laptops continue to come with the ports, even the MacBook Pro includes an ExpressCard\/16 slot despite the fact that it has the sort of port connectivity that would make most desktops blush.<\/p>\n