In computing, PC Card (originally PCMCIA, or PCMCIA Card) is the form factor of a peripheral interface designed for laptop computers. The PC Card standard (as well as its successor ExpressCard) were defined and developed by a group of industry-leading companies called the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA).

PC Card was originally designed for computer memory expansion, but the existence of a usable general standard for notebook peripherals led to many kinds of devices being made available in this form. Typical devices included network cards, modems, and hard disks. The original use, as memory expansion, is no longer common.

ExpressCard is a later specification from the PCMCIA, intended as a replacement for PC Card, built around the PCI Express and USB 2.0 standards. The PC Card standard is closed to further development and PCMCIA strongly encourages future product designs to utilize the ExpressCard interface.

Firewire and USB devices are available for almost all functions that the PC Card interface was used for in the past, although it retains the advantage of containing devices entirely or almost entirely inside the case of the portable device. This can be an important consideration for portable systems, where additional external peripherals and their associated cables, space, and sometimes additional power supplies can reduce portability and convenience. Often PC Card devices with adequate performance will suffice for many users' purposes.

Source: Wikipedia.org: PC Card

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