Powerbook Superdrive!

[Falleron]

This article gives us some more insight into what the powerbook superdrive will be like + when we are likely to get it.

http://news.com.com/2100-1040-960077.html?tag=fd_top

[Hemingray]

From the sounds of the article this drive's internal, yet the new Superdrives for the Ti's are supposedly rumored to be external? It would make more sense to me for Apple to just wait until an internal option of the right size comes around instead of spending design time on a peripheral that will be unnecessary within a year.

[medea]

In my opinion external would be a horrible choice and probably not a viable option for apple, they would probably wait until the superdrive was slim enough and that shouldnt take too long to engineer.

[Sherman]

The last time apple had an external device like that was with what, the mac classic and it's hard drive?

With apple going big on design it just wouldn't make sense for them to even consider an external as an option.

An external drive doesn't really require that much research, it's just the same damn thing. Pioneer is probably looking to build the internal for apple, one of their big optical drive buyers.

[rainman::|:|]

Originally posted by Sherman The last time apple had an external device like that was with what, the mac classic and it's hard drive?

With apple going big on design it just wouldn't make sense for them to even consider an external as an option.

An external drive doesn't really require that much research, it's just the same damn thing. Pioneer is probably looking to build the internal for apple, one of their big optical drive buyers.

A couple of earlier Powerbooks have shipped with external floppy drives, i can't remember but i think the 1400 did...

But i definitely think apple will wait to unroll a thin unit rather than external--

:)
pnw

[crassusad44]

Originally posted by paulwhannel


A couple of earlier Powerbooks have shipped with external floppy drives, i can't remember but i think the 1400 did...

But i definitely think apple will wait to unroll a thin unit rather than external--

:)
pnw

nope, not the 1400, but the duos did...
but this is 2002. Apple can have thin PowerBooks, and yet have internal superdrives. c'mon Apple...

[funkywhat2]

didn't one of the original powerbook g3's ship with an external drive? i think it was only in japan.

[crassusad44]

Originally posted by crazy_will
didn't one of the original powerbook g3's ship with an external drive? i think it was only in japan.

there was a PowerBook 2400, only sold in Japan. It was Apples last stab at a Duo, and probably came with external floppy and optical drive. No G3 I know of have shipped with any kind of drive externally to my knowledge. Let's hope the new PB G4 will not be the first model to break this tradition since 1996/7...

[funkywhat2]

Originally posted by crassusad44


there was a PowerBook 2400, only sold in Japan. It was Apples last stab at a Duo, and probably came with external floppy and optical drive. No G3 I know of have shipped with any kind of drive externally to my knowledge. Let's hope the new PB G4 will not be the first model to break this tradition since 1996/7...

your right, i found it at everymac.
http://everymac.com/systems/apple/powerbook/stats/mac_powerbook2400c_240.html

[shadowfax]

i hope it's external... when i want to cook hot cakes, i'll buy a range... i don't really want to cook them on my new powerbook.

i'd be more impressed by an internal 24x burner or something... 8x doesn't seem cool anymore.

[solvs]

Maybe they'll release a new PowerBook, then add the DVD-R later. Like what they did with the Combo drive. Give you an upgrade option later.

[Gus]

The 2400 was not just released in Japan, it was released here in the U.S. also. It is still the smallest laptop Apple ever released, and was/is a great machine. It did have external drives though.


Gus

[RogueLdr]

Wouldn't a DVD burner consume more power than a CD burner? And if so, how will Apple compensate for this drain on what is the most precious commodity with a portable: battery life ?

Even if the size were doable in the PowerBook's 1" thick (thin?) form factor, would that make a superdrive practical if it drained the battery very quickly? If not, then either keeping with the current solution (i.e., loading and editing DV on the PowerBook and later transfering via GBit ethernet to a PowerMac for burning) or moving to an external bundled DVD-R that was supported under iMovie would seem to be the practical route for now.

RL

[iGav]

Originally posted by RogueLdr
Wouldn't a DVD burner consume more power than a CD burner? And if so, how will Apple compensate for this drain on what is the most precious commodity with a portable: battery life ?

Even if the size were doable in the PowerBook's 1" thick (thin?) form factor, would that make a superdrive practical if it drained the battery very quickly? If not, then either keeping with the current solution (i.e., loading and editing DV on the PowerBook and later transfering via GBit ethernet to a PowerMac for burning) or moving to an external bundled DVD-R that was supported under iMovie would seem to be the practical route for now.

RL

For people such as myself, having a PowerBook with a built in Superdrive would be amazing!! Currently my PowerBook G4 acts as a complete desktop replacement system, so alot of the time it spends it time plugged in......

The idea behind having a built in DVD burning would mean that you wouldn't have to worry about finding someone or somewhere with a PowerMac to burn a DVD, you could do it directly off the PowerBook..... indeed it's impossible that you could burn a full DVD off a current battery without it going flat..... But when you're a freelancer like me, going from clients offices to clients offices, being able to directly burn a DVD without having to pester them for a DVD burner would be much more professional and much less time consuming.......

What's so wrong with having it as an option anyway??

[iGav]

Originally posted by Shadowfax
i hope it's external... when i want to cook hot cakes, i'll buy a range... i don't really want to cook them on my new powerbook.

i'd be more impressed by an internal 24x burner or something... 8x doesn't seem cool anymore.

Well you wouldn't have to buy one with an internal Superdrive would you??? :rolleyes:

It's very likely to be a VERY expensive option!! So you wouldn't have to have one installed........ Simple..... but atleast Apple should if possible give people a choice of having an internal option......

[daveg5]

an external would be a great choice for the majority of powerbook g3,g4, imac g3,g4, emacg4, powermac g3 g4. already and use and those not sold yet. why let 3rd party suppliers like formac make all the money and if a copy of idvd is included and compatability with dvd pro also. this would be a huge seller if apple branded and supported for between 299-349. it would add to apples bottom line like the ipod. if the looks are stunning and apple adds windows capability i can see the profits. I for one would by one. and when they get it small enough for the titanium they can put it in the topline one. while still giving all the ibooks, and powerbooks without one an external option. great for dubbing and can get its power from the firewire bus. Hook up an ipod to it for istant burn of 4.7 Gigabyte of mp3 files

[e-coli]

Originally posted by Sherman
The last time apple had an external device like that was with what, the mac classic and it's hard drive?

everyone is forgetting that the TiBook already had an external drive. Before the combo drive was available, you could get the TiBook with and external CD-RW. ;)

[idkew]

Originally posted by e-coli


everyone is forgetting that the TiBook already had an external drive. Before the combo drive was available, you could get the TiBook with and external CD-RW. ;)

but that was not an apple solution, that was 3rd party. this rumor makes me think the external (let hope internal) would be an apple branded product.

[UnixMac]

Ill take an external DVD-R with an internal 24X CD-RW, 167mhz bus, 1.2Ghz 2MB Cache, 512DDR, ATI 9000 Graphics and Hi-Res Screen....

I'll pay up to $3500 w/ external drive

I want it in Oct!

Or


I will buy PC (ugh!). ----- Well, maybe not..

[blackpeter]

Just a question: Why do you guys care so much about Superdrives?

When I put a poll out about Superdrives, most people who have them never use them. And those who do only seem to use them for backing up data. Is it really necessary to shove a Superdrive into a Powerbook until DVD replaces CD as the standard media?

Isn't external enough for the little use these things seem to be getting right now?

[BongHits]

Originally posted by Hemingray
From the sounds of the article this drive's internal, yet the new Superdrives for the Ti's are supposedly rumored to be external? It would make more sense to me for Apple to just wait until an internal option of the right size comes around instead of spending design time on a peripheral that will be unnecessary within a year.
an external superdrive? what have u been smoking?

[cb911]

from all the new rumors, it finally looks like the new TiBooks will get the SuperDrive... Alright!!:D

[shadowfax]

originally posted by tfaz1
Just a question: Why do you guys care so much about Superdrives?

When I put a poll out about Superdrives, most people who have them never use them. And those who do only seem to use them for backing up data. Is it really necessary to shove a Superdrive into a Powerbook until DVD replaces CD as the standard media?

Isn't external enough for the little use these things seem to be getting right now?

i thinnk most of the people use Superdrive for DV--and my stereotype of someone using DV does NOT spend much time on this forum.

i have to say i personally would use a superdrive for backup--5 GB of mp3 is a b**** to span on CDs--but then, i would never pay a vastly huge amount of money to get one.

i think the core idea behind the powerbook is innovation--it's wholly different from almost any other laptop, from the widescreen TFT to the titanium to the incredible performance you get out of the little thing. buyers want the cutting edge, and external anything doesn't fit my particular stereotypes about "cutting edge" or "innovation." it sounds like an old, bad idea. would you buy a TV, for instance, that had half of its assembly "external?"

anyways, onto new speculations.

who wants to throw in bets on, assuming a new internal superdrive TiBook has the same form factor as the current, whether MCE puts out a superdrive for the last two TiBook models... they did it with the CDRW, as i recall.

[UnixMac]

I could live with a new PB that is thicker than 1", say 1.5" if it meant an internal DVD-R/CD-RW that had some zest to it. I would also give up the thickness for some buss speed and GHz level performance from the CPU.


I

[blackpeter]

I think Apple would be making a huge mistake to sacrafice the form factor to accommodate a Superdrive.

What percentage of laptop users need the ability to burn DVD's on the plane, in a car, waiting for a bus (etc...)? It's not like I don't understand how cool it would be to have a PowerBook with a Superdrive, but never at the expense of the it's design. How could you sacrifice it's shape for something as frivilous as a DVD burner?

[SPG]

Originally posted by tfaz1
I think Apple would be making a huge mistake to sacrafice the form factor to accommodate a Superdrive.


Thus the rumors of an external option. Currently iDVD does not even run unless you have a superdrive installed INTERNALLY, so if apple announces an external option it would also have to allow iDVD to work on all the macs out there...very good news for some of us who have access to external burners.

Pioneer is working on their internal version which I would believe more likely to be included in a tiBook for two reasons: first Pioneer is the current supplier of the Superdrive aka Pioneer A04, and second because the Pioneer slot load burner is a 2X burner as opposed to Toshiba's 1X.

On a related note, Pioneer will also be unveiling the succesor to the A04 which is a 4X burner! Whoohoo! Excuse my enthusiasm as I look over my shoulder to see that my DVD is not done yet. The new Pioneer is also supposed to be cheaper than the current A04, so not only faster, but cheaper, better...Thank you Mr Parsons.

[SPG]

Update: Both drives are not only announced (at least in Asia), but shown. To quote Macnn:
Pioneer displayed both DVR-K11RZ (tray-loading notebook SuperDrive with 2x/2x/8x DVD-RW and 16x/10x/24x CD-RW functions) and its 3.5" desktop DVR-105RZ (4x/2x/12x DVD-RW and 16x/10x/40x CD-RW).
* A "traverse mechanism" (slot-loading?) version of the notebook SuperDrive drive appears to be even smaller and is due to begin production in December 2002 with 2x/2x/8x DVD-RW and 16x/10x/24x CD-RW functions.

[UnixMac]

So will we have to wait till Dec for the new PB? Or maybe they will have one without the DVD-R first then introuduce the DVD R before Christmas?

I just want one now!

[vibinc]

Has anyone checked out stock levels of exsisting models? ClubMac currently has around 120-667s and 425-800s (system only). Those numbers haven't changed much since Monday. I don't know if that's a lot or not. Could the "slim" number of 667s be an indication of EOLing that model?

Whaddya think?

[Thirteenva]

i personally would very rarely use a superdrive. Especially at 5 bucks a disk. I have no problem backing stuff up to an external HD or to multiple cd-rw's. I agree with the crowd that says keep the form factor the same and toss a 24x burner inside. The dvd-r isn't worth the extra money to me.

[mcrain]

It is to me

[iGav]

Originally posted by Thirteenva
i personally would very rarely use a superdrive. Especially at 5 bucks a disk. I have no problem backing stuff up to an external HD or to multiple cd-rw's. I agree with the crowd that says keep the form factor the same and toss a 24x burner inside. The dvd-r isn't worth the extra money to me.

Don't buy one then................ :rolleyes:

I hope Apple offers 2 options.... 1 with a conventional 'Combo' drive and one with the SuperDrive........ just to keep the winjers at bay!! And I don't think Apple are going to change the TiBooks form factor.... the technology is as good as small enough now!!

A DVD is a huge bonus though... great for archiving..... and ultimately much more reliable than trusting all your work to an external HD....... if that goes 'PING' you're doomed!!

[Thirteenva]

Originally posted by iGAV


Don't buy one then................ :rolleyes:

obviously i wouldn't...:rolleyes:


I hope Apple offers 2 options.... 1 with a conventional 'Combo' drive and one with the SuperDrive........ just to keep the winjers at bay!! And I don't think Apple are going to change the TiBooks form factor.... the technology is as good as small enough now!!


Sorry didnt realize have a differing opinion and using an open forum to express said opinon was considered "whining"...
I take offense specifically with that comment on the basis that i was in fact expressing my personal opinion on track with the current subject heading and made no attempt to do so in a arguementative manner, nor imposing my viewpoint on to others. I suggest you quote people more carefully.

seems to me that most of the whining is from people who so desperately "need" a superdrive in a notebook.


A DVD is a huge bonus though... great for archiving..... and ultimately much more reliable than trusting all your work to an external HD....... if that goes 'PING' you're doomed!!

Agreed.... however having my work on 2 hard drives(internal and external) in addition to having important projects on their own cd's that i can copy and deliver then as backups to clients has worked flawlessly. And to each his own...
I wasnt' trying to offer my solution as better for you, just stating my current procedure as a reason for me not needing added cost of a superdrive.

[UnixMac]

I too agree that the DVD-R should not hold up the release of a new faster TiBook with ATI 9000 and Bluetooth, as those are more important to me right now. I would like the option for an external DVD-R for all Apple products, but especially the TiBook.

HOWEVER, I think that LATER, when supplies permit, Apple should release an internal DVD-R version of the Ti......but for God's sake, don't hold it up for it!

Priority for me is:

167FSB / G4 1.0GHz and 2MB L3

then

Better Graphics, like ATI 9000

then

DDR (would be a givin if we went to the new 167FSB)

then

DVD-R

[shadowfax]

if they put in 2 MB l3 cache, they will almost certainly trash the DDR. it seems like having the happy fast bus makes the L3 less of a priority... i think i would prefer the 2MB L3 myself; it seems like DDR would be a power hog/ heating unit

[UnixMac]

If I had to choose, I would take the 2MB L3, but, I would hope that they can pull it off, and include the 167MHz bus as well.

[blackpeter]

Originally posted by iGAV
Don't buy one then................ :rolleyes:

A DVD is a huge bonus though... great for archiving..... and ultimately much more reliable than trusting all your work to an external HD.......

I disagree. It's not worth it to spend $5 on media that I can't re-write.

With an external HD, as long as you perform regular backups, you'll always have a copy of your work somewhere. You don't really expect two seperate drives (especially if one is external) to go kaput at the same time?

...I could however see myself crushing 4GB of DVD data as it rests at the bottom of my backpack...