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New MacBook Air and Mac Mini Models Driving Record Mac Sales for 3Q 2011
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No... you fools... think of the optical discs!
Sarcasm or not, I laugh at the people who argued so vehemently about Apple ditching the optical drives, going so far as to citing this as among one of the worst mistakes Apple could ever do.
Yea, right...
Look at the sales numbers. Again, I'll reiterate: people who constantly b*tch and whine on these forums have no idea how to run a company like Apple. Numbers show the truth. Not a handful of whiny complaints on an internet forum.Come on Apple. Take out the ODD in the iMac next. I'm ready!
I always thought the Mac mini was basically the Cube resurrected. (I mean, obviously, it's not shaped like a cube, but otherwise )
Where'd you find a picture of one without cracks?
There were no defective "cracks" - they were a deliberate result of the Cube's industrial manufacturing process...
I helped out
Love the MBA 11" Core i7.
At first, the fan was running loud for the first 5 minutes, but then it quieted down after a few reboots and has been a cool angel since.
Can't wait for the 27" Thunderbolt monitor to arrive. Would be nice if in clamshell mode, I can run the TB monitor + my 20" DVI LCD currently in use.
Love the MBA 11" Core i7.
At first, the fan was running loud for the first 5 minutes, but then it quieted down after a few reboots and has been a cool angel since.
Can't wait for the 27" Thunderbolt monitor to arrive. Would be nice if in clamshell mode, I can run the TB monitor + my 20" DVI LCD currently in use.
I can't say I'm ready for it to be completely gone. I am definitely fine with being ODD-less in my portable setup, which is why the air is perfect. I will get the external ODD and keep it plugged into the Thunderbolt Display when I get it. I don't think it's as important to see it gone from the desktop models though.
Me too. Anyone want to buy it?
Still got the display, speakers, mouse, and keyboard that when you type 'cd' as quick as I do, you get 'cdd'. The slot loading CD ROM no longer ejects without help from nimble fingers. Original boxes.
Was hoping to put the obsolete mini in the obsolete Cube case. Heck, could fit a few mini's in there...
I don't think you'll be able to do this with the Air. If I'm not mistaken, only a MacBook Pro supports a dual screen mode, the Air is only single screen. Also, I think you need to daisy chain a second Thunderbolt Display, I don't think it will work with DVI, but I could be mistaken.
But your Thunderbolt display is not portable, obviously? So what's the difference of you getting the external superdrive for your setup as opposed to an iMac setup?
Also, do we want to guess that ditching the optical drive in the Mac Mini drove the price back down $100, as it was when it was $599? I think it's a fair assumption that it did.
I'll gladly take a new $100 cheaper iMac if the same happens to it. Or use that additional space for desktop caliber GPUs even. I see the benefit of losing the ODD to be much greater. Look at the new Mac mini. Quad core? Check. Discreet GPU? Check. Dual hard drives? Check.
Remove that drive and keep it external. Easiest solution in the world. The space for the internals of non-upgradeable Macs are more valuable than you think.
They are making exactly that. Except it's built into the back of a 27" inch monitor, and will cost you a cool grand.
...
Of course, the device you're describing above would mean people could make their own version of this setup, with any monitor. That's why Apple's not selling it yet
Agree, except that it won't be Apple making the Thunderbolt hub. That is pure third-party solution.
I don't see any reason for them to discontinue the external drive, since you are very correct in that some people still have a use for optical media. Personally, my old computer + remote disk is enough for me as I rarely use it, and I think that tends to be true for most people nowadays, but it may never be true for everyone. Interesting fact: This old external floppy drive I had since 2001 still works just fine when plugged into my 2011 MBA. If Mac OS still has driver support for floppy drives, it'll probably always have driver support for CDs/DVDs too.
EDIT: Who the heck voted this down? This is why I don't like the new voting system. It adds a layer of anonymity to something already very anonymous (the internet). Plus, people are more likely to vote down than vote up, it's just how our brain works. If you agree with the post, then all is well. If you don't agree, then you must make your point.
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I bet Apple will have a patent on the connector and then not license it out. That's why there are no third party magsafe devices.
Save yourself a few bucks and get a third-party DVD burner. The Apple external SuperDrive doesn't work with all devices and yet costs more. I picked up a LaCie USB DVD burner for less than fifty bucks and it works just fine on my Mac mini.
Not a big deal.
YES!!! But not from plastic please. Hardened glass and aluminium maybe? Probably a bit too risky that.
But your Thunderbolt display is not portable, obviously? So what's the difference of you getting the external superdrive for your setup as opposed to an iMac setup?
Also, do we want to guess that ditching the optical drive in the Mac Mini drove the price back down $100, as it was when it was $599? I think it's a fair assumption that it did.
I'll gladly take a new $100 cheaper iMac if the same happens to it. Or use that additional space for desktop caliber GPUs even. I see the benefit of losing the ODD to be much greater. Look at the new Mac mini. Quad core? Check. Discreet GPU? Check. Dual hard drives? Check.
Remove that drive and keep it external. Easiest solution in the world. The space for the internals of non-upgradeable Macs are more valuable than you think.
No, I just mean that I don't need to carry an ODD around with me. At home, on my desk, is where I still would like to have it. But you bring up an interesting point. Pull the ODD from the iMac, drop the price accordingly, and if someone needs the ODD, just buy the superdrive and connect to the iMac.
For the mini, I also fully agree with you. Dual hard drives is way more valuable than an ODD in that tiny form factor.
Sarcasm or not, I laugh at the people who argued so vehemently about Apple ditching the optical drives, going so far as to citing this as among one of the worst mistakes Apple could ever do.
Yea, right...
Come on Apple. Take out the ODD in the iMac next. I'm ready!
Respectfully I have to disagree. Apple has that "IT" factor right now. Lets say the 13' MBP was dropped to 1,000, or maybe 899, sales would take off pretty heavy on that. Apple knows they can sell products and cut costs where all other PC makers have to be envious of. They can be a step behind tech wise and sell by name. Sort of like Sony a few years ago but x10.
All of their PC's (apple) get good reviews (mostly) and you have less BS than with a windows box. So I am not shocked at sales #'s going up. Especially on items below 1K. Air is a little surprising to me since I feel like the MBP and former Macbook were in no way too thick or heavy. It's a me thing, but I don't get the Air fascination. Which might end up leading to the 13 inch Pro getting axed, and the 15 and 17 inch pro models getting the Air treatment.
I dont think the iMac lacks space or anything, if that was removed then I would prefer the to use a desktop GPU in there. Still on occasion optical will be needed here and there. Not like it was 5 years ago but needed by quite a few people. If you look at the #'s or %'s of people without sufficient broadband speeds, its a decently high #. They have issues getting software via download. So they would still need an external, and then the imac gets a little more clutter. Of curse Apple likes to target the richer types.
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You mean people buy third party chargers? Seems risky to me.
Apple doesn't own Thunderbolt, Intel does. Apple knew what was required to get thunderbolt to be adopted. This is the reason I doubt thunderbolt will suffer the same fate as FireWire in terms of only being in Macs. Since Intel controls thunderbolt, they may very well include support for it on their motherboards in the future, which would never have happened if Apple controlled it.
Sarcasm or not, I laugh at the people who argued so vehemently about Apple ditching the optical drives, going so far as to citing this as among one of the worst mistakes Apple could ever do.
Yea, right...
Come on Apple. Take out the ODD in the iMac next. I'm ready!
Agreed. Same thing happened when Apple chose to switch to non removable batteries. Ditto upon the introduction of the iPhone and the very first iPod.
There were no defective "cracks" - they were a deliberate result of the Cube's industrial manufacturing process...
Oh, like http://www.defectivebydesign.org ?
There's a rising handful of students at my college who have MBA's, Hopefully I'll get mine sometime during the next refresh. I have half the $ saved up.
I have half the $ saved up. Sarcasm or not, I laugh at the people who argued so vehemently about Apple ditching the optical drives, going so far as to citing this as among one of the worst mistakes Apple could ever do.
Yea, right...
My Rev A MacBook Air was my first personal Mac and first Mac in nearly a decade (I had a PowerBook 540c at a job in college). I recall the hostility on the Macworld forums to the very concept of a Mac notebook without an optical drive. Some of that was general MacBook Air bashing (the Rev A had massive overheating problems, a slow hard drive, and was pricey), but a lot of people couldn't fathom having a notebook without an optical drive. To me it was completely logical. Even though most hardware shipped on CDs or DVDs back then, as far as I was concerned, you needed to use the drive on limited occasions (mostly to install programs). The other 99.9% of the time it went unused, so why carry it around all the time?
The CD and DVD weren't as "dead" in 2008 as the floppy was in 1998 (heck, they aren't as "dead" in late 2011). However, they are on their way out, and Apple is justified in speeding up the process. In 1998, Apple took the plunge by admitting what every manufacturer knew but was afraid to say publicly (the outmoded floppy had long since outlived its usefulness). The ODD is still useful, but far less necessary, and it is no longer an essential part of a modern PC.
Apple doesn't own Thunderbolt, meaning the protocol, Intel does, you are right. But I believe the Thunderbolt connector used on the Macs is proprietary to Apple, designed to be compatible with mini display port. If that's the case, then it's possible that only Apple-licensed products would be able to use that connector.