no optical drive in next powerbook!

[tateusmaximus]

i say there should be NO optical drive in the next powerbook.

when installing os, use an external firewire drive.

optical drives update so often, it wouldnt matter if you could just replace the
optical drive in your external bay for a dual layer or whatever comes out next.

use the gained space (a fair bit of the space in a powerbook actually!!) for the necessary cooling for a g5 processor, or just make the powerbook slimmer (or flatter whichever way you look at it)

thats how apple can fit a G5 in a powerbook.

now when do i start on the advisory board at apple?


ps. how often do you actually use the optical drive? now how much of that can you do with an external drive?
if it came down to it, would you prefer a powerbook with an internal drive with a g4, or an external with a G5???

 

[tech4all]

Then would could you easily install software? What if someone gives you a CD of photos or files or music? Sure you could get around one, but not in any simple way that I know of. I wouldn't really want to carry around an external drive with me, IMO.

 

[Kingsnapped]

Uhh... I use my optical drive all the time. I happen to like burning dvds, playing games, getting files from friends, and installing software on the road. The optical drive isn't anywhere near as dated as the floppy was, in the days of the iMac. I don't see it going anywhere for a long time.

 

[Linkjeniero]

About the G5: dude, it ain't gonna happen. Get over it. The little space gained from taking the optical drive away wouldn't be enough for that anyway; but it could make the computer much thinner. It's true the optical drive is very convenient, but I think the PowerBook line could use a ultra-portable for those who use the computer strictly for the road, and have the PowerMac waiting them at home (Or just wouldn't mind having an external drive). Not ALL PBs, mind you; just the smallest one, maybe a 12" widescreen, with an ultra-low voltage fanless Pentium M, and maybe in a few years with a flash-drive instead of HD... just to think of it makes me drool; it would be a completely silent computer, like half an inch thin, and it'd last forever on the battery.

 

[quagmire]

I am sure they can fit the G5 in the Powerbook today if it was still going to happen. The issue is the heat produced. It can't be cooled enough to be in a notebook. The Optical drive gone will do nothing about cooling.

 

[GodBless]

Hey! I wonder if we will use non-rewritable flash drives to install software. Just imagine it. We won't need CDs or anything else. We already use flash drives for transferring files and we will be using flash drives (which will replace the arm and disk hard drive) as our main computer storage drives in the near future; so I say the optical drive will go away too but it is just a matter of time until it is gone.

 

[witness]

i say there should be NO optical drive in the next powerbook.

I use my drive almost every day for watching DVD's. I would not buy any laptop without a built in DVD drive.

 

[robbieduncan]

My PowerBook is my main computer. I use my optical drive a lot. I need one built in.

 

[andiwm2003]

i like the pb because everything is built in and it still is quite small. i don't need more speed, i don't need a g5.

i wouldn't buy a pb without superdrive.

 

[mgargan1]

It would be very difficult to import songs from a CD onto your computer. (yes i know there's itunes, but not everyone uses that)

 

[Artful Dodger]

Sure I use my drive to install programs (from the cd) and how else would one use an external drive on the go? Photos, music and so on are on cds...not to mention the extra cost of an external drive.

tateusmaximus
i say there should be NO optical drive in the next powerbook.

when installing os, use an external firewire drive.

now when do i start on the advisory board at apple?

Advisory board no, local Gov. a seat is waiting for you

 

[wheezy]

Sure I use my drive to install programs (from the cd) and how else would one use an external drive on the go? Photos, music and so on are on cds...not to mention the extra cost of an external drive.


Advisory board no, local Gov. a seat is waiting for you

I think we should do away with keyboards too, and do everything with a joystick (Like adding your name to the high scores list on a gaming machine....). Imagine a collapsable joystick protuding out of the body of the new powerbook...

Maybe that's not such a bad idea for gaming laptops from AlienWare*. It could like fold down into the palm rest.

*Just as Aliens are typically ugly, so are these computers.