I really want them to. I never use it-it's a total waste of space and if I need to install something I can use a portable drive.
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Will they Get Rid of the Optical Drive in the 17 inch?
- Thread starter gadgetfreaky
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could just be a smaller footprint.
or--a nuther hard drive or more fans for cooling, or more space for battery for longer life
or--a nuther hard drive or more fans for cooling, or more space for battery for longer life
While a Optical Driveless laptop is my dream laptop. I'm fairly sure that we won't see them until after iLife '10 at the earliest.
Currently there are two systems that are optical driveless. MacMini Server, and the MacBook Air. The Air lacks the drive so it can be the thinest laptop around, and the Mini Server traded it in so it can promote Mac OS X Server at a lower entry point.
What do the thicker laptops 'gain' by dropping the optical drive? For one, they 'gain' iDVD on the list of useless software. They also 'gain' potentially a second hard drive.
But what do you do with that drive? With Mini Server, Xserve, and Mac Pros People only buy those configurations if they really know what they're doing. Servers, Raid Configurations, imaging, archives. Those users have a 'need' for the extra partition
With Apple's laptops, it's about up-selling the consumer. You can get the cheep looking plastic, relatively poor performance, small screened MacBook, or you can spend extra cash and get a cool looking, Aluminum build, better stat laptop with the 'Pro' moniker. (Did ya hear that 'ma? I'm a 'Pro'), and even comes in various sizes.
The point I'm making is that despite the pro label, MacBook Pros are still consumer machines. The consumer isn't going to understand that the second internal drive shouldn't be used for Time Machine compared to an external drive, they aren't going to know what Raid configurations are. At best they'll put downloads and personal projects in the extra drive, and that defeats the whole purpose of the user model *nix and consequently OS X are based on.
With iLife '10, These consumer level troubles don't go away, but iDVD gets a second life with iTunes LP. That's one less major detractor for the higher ups at Apple to prohibit exchanging the Optical Drive for any of the following: Battery, heat management, and HD space.
That said, I'd love to eat my words and get a MBP with a booting SSD and a HDD for my user folder.
Currently there are two systems that are optical driveless. MacMini Server, and the MacBook Air. The Air lacks the drive so it can be the thinest laptop around, and the Mini Server traded it in so it can promote Mac OS X Server at a lower entry point.
What do the thicker laptops 'gain' by dropping the optical drive? For one, they 'gain' iDVD on the list of useless software. They also 'gain' potentially a second hard drive.
But what do you do with that drive? With Mini Server, Xserve, and Mac Pros People only buy those configurations if they really know what they're doing. Servers, Raid Configurations, imaging, archives. Those users have a 'need' for the extra partition
With Apple's laptops, it's about up-selling the consumer. You can get the cheep looking plastic, relatively poor performance, small screened MacBook, or you can spend extra cash and get a cool looking, Aluminum build, better stat laptop with the 'Pro' moniker. (Did ya hear that 'ma? I'm a 'Pro'), and even comes in various sizes.
The point I'm making is that despite the pro label, MacBook Pros are still consumer machines. The consumer isn't going to understand that the second internal drive shouldn't be used for Time Machine compared to an external drive, they aren't going to know what Raid configurations are. At best they'll put downloads and personal projects in the extra drive, and that defeats the whole purpose of the user model *nix and consequently OS X are based on.
With iLife '10, These consumer level troubles don't go away, but iDVD gets a second life with iTunes LP. That's one less major detractor for the higher ups at Apple to prohibit exchanging the Optical Drive for any of the following: Battery, heat management, and HD space.
That said, I'd love to eat my words and get a MBP with a booting SSD and a HDD for my user folder.
If they got rid of the optical drive they'd start with the 13" where space is at much more of a premium.
You guys do know that you can take the superdtive out and put another hdd or ssd in it's place right? If it's that important to you just do it yourself. However I do agree that my optical drive almost never gets used.
I highly doubt they will remove the optical drive from the 17 inch MBP. There is no reason for them to remove it in the next revision. All Apple software is still delivered via DVDs. I'm fairly confident it will be a while before Apple decides to remove the optical drives from their portables.
Not familiar with the MacBook Air..?
But I agree.. I can't see Apple removing the optical drive. They'll implement Blu-Ray before they remove the optical drives on the 15" and 17".
Ditto! Though obviously, that's something that we can already do today.
Still, it would be obviously desirable to have that type of a setup without voiding the warranty.