Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
There is. The Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt Adapter works both ways.
I'm finding plenty of thunderbolt 3 to thunderbolt 2 adaptors but I want to go the other way where the thunderbolt 2 plug is a male plug and the thunderbolt 3 is the female plug.
 
I'm finding plenty of thunderbolt 3 to thunderbolt 2 adaptors but I want to go the other way where the thunderbolt 2 plug is a male plug and the thunderbolt 3 is the female plug.

I'm not aware of any adapter that has the plugs that way, and I believe the one Apple sells is the only one even working in both directions.

If you want to connect Thunderbolt 3 peripherals to a Thunderbolt (2) Mac, you can just use that Adapter with a Thunderbolt (2) cable.
 
My earlier iMac, with internal CD drive, eventually developed problems with the drive and I found it necessary to purchase an external drive for it (that I still use). My main and continued need for a CD drive is to be able to rip CD's to my iTunes library.

My current iMac, late 2014 model, doesn't have an internal drive and I'm comfortable with that. In fact it has no moving parts whatsoever since I opted for SSD, so I'm hopeful that from a reliability standpoint it will last as long as I decide to continue to use it.
 
I LOVE my mid 2012 MacBook Pro. I also upgraded the SSD myself and it's like a brand new machine. I'm sure Apple will force it out of upgrade with a new OS soon.

- Revenge of the Nerds.


ACTUALLY, the mid 2012 MacBook Pro is the oldest MacBook Pro to still be supported by the latest OS, macOS Mojave.

With an SSD upgrade, removal of the optical drive in exchange for a second drive, and RAM upgrade, you'll still be able to get a few more years of use out of them. Currently looking at one sold in 2014 for $350 for my sister since her 2009 was dropped. Already have all her data migrated to an SSD ready to find a new home.
 
ACTUALLY, the mid 2012 MacBook Pro is the oldest MacBook Pro to still be supported by the latest OS, macOS Mojave.

With an SSD upgrade, removal of the optical drive in exchange for a second drive, and RAM upgrade, you'll still be able to get a few more years of use out of them. Currently looking at one sold in 2014 for $350 for my sister since her 2009 was dropped. Already have all her data migrated to an SSD ready to find a new home.
I wonder if support will be dropped with the next update to MacOS this year.
 
I can't even remember the last time I used a disc based media in any form. Actually yes I can, my Xbox 360 in 2013 before I got the Xbox One and went all digital. All my movies are in iTunes now, supplemented by Netflix and Hulu, along with Apple Music and BT streaming in my car. I don't even use flash drives anymore, as I can just send someone a link to Dropbox. RIP to all the discs out there.
I bought Red Dead Redemption on disc because 1) it was the same price as the download, 2) Amazon sent it to me basically overnight for free, and 3) when I'm done with it I can still sell it, loan it, or give it away. I like being able to do that, just as I've done for years with books, records, etc.

The thing about "owning" a game or software that's tied to some account is that without the ability to fully control it like you do your other property, it's more like a lease or something. I mean, I get it, a lot of stuff is going that way but let's not forget that the media companies are loving the fact that so much media isn't transferrable anymore.
[doublepost=1555998954][/doublepost]LOL, everybody here loves to piss on CDs but the fact is, they're uncompressed, high-quality audio and you can pick them up cheap or even free at this point. Also not everything is available on streaming platforms. I'm not out here listening to CDs all day either, but if you're into music, and especially music that isn't necessarily mainstream, being able to rip a good copy of a disc is not a bad option to have.

Of course, with that said, there are defintely better ways to go about it than maintaining an 2012 MacBook, especially when for those who want them CD/DVD drives can be had for like $15 at this point.
 
Last edited:
WTF is a CD?

A Cd/DVD is a little plastic disc that can hold data, music, and video.
It’s used by people who don’t have stunted tastes in music and video.
Everything is not available for streaming or download. Many do not want their entertainment spoon fed to them and don’t need their mommies to wipe their behinds. They can actually do and think for themselves.
[doublepost=1556210906][/doublepost]
My earlier iMac, with internal CD drive, eventually developed problems with the drive and I found it necessary to purchase an external drive for it (that I still use). My main and continued need for a CD drive is to be able to rip CD's to my iTunes library.

My current iMac, late 2014 model, doesn't have an internal drive and I'm comfortable with that. In fact it has no moving parts whatsoever since I opted for SSD, so I'm hopeful that from a reliability standpoint it will last as long as I decide to continue to use it.

I also continue to use an external SuperDrive to rip music and video. There’s so much great music from small, independent bands that will never be on iTunes or the like.
Now granted, few under 40 have ever heard of a "library", much less ever been in one. However they are great resources for music CDs and movie and tv show DVDs that can be ripped. Of course this would take away from their valuable time Facebooking, Snapchating, and Instagraming every inconsequential moment of their "life".
 
A Cd/DVD is a little plastic disc that can hold data, music, and video.
It’s used by people who don’t have stunted tastes in music and video.
Everything is not available for streaming or download. Many do not want their entertainment spoon fed to them and don’t need their mommies to wipe their behinds. They can actually do and think for themselves.
[doublepost=1556210906][/doublepost]

I also continue to use an external SuperDrive to rip music and video. There’s so much great music from small, independent bands that will never be on iTunes or the like.
Now granted, few under 40 have ever heard of a "library", much less ever been in one. However they are great resources for music CDs and movie and tv show DVDs that can be ripped. Of course this would take away from their valuable time Facebooking, Snapchating, and Instagraming every inconsequential moment of their "life".

I will admit to this - I have not purchased any new CD's for a while, and I do find myself (slowly) adjusting to the new world of cloud music supply. I signed up for Apple Music and now when I hear of some new music that has been released, that I'm interested in, the first thing I do is check to see if it's available on Apple Music to stream as part of my subscription. Or I can download a copy to my iTunes library if I want to do that.

Now, if I discontinue my Apple Music subscription, then I won't have those songs or albums that I have obtained in that way.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MrUNIMOG
Optical drives are to the point where if you want one, you buy it separately. There is really nothing left that can only be done with an optical drive. My external BluRay player/DVD burner still works fine with my 2017 iMac, so its plugged in. If I didn't already have it, I wouldn't have gone out to buy one, though. I think I've ripped one BD, 2-3 music CDs and burned 1-2 Linux boot disks since hooking it up to the iMac.
 
If you have an option,, there shouldn't be a problem..W've already gotten use to lack of ports (well,, some of us have *rolls eyes*)

Apple can only do this because its not as big as Windows

Imagine if all Windows laptops did this.. I doubt anyone would take it as lightly as Apple users do :)

USB-C is already changing in other ways, so perhaps "lack of drive may follow"
 
If you have an option,, there shouldn't be a problem..W've already gotten use to lack of ports (well,, some of us have *rolls eyes*)

Apple can only do this because its not as big as Windows

Imagine if all Windows laptops did this.. I doubt anyone would take it as lightly as Apple users do :)

USB-C is already changing in other ways, so perhaps "lack of drive may follow"

My work laptop is a Mac, but I'm pretty sure none of the Windows laptop choices at my company have an optical drive, either. Nobody uses them any more.
 
My work laptop is a Mac, but I'm pretty sure none of the Windows laptop choices at my company have an optical drive, either. Nobody uses them any more.

I should have said premium/ultra thin windows laptops.... Not the < $1000 cheaply ones.. As long as these cheaper/low budget ones remain,, PC's still have optical drives as far as i'm concerned. I have a Dell i3 with optical drive. but its as bulky as hell.

I can see optical drive being removed from ultabook, as their is no space, given the usb/C options or TB.

But not on the low budget... which is the only reason why Apple can say what they say..
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.