Apple's Old-School SuperDrive Is Out of Stock and Unlikely to Return

[MacRumors]

Earlier this year, Apple added the last MacBook Pro with a CD/DVD drive to its obsolete products list, and now it looks like Apple's aging external USB SuperDrive might not be all that far behind.

As noted by 9to5Mac, it's no longer possible to buy a USB SuperDrive online via the official Apple Store in the US. The product listing for the $79 device says that it's "Sold Out," rather than "Currently Unavailable." Apple's Canada online store also lists the device as sold out, and given that it was introduced alongside the original MacBook Air in 2008, Apple is unlikely to make additional units to play what many Mac users would consider to be legacy optical media.

Stock remains available on some of Apple's regional stores, such as the UK, and the USB SuperDrive can still be found elsewhere online at merchants like Amazon, but bear in mind that you'll need a USB-A to USB-C adapter to use it with a modern MacBook. Also, it doesn't play Blu-ray discs. Here's how Apple describes the product:

Whether you're at the office or on the road, you can play and burn both CDs and DVDs with the Apple USB SuperDrive. It's perfect when you want to watch a DVD, install software, create backup discs and more.

Only slightly bigger than a CD case, the Apple USB SuperDrive slips easily into your travel bag when you hit the road, and takes up little space on your desk or tray table when you’re working.

While the majority of Apple's product lineup has been updated over the past few years, there are still a handful of devices and accessories that are quite old and still available on the Apple store.

Article Link: Apple's Old-School SuperDrive Is Out of Stock and Unlikely to Return

 

[B4U]

Legacy media?
Perhaps because it does not support Blu-ray?

 

[SoldOnApple]

I bought a plastic case that looks like the real one, only plastic, and put a gutted superdrive from an old MacBook in it and it works fine. Never use it because well don't burn CDs for decades now, but nice to know I have it.

 

[abatabia]

Have had one for years but I really only use it like once or twice a year.

 

[ppetrovic]

I've always contemplated whether I should get one just because, but in practice I never really needed it. Maybe I'll grab one of the last stock units at a local  Authorized Reseller just for the sake of nostalgia. Or maybe I should get a few of them and resell them for 20ish % markup. Hmmm.

 

[brgjoe]

Aww...was thinking of getting one of those so I could play some of my legacy media. Oh well. Maybe there is still some left on the secondary market(s).

 

[mac-kitty]

I use mine all the time to make music CDs for my neighbor and friend (who doesn't have a computer or the internet and wants neither).

 

[MrMacintoshIII]

My Samsung drive died after a good decade or more so I got one of these within the last couple years. Hoping it lasts even longer 🤞

 

[MacsRgr8]

I have one connected to a 2017 iMac.
Occasionally use it:

• Ripping Audio CD (Apple lossless)
• Accessing legacy software.. both Mac and Windows

 

[cgs1xx]

Oh no… 😱 shock horror 😵‍💫😵

this is the oldest Apple gadget I have! And it works great still. But if it stops working I’d have to stop buying cds.. (yes I still do!)

Are others in the market compatible?

 

[WarmWinterHat]

It's fine...There is really no reason to have a superdrive specifically anymore. I still do some burning (mainly m-disc)/reading occasionally, and just use a 3rd party external blu-ray drive. It even has USB-C without needing an adapter.

Any brand drive you buy will work fine with any Mac, including Apple Silicon.

 

[Bustycat]

Third-party external SuperDrive-like devices are much cheaper.

 

[iMac The Knife]

I still use my SuperDrive to this day, from time to time. While I've purchased maybe 75 digital movies, the vast majority of my collection is on DVD/4K Blu-Ray. I've abandoned buying digital media because the companies selling it can and will take these movies and TV shows from you whenever they please, or if they go bankrupt. I have enough movies and TV shows on DVD/4K Blu-Ray to last a lifetime. I rip them to Plex and then I can stream them from anywhere I have an internet connection.

 

[ghostface147]

I haven’t needed a drive in quite awhile.

 

[Apple Mac Daz]

Still have the SuperDrive but no Mac anymore works flawless when needed with Win 11

 

[nylonsteel]

I still have mine
Have not used it in years
Yet something about physical CD DVD attracts me to them
Wish I kept my old physical media collection
Was hoping they would become cool again

 

[benwiggy]

Still use mine for ripping CDs and DVDs.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Good. Just a warning for anyone who wanted one of these, you can’t even use them with an Apple Silicon Mac.
They just don’t work.

 

[Digital Dude]

Still use mine. Thank goodness I still have a PC for doing actual work versus cupcakes and sprinkles’. 🙄

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Good. Just a warning for anyone who wanted one of these, you can’t even use them with an Apple Silicon Mac.
They just don’t work.

Yes they do.

 

[Kingcoherent]

It's not usb c or blu ray. And given how little people actually use these it seems a fair commercial decision from Apple.

That said, I still have quite a few CDs that I would want to rip.

 

[MacinMan]

I never bought Apple's SuperDrive. I've always had a Blu-ray writer on Macs that didn't have a drive built in. I mainly use them to rip my movies into Plex / Infuse, or other local streaming solutions, so I can preserve the physical discs as long as possible. I will also burn a video Blu-ray from time to time, for instances where I like maybe certain YouTube videos that I want to watch offline. Instead of hogging a USB flash drive a disc makes more sense since it will be permanent. I will also do CDs and DVDS ripping / writing occasionally as well.

 

[Shifts]

Using mine for automatic ripping to a music server running Roon Server. Just have to insert the CD and Roon does the rest: Ripping, adding metadata, adding to my music collection, indexing, finding artwork.

Old school? Pffft.

 

[chineseguy38]

I'm still using mine to copy songs from CDs.

 

[vegetassj4]

Kid's and their new fangled flippy floppy disks and DVDs (sounds like something you catch by visiting a shady website without protection). Real men punch it.