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Dell to ditch floppies.....finally

Freg3000

Freg3000

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Sep 22, 2002
1,914
0
New York
Wow, PCs are losing their beloved floppy drive. I wonder what is in store for the ancient serial port. . . :)

http://biz.yahoo.com/ibd/030205/tech_1.html

At least they are not that far behind Apple. I mean it's only been what, 4, 5 years?

"Apple Computer Inc. stopped including floppy disk drives in its Macintosh computers starting with the iMac in August 1998."
 
I'm waiting for the next Dell interview where Mike says "Dell is the first computer maker to decide to eliminate the floppy drive. Dell continues to innovate and as the front runner in technology and innovation, we wanted to spear head this effort. A majority of our customers in the last few weeks have indicated they don't like having a floppy drive, some tech support calls were about asking 'what are these slits in my computer for?'. We are the first at everything innovating and will continue to lead."
 
IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!

I think the only file a floppy will hold anymore is a word doc or a spreadsheet. What is the point? I still hear it all the time from PC people who would never buy a Mac because it does not have a "built in" floppy drive. Okay so they have to have 3.06Ghz for what...loading a floppy to it's capacity in less then a second?
 
As cd burners and other quick storage devices increase in popularity, I can see the demise of the floppy as timely. However, I was never happy with Apple for cutting the floppy a while back. I think Apple jumped the gun too early by not including them with the imacs and PM towers w/o cd burners built in years back. I mean, internal floppy drives cost a whole 2 bucks and they left a lot of people's data stranded. Then you had to go buy a 3.5 usb floppy for 50 bucks and the frickin thing was ugly looking and awkward (for some reason, every floppy drive maker thought to make only 3' cords and the no gripper on the bottom).
 
I have a USB floppy drive for when I have to deal with floppies. I figure at the rate of use, it should last until I absolutely don't neeed it anymore.

And the way I figure it, it's less weight in the PowerBook. And it's one less thing tobreak internal to the Mac.
 
haha, finnaly someone outside of Apple have decided to dicth this ugly wasted technlogy, you can fit 500x more on a CD-RW nowdays.

Get with the times everyone
 
I thought Intel proposed a while back to remove the Serial port and Parallel port from future logic boards. I guess they don't want to sacrifice the compatibility with older peripherals.
 
i don't think this really matters... the only problem with floppies is if your production line is on floppy drive. you guys aren't seriously going to complain that they still HAVE floppy drives, are you? not that you need it, but what's wrong with having it there? jeez.

but having your manufacturing and testing diags on floppy is a stupid idea. they take so much longer to read it's not even funny, and ends up losing the company millions. i know they have been off floppy for awhile now (in the manufacture process) in prtables. good to see they have gotten off it for the rest of production.
 
Oh please...

Originally posted by elensil
Don't worry Apple is behind on more important things:(
Click to expand...

Just wait for the second half of this year when the economy begins to bounce back.

Do you think it would be wise to launch the IBM 970 PowerMacs while we're on the brink of war and the stock market is so volatile because of so much fear and uncertainty?

Apple itself, as well as a myriad of analysts do not expect, and have not expected, an economic turnaround until later in '03 since early last year.

It'll be a very different world in the next 9 months when all the consumers, but more importantly, the power users in Apple's niche market's finally can upgrade their entire departments with the new long awaited PowerMacs.

Meanwhile, look at everything Apple has done since the introduction of the new PowerBooks back on Nov. 6th and especially in the past month since MWSF.

This year is gonna be great!

Microsoft free in '03.

Next year is gonna be awesome!!

20 year anniversary of the Mac BABY!!:D
 
Originally posted by FelixDerKater
I thought Intel proposed a while back to remove the Serial port and Parallel port from future logic boards. I guess they don't want to sacrifice the compatibility with older peripherals.
Click to expand...

abit has been selling "legacy free" PC motherboards for about a year now.

problems arise when you use these usb keychain things in a situation that requires a bootable device.

floppy drive is nice to have, about 1 time a year. usually the disks are so much more reliable than a CD, from a throw it in the drawer and forget about it (without a case) mentality.

that, and that most liux distros still want you to make a emergency repair boot floppy disk. And there is even a distro or 2 that fit on a floppy! http://www.toms.net/rb/
 
Re: Oh please...

Originally posted by MacQuest

Do you think it would be wise to launch the IBM 970 PowerMacs while we're on the brink of war and the stock market is so volatile because of so much fear and uncertainty?
Click to expand...

Or before the processor actually ships?
 
I have a USB floppy drive. I think that I have only used it once. I have noticed that I almost never use floppy disks anymore.
 
a floppy:
1. can mean the difference between using your computer or not.
2. are great for taking an office 2000 report to school.
3. some linux distros still use boot floppies for a variety of reasons.

floppies may be old but there are still times i find the floppy drive in my computer to be quite useful. besides, im not even sure how the CDROM drives in the computers at my school would react to a CDRW. they aren't exactly modern.
 
Originally posted by Independence
...

floppies may be old but there are still times i find the floppy drive in my computer to be quite useful. besides, im not even sure how the CDROM drives in the computers at my school would react to a CDRW. they aren't exactly modern.
Click to expand...
Most CD-ROM drives should be able to read a CD-R (single session). So that would be a way of transporting things.

However, the new computers made these days without floppy drives will have an optical drive that can read CD-R and CD-RW's.
 
Originally posted by Bear

Most CD-ROM drives should be able to read a CD-R (single session). So that would be a way of transporting things.

However, the new computers made these days without floppy drives will have an optical drive that can read CD-R and CD-RW's.
Click to expand...
ahahahahaha. you got to use my school's computers to believe them. with the age and all the abuse they go through, im surprised have of them even work. some of the CDROM drives might be able to read a CDRW but im not gonna bet anything on it.
 
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