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Do you ever miss having a disc drive?
- Thread starter MacGeekAZ
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I actually went back to a computer with a DVD drive. I admit I'm not using a mac (I switched back to PC's) but the promise is still the same. I got a computer that happened to have a DVD drive, but didn't think I'd need it. Since then I've used it a few times to install old games I had, rip some music, nothing major but I was glad to have it. Ironically, the one time I didn't use my DVD drive was for installing Windows 8.
I think as long as I have a computer with a DVD drive, I'll be fine, although I don't need it on this computer.
I think as long as I have a computer with a DVD drive, I'll be fine, although I don't need it on this computer.
I don't miss it at all. Most everything I do is too big to fit on a cd/dvd anyway so they weren't much use to me.
Funny. It was only after the release of the MBA that I realised that in the past few years, I had used my cd-drive just once - to install starcraft 2, and just how little of my HD space I actually took up (I watch most shows online, and whatever I download, I usually delete after watching it once).
I don't know if my experiences are indicative of others' user preferences, but I can safely say that the MBA's supposed limitations are really no drawbacks to me at all.
I don't know if my experiences are indicative of others' user preferences, but I can safely say that the MBA's supposed limitations are really no drawbacks to me at all.
I know you can share a DVD drive on another Mac or PC and use it on the Air, Apple had a page explaining how to do it (Remote Disk).
I have a question about this. Can you put a music CD in the other drive, go into iTunes and rip it to the Air? I am pretty sure I ripped everything in my CD collection already and have been using iTunes for about 4 years now almost exclusively. I have purchased some DRM MP3's from other sites, but anyway....
Will that work?
I'm seriously looking at 13" MBA (was looking at 13" MBP) now.
I have a question about this. Can you put a music CD in the other drive, go into iTunes and rip it to the Air? I am pretty sure I ripped everything in my CD collection already and have been using iTunes for about 4 years now almost exclusively. I have purchased some DRM MP3's from other sites, but anyway....
Will that work?
I'm seriously looking at 13" MBA (was looking at 13" MBP) now.
I wish they'd ditch optical drives in the Pros. Just imagine what they could do with that extra space..
Well, nobody
, but people still use DVD's for certain media, like older OS's when using VM's, DVD movie playback, ripping music from CD's and stuff like that. Windows XP (for installing VM's) is still on CD, Vista and Windows 7 came on DVD's, Ubuntu can be a CD, etc.With 8GB+ thumb drives, burning data to a DVD is kind of pointless now, but it can be handy at times. There lies the problem though, it's handy only once in a while and the other 364 days of the year you won't need it (and it takes up a lot of room).
I really hated giving up my floppy drive. I got over it in time and transitioned to the new disc drives. I didn't like giving them up either when CD and later, DVD drives replaced them. If it weren't for Apple, we'd still be using floppies! Change is inevitable, like it or not, and it usually makes life even easier in the long run. The same goes for DVD drives, perhaps hard drives and whatever comes after the Cloud.
I would love it if Apple made a retro MBA with the original 6052 CPU from the Apple I, ][, //e with a 128 kilobyte extended memory card with double hi-res (80 column) graphics card and a 5 1/4" 143 kilobyte floppy drive.
I would seriously use that machine all day to play Taipan, Karateka, Ultima, or that EA game Larry Bird vs Dr J.
I would seriously use that machine all day to play Taipan, Karateka, Ultima, or that EA game Larry Bird vs Dr J.
No, I don;t miss it. I bout the Apple external CD drive, I have only used it once in 2 months (to install Windows 7 for boot camp). Now i'm going to put a SSD in an iMac I have and remove the CD and move the hard drive to that location. I'f I need to burn a CD I have the external Apple one to use.
Your not going to miss it unless your a DJ or work in the music industry.
Your not going to miss it unless your a DJ or work in the music industry.
Yes - but only very occasionally, but it's on those occasions it bus the hell outta me that I didn't have one.
I've bought an external superdrive now for those annoying times.
Would I want one built in...No, too much space for a device i'd hardly use.
I've bought an external superdrive now for those annoying times.
Would I want one built in...No, too much space for a device i'd hardly use.
I have to say, having had the 2011 MBA for a couple of months... there has been a couple of times it would've been useful to have that optical drive for a DVD or two (especially for the last week or two when I've had no internet connection at home!).
Having said that, I think the smaller form factor and lighter weight that have been achieved by ditching the optical drive are more than worth the compromise.
Having said that, I think the smaller form factor and lighter weight that have been achieved by ditching the optical drive are more than worth the compromise.