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Do you think the built-in cd/dvd will be fazed out anytime soon?

Built-in DVD/CD Faze Out

  • Within 18 months?

    Votes: 9 56.3%

  • Within 36 months?

    Votes: 7 43.8%
  • Total voters
    16
Y

yuanmoons

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 7, 2008
283
0
Id love a 15" MacBook Pro without a built-in CD/DVD. Would make it slimmer and lighter. Im sure there would be a big market for it.

Anybody reckon this could happen in the very near future? Just wondering as i never use my cd except for software installation eg, snow leopard.

I voted 18 months!! got to hope! :)
 
H

harperjones99

macrumors 6502
Nov 3, 2009
497
0
Not in the Pro no way. I mean as a production from Apple not a mod. Lots of CDs and DVDs still out there for media and data. I know what you mean though I would be happy to get rid of discs and go to a super capacity flash drive and quick downloads/uploads for all data as standard.

The air or it's replacement will continue to be upgraded as tech allows to offer this slim no optical drive option but I would bet the pros will have optical drives standard for a while. I would bet they will still be there in the Pro line even 3 years from now as the poll asks.
 
Cathode

Cathode

macrumors regular
Aug 5, 2008
164
5
Flagstaff, AZ
I think so, it's already started (see: MacBook Air). Apple will be one of the first to push for the removal of the compact disc / DVD just like they did with Floppies back with the iMac.

The biggest issue right now is that while digital distribution is gaining more and more momentum, the fact still remains the United States still has lackluster internet. Our speeds are still slow and spotty. Until we have more providers and better bandwidth I don't think we're going to see many mainstream computers lose their drives just yet.
 
G

gotzero

macrumors 68040
Jan 6, 2007
3,225
2
Mid-Atlantic, US
I hope so. I have a second SSD in the slot for mine. It is the biggest part of the laptop besides the battery. I wish they would put in two SATA drive slots and then fill the rest of the extra room with battery...
 
Y

yuanmoons

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 7, 2008
283
0
There cant be much difference in the price of distributing software/media via a memory card / sd card than a CD?

Maybe relatively its massive, 0.5p to 5p maybe - a complete guess. But id happily pay 5p more in the interim for an SD Card with Snow Leopard on it before download speeds & bandwidth caught up to seal the fate of CDs.

CD/DVD is flawed media anyway - its very prone to damage - the cd & the equipment to play it. My last mbp had 3 drives fail - each time i found out when i tried to install new software..... although in the end it meant i got my new mbp for free via apple care!!! hmmmm maybe cd isnt so bad after all ... :)
 
B

barkomatic

macrumors 601
Aug 8, 2008
4,521
2,826
Manhattan
Cathode said:
I think so, it's already started (see: MacBook Air). Apple will be one of the first to push for the removal of the compact disc / DVD just like they did with Floppies back with the iMac.

The biggest issue right now is that while digital distribution is gaining more and more momentum, the fact still remains the United States still has lackluster internet. Our speeds are still slow and spotty. Until we have more providers and better bandwidth I don't think we're going to see many mainstream computers lose their drives just yet.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I know it seems really modern to do away with optical drives(especially since MBPs have outdated ones that fanboys have a hard time justifying) but the internet infrastructure just isn't there yet for most people. When we have Japanese broadband speeds then maybe we can talk about getting rid of drives, not before.
 
C

cube

Suspended
May 10, 2004
17,011
4,972
Time for Blu-Ray now, time for holographic storage in the future.

Optical media is in no way obsolete.
 
Patriks7

Patriks7

macrumors 65816
Oct 26, 2008
1,419
624
Vienna
I don't really see how it would be much thinner. It's not like you are also shrinking the HDD and battery...
 
Y

yuanmoons

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 7, 2008
283
0
cube said:
Buy an MBA if you want a crippled netbook.
Click to expand...

We are talking MACBOOK PRO as stated in the first post. If i wanted a 13" under preforming laptop id have brought the macbook air and this thread would never have birthed! :confused:
 
C

cube

Suspended
May 10, 2004
17,011
4,972
yuanmoons said:
We are talking MACBOOK PRO as stated in the first post. If i wanted a 13" under preforming laptop id have brought the macbook air and this thread would never have birthed! :confused:
Click to expand...

A notebook without an optical drive is just a netbook.
 
H

harperjones99

macrumors 6502
Nov 3, 2009
497
0
I would love to have an air thin and light 15" with no loss in ability over the Pro but with current tech and media standards it's not realistic.

I also would prefer SD or some disposable version for media over a big, easily damaged, spinning CD or DVD but I bet the cost difference is still pretty big in manufacturing.
 
spinnerlys

spinnerlys

Guest
Sep 7, 2008
14,328
7
forlod bygningen
cube said:
A notebook without an optical drive is just a netbook.
Click to expand...

So the MacBook Air is a netbook according to its missing optical drive?

When spinning optical media gets obsolete, we will all have netbooks I presume.

I have a 17" MBP, and I would also like to not have the optical drive built in, and think about going the OptiBay route. I use DVDs once a week, and that is maximum usage.
 
D

Doju

macrumors 68000
Jun 16, 2008
1,510
1
cube said:
A notebook without an optical drive is just a netbook.
Click to expand...
Possibly one of the most ridiculous posts I've ever read. A netbook is a netbook because of its horrible speed (not affected by optical drive), small screen (not affected by optical drive), cramped keyboard (not affected by optical drive) and poor battery life (not affected by optical drive).

Not being able to play a DVD hardly makes it less powerful. Digital technology is the new way to go. (For example, with the new 640GB HDDs, I could carry almost 1,000 movies that are the size of DVDs. Carry around 1,000 physical DVDs? No way.)

An optical drive is a massive part in a laptop, considering a lot of us rarely use optical drives. I last used mine around Easter. And whenever I use mine I'm at a desk, so I could easily use an external optical drive. Few people need to burn files on the go anyway.

So I'd LOVE that option. Thinner laptop with twice the HDD space, maybe a discrete GPU, bigger battery. I'd take all of that in a heartbeat over not being able to use an optical drive on the go twice a year... when I don't even need it on the go.

Not everyone would want it gone, but it is such a big part. It could be put to SO much better use.
 
D

Doju

macrumors 68000
Jun 16, 2008
1,510
1
cube said:
Buy an MBA if you want a crippled netbook.
Click to expand...
You really have no idea what a netbook is, do you? I don't even like MBAs, but to call it a netbook is a true testament of your knowledge.
 
H

harperjones99

macrumors 6502
Nov 3, 2009
497
0
If I could get a new spec MBA for the 3-400 dollars I have seen "uncrippled" netbooks going for I would but it right now.
 
H

harperjones99

macrumors 6502
Nov 3, 2009
497
0
cube said:
If it uses Atom, it is also a garbage machine.
Click to expand...

What are you talking about? All the common netbooks use Atoms.

You called the Air a crippled netbook and I simply said I think it is better than any netbook I have ever seen and would snatch one up for netbook prices.
 
mscriv

mscriv

macrumors 601
Aug 14, 2008
4,923
602
Dallas, Texas
I bet it won't be long before there is an option to get a Pro line laptop without the optical drive. Think about it, they just released the "Mini Server" that has no optical drive. Now, I don't think optical media is going away any time soon, but I think Apple is set on a steady course to do away with optical media over time. With the availability of optical drive share and external optical drives then Apple can further push the market away from optical media by not building it into their portable computers. This will further push people's dependence upon getting their media from Apple via iTunes or the App Store. It's all about making small adjustments that nudge the consumer in the direction they want them to go.

Face it, we consumers are all just sheep following the shepherd of technology advancement.
 
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