So what happens when you want/need to install Windows? FYI if you haven't tried, you cant install Windows from usb or external dvd drive... So if Apple wants to continue to have the customers that need Windows also, they will have to write the Mac firmware to allow usb/external cd drive Windows installations...
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Does anyone HOPE they pull the superdrive from the next MBP revision?
- Thread starter langis.elbasunu
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
So what happens when you want/need to install Windows? FYI if you haven't tried, you cant install Windows from usb or external dvd drive... So if Apple wants to continue to have the customers that need Windows also, they will have to write the Mac firmware to allow usb/external cd drive Windows installations...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2298
Looks like they've taken care of that for the MBA so modifying it for the MBP shouldn't be too hard.
I do have disks with me, but that doesn't translate to carrying an extra drive, power supply and connecting cables that an external DVD entails.
When I go on trips I may pack a couple DVDs to watch. When I am at work I may archive data by burning it to a DVD. In both cases I don't want to have to schlep along another drive, since that defeats the purpose for me of using a laptop and being relatively mobile. That's especially true when I'm traveling by air and want to keep it to a laptop and power supply.
I'm looking forward to when they take out the superdrive. It's a waste of space IMO. Better to use it for something else that I use everyday. On the laptop I'm on the DVD drive is broken, so I've had a big empty hole on the side of this Dell for about 3 years. Made no difference to me.
But I bet people are going to be annoyed when they have to buy an $80 external drive just to load one DVD.
But I bet people are going to be annoyed when they have to buy an $80 external drive just to load one DVD.
If you can carry the disks then you can carry the tiny Superdrive with you. And quit exaggerating, there is a single USB cable that you have to connect to the MBP. There is no other cables and no power supply.
When you're packing your DVD's, slip your Superdrive in with them too. The potential increases in hardware performance and battery life is worth the slight inconvenience of having to plug in a single USB cable every once in awhile.
I say keep the DVD drive (or better yet, upgrade it to a Blu-ray drive)!
Even though I don't use it THAT much, it still comes in handy if I want to burn something for my friends or clients.
OFC, I could get by with an external, but I'd prefer it built-in.
Even though I don't use it THAT much, it still comes in handy if I want to burn something for my friends or clients.
OFC, I could get by with an external, but I'd prefer it built-in.
It's a stupid argument. You have your opinion. I have mine. Neither is correct; they are just opinions, preferences for how things should be. My workflow has an integrated drive. If it's an external I'll end up leaving it at home, so I don't want it. I prefer to have it built-in.
I want to keep it but I can see how going to an external drive would free up more room for better battery. I guess I would be OK.
They were the first to drop the floppy drive and I bet a lot of people thought that was a bad idea.
Reminds me of a quote:
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.
-Henry Ford
They were the first to drop the floppy drive and I bet a lot of people thought that was a bad idea.
Reminds me of a quote:
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.
-Henry Ford
Most cars and stereos offer 3.5 inputs so Apple will not care about this since you can plug one of their other devices into them!
However, you bring up a valid point concerning iMovie. Apple offers this cool way to make movie trailers and such...but no way of making them into a useable DVD without buying extra hardware. I'm smelling a DVD creation program inside iMovie similar to books, calendars, and cards in iPhoto! Hurray, more ways to spend my endless supply of money...oh wait, I don't use iMovie that much.
Yes! a toaster would be a MUCH better use of space.
Great thinking OP!
Anyways, I hope it gets ditched.
Great thinking OP!
Anyways, I hope it gets ditched.
If they don't remove it, I will. I'll put a big HDD in there and use the external BD-R drive for the times I need to use optical discs. I only use it to rip discs a couple times a week and burn maybe once a month or so. No need to have it with me all the time.
Microsoft has taken care of that already:
MS Technet, MS Store
Microsoft has taken care of that already:
MS Technet, MS Store
Last edited:
Personally, I hope they ditch the ODD in the next update. I put in an Optibay on my late 08 uMBP and I love it. There have been no problems with using an external DVD drive (even with the crappy MCE-provided ODD enclosure), and I rip DVDs and CDs quite often. If Apple is able to replace the ODD with a larger battery and/or a discrete GPU in the 13" MBP, I say go for it. Physical media is on its way out, and everything else can be handled by USB peripherals.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)
It'd be nice for US because it can be substituted with better specs for us, which matters to us (I assume), but you still can't forget that there are people that like to watch DVD movies, and if they removed the drive, the computer would seem less consumer-friendly.
It'd be nice for US because it can be substituted with better specs for us, which matters to us (I assume), but you still can't forget that there are people that like to watch DVD movies, and if they removed the drive, the computer would seem less consumer-friendly.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)
Actually, I think they will remove the drive in the higher-end models...
Actually, I think they will remove the drive in the higher-end models...
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. At least with the 13", it would totally make sense for them to do something similar to the Mac Minis. A low end consumer version with a disc drive, and a higher end prosumer version (the Mac Mini server without superdrive). The average consumers will go for the cheaper one with superdrive, not understanding why anyone would pay MORE to lose something, but the more technologically inclined can opt for possibly better performance in place of the superdrive. The 15" and 17" would be in fuzzier territory though, since they already can fit a discrete GPU, so there's slightly less to gain from losing the ODD.
On day 1 with my new MBP 13" i replaced the hard drive with a 120GB SSD and replaced the superdrive with a 1GB hard drive and put the superdrive in a USB adapter case ... lighter than the external superdrive but doesn't look as nice. Fresh install of Mac OSX and bootcamp install of Windows 7 was no problem (you can't use the Air/Mini external superdrive on a MBP without changing USB controller board but MBP superdrive or any other external drive will work). If I need to use DVD or CD at home I pop it in to my Mini's drive and use Remote Disc. While traveling I bring along an external DVD drive.
As for concerns about having to carry around a DVD drive, mine stays in my desk unless I am traveling and then it goes in my briefcase. Before, I always had two external hard drives that I was carrying around all the time. Better to have the capacity for what I use every day than for what I use once a month.
As for concerns about having to carry around a DVD drive, mine stays in my desk unless I am traveling and then it goes in my briefcase. Before, I always had two external hard drives that I was carrying around all the time. Better to have the capacity for what I use every day than for what I use once a month.
I presume you don´t travel very much for work. If you are doing a lot of air travel ANY extra weight/item is a real inconvenience. I try to keep all my camera gear to a minimum, but still it´s a big load.
Not to say the most important thing, you would have to REMEMBER to bring the DVD drive.
If USB thumbsticks came down in price considerably I wouldn´t mind so much if the DVD goes.
It quickly adds up if you have to hand over USB sticks instead of DVD´s of todays footage alll the time.
IF I could get a Blu-Ray burner in there I could hand over the actual High-res footage instead of proxies
I would love it if they take it out. The benefits far out weigh the small inconvenience of not having one. I just don't understand how people still don't understand that. somethin must be off lulz
You all know there are multiple places that sell optibay kits. From the way all of you are posting, if apple were to release the 2011 mbp tomorrow and it didn't have a super drive you would all be online or at an apple store buying it. Since I don't have disposable income like many of you talk like, I will just buy the optibay, throw a second hdd in and stop complaining about it.
And who is using there laptop for over 8 hours where they cant have a charger?? The 7-8 hours the 15" and 17" can get are more than enough and yes they will both reach that number if you keep the backlight low, keyboard light off, don't leave bluetooth on for no reason you can make it. This is more than any other laptop in the market, I even put an extended battery on one and I could only get 3 hours off of the extended battery!
And who is using there laptop for over 8 hours where they cant have a charger?? The 7-8 hours the 15" and 17" can get are more than enough and yes they will both reach that number if you keep the backlight low, keyboard light off, don't leave bluetooth on for no reason you can make it. This is more than any other laptop in the market, I even put an extended battery on one and I could only get 3 hours off of the extended battery!
Well, for one thing, for those that fly often, a longer battery can help out a lot on long plane rides. Also, the extra wiggle room allows the user to not have to worry about toggling settings just to maximize battery time. There's always the consideration that a bigger, better engineered battery also means the battery will have a longer lifetime as well. The user then doesn't need to stare at Coconut Battery all the time (like I do with my late 08 uMBP) to keep track of charge cycles.
I do agree with your optibay point though; I have one in my current MBP and if the next one I get still has an ODD, I will simply take it out and perform the same modification again.
Knowing Apple, if they remove the optical drive all they will add is more thinness.