No its still there.
I burn CD's/DVD's almost daily so it better not be removed.
I hate this design not change, DVD-Rom will be used once a year only, or less.
Is the dvd driver has been taken away from the new MBP?
Just thought I share this with you. If you do not want a optical cd drive in your mac you can always go with a external CD drive. Check out the link below:
http://external-dvd-burner-review.toptenreviews.com/