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Yeah I mean they make iMac's with large screens and certainly Apple needs to realize that some people would rather play their DVD's on their computer over their TV.
The argument for iMacs is even less than on a laptop. You can have an external drive permanently attached to the desktop computer. I have a portable USB blu-ray drive that I keep attached to my 27" monitor, which is plugged into my MacBook Pro when I'm not on the road. That means I essentially have a built-in blu-ray drive when I'm at home. This is a better solution as I don't use it that often, my computer stays thinner, and if I want to upgrade to a faster or different optical drive in the future, that's easy to do.
 
Yeah I mean they make iMac's with large screens and certainly Apple needs to realize that some people would rather play their DVD's on their computer over their TV.

I can't say I'm in that bracket, I'd prefer to use my TV then my MacBook, even if I had a iMac, the TV would still win over it.
 
When was the last time you visited a Fry's electronics or a Best Buy? The last time I visited Fry's I saw isles upon Isles of DVD's for sale many of which are not available on iTunes or are much cheaper to purchase than on iTunes. I bought a DVD TV season for $14 and that DVD TV season is not available on iTunes, and even if it was for $14? Get real.

First of all, stores like these are having a hard time staying open because of, well, the internet. Maybe selling DVDs for low prices helps them for now, but for 10 bucks a month you can watch an entire catalog of films and series online on something like Netflix.

Sure, you can get your rare tv series in a physical store, but this is nowhere near a reason for Apple or anyone to keep investing in physical media (they should release those series online instead). And shouldn't you be buying Blu-rays which were clearly the future when introduced? (notice how Apple never made a Blu-ray player).

BTW, DVDs are 480p which for me is unwatchable on my 4k display. It's 2016. Buy the external drive while they still make them.
 
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I used to be in the "Woe upon us; the end times have come! A desktop/laptop without an optical drive! Blasphemy!" camp. How would I install an operating system in the event of a system failure? How would I install my collection of vintage 90s-2005 era PC games?

...Then I realized that's literally all I ever used the optical drive for. A fine medium to have on hand, but it's not such a vital component of a desktop computer that it needs to be packaged with the system, and it's definitely not something that I really want packaged on a portable system anymore.

I've repurchased about 90% of the games I love from the glory days on Steam, many of which have HD remakes/remasters and new features and are optimized for modern computers! And for those that aren't on Steam, I can just rip the ISO from the disc and save that to a much higher-capacity flash drive.

I still don't believe optical discs have entirely gone the way of floppy disks; they still have their usage, and unlike floppies, the capacity of an optical disc continues to grow. But it's definitely become a niche scenario.
 
Its an extra cost and its not the same as having one built in. Also why not put one inside on the desktop Macs?
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Minority? Based on whose figures? Sp you are saying that most play their DVD's and Blue Ray's on their TV?

In my world, most people have migrated away from DVDs. I have digitized my entire DVD collection (over 600 DVDs), and have them all stored on a NAS and served to my home network (multiple computers and multiple AppleTVs)... no more scratched, broken or damaged DVDs to deal with. It also affords for lighter, thinner MacBooks/MacBook Pros... win-win, IMO.

You don't need to repurchase your entire collection... get a copy or MakeMKV and Handbrake and knock yourself out...

I bet the loss of the floppy drive was equally traumatic, but you seem to have survived that.
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Somebody wants their cassette tapes, LPs and 8-tracks too, I see.

I'll give you the cassette tapes and 8-track tapes, but I do thoroughly enjoy the quality of my turn table and stacks of wax.
 
When was the last time you visited a Fry's electronics or a Best Buy? The last time I visited Fry's I saw isles upon Isles of DVD's for sale many of which are not available on iTunes or are much cheaper to purchase than on iTunes. I bought a DVD TV season for $14 and that DVD TV season is not available on iTunes, and even if it was for $14? Get real.

You mean the DVD/Blu Ray section that is a tenth of the size it used to be?

How about Blockbuster or Hollywood Video? How are the movie rental businesses doing?

Most people have moved on to streaming media. I have had one instance that I needed an optical drive, so I used my PC instead and moved on.
 
Somebody wants their cassette tapes, LPs and 8-tracks too, I see.

Why can't the MacBook Pro have a VHS player built in? It surely wouldn't take up that much space and it would greatly benefit everyone! And while we're at it, Apple should see if they can integrate a telegraph machine into the next iPhone.
 
I'd reckon that Apple dropped the internal DVD/CD drive because they're trying to "push" their user base away from disc-based media and into buying Apple-offered streaming media.
A lot of people went that way.
But there are still some (including me), that like burned optical media.

In any case...
... it's easy enough to pick up a 3rd-party USB DVD/CD drive and use that instead.
Yes, I know it's more of a bother not to have it built-in.

Having said that...
... I wouldn't buy a DVD/CD drive today.
I'd buy a BluRay/DVD/CD drive instead.

Which I did. I use a Samsung "506" BluRay/DVD/CD burner, works great, and cost only a little more than the "official" Apple SuperDrive.
 
Its an extra cost and its not the same as having one built in. Also why not put one inside on the desktop Macs?
Same reason they dropped the floppy from the desktop macs. It is only a very small minority that uses floppies or CD/DVDs and for the ones that still want it a desktop is very easy to leave an external drive connected to. Also as you said the disk drive is an extra cost, and Apple figures most people don't want to pay for one so they won't put it in, but they will provide as an external device it for the people that want it still.
 
I'd reckon that Apple dropped the internal DVD/CD drive because they're trying to "push" their user base away from disc-based media and into buying Apple-offered streaming media.
A lot of people went that way.
But there are still some (including me), that like burned optical media.

In any case...
... it's easy enough to pick up a 3rd-party USB DVD/CD drive and use that instead.
Yes, I know it's more of a bother not to have it built-in.

Having said that...
... I wouldn't buy a DVD/CD drive today.
I'd buy a BluRay/DVD/CD drive instead.

Which I did. I use a Samsung "506" BluRay/DVD/CD burner, works great, and cost only a little more than the "official" Apple SuperDrive.

And the winner is...

Apple is all about profit, and iTunes is a "Cash Cow"

Q-6
 
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When was the last time you visited a Fry's electronics or a Best Buy? The last time I visited Fry's I saw isles upon Isles of DVD's for sale many of which are not available on iTunes or are much cheaper to purchase than on iTunes. I bought a DVD TV season for $14 and that DVD TV season is not available on iTunes, and even if it was for $14? Get real.
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I take it you do not have a DVD library of movies.

Are you actually talking about DVDs? Or do you mean blu-ray? If you mean DVDs, I'm going to laugh at you.
 
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So they were designing the MacBook Air, but realized halfway through the SuperDrive wouldn't fit, so they just skipped it. That's what you're saying?

Things don't go that way. Apple was one of the first to eliminate the Floppy drive and they built the 12" MacBook with the one USB port for the same reasons. The have vision for what computers are going to be like and what consumers are going to be using. They push the industry forward which is a great thing.



Apple, January 15th, 2008. (source)

It's not a vision, the vision is outside of apple not inside. apple "expected" to sell external devices and make more money. The industry changed the direction or created the vision.
Thats why jobs stayed out of the HDD BR war.

What next? In 7 years are you going to come back and state the rMB was a vision and the elimination of USB ports was planned hence why no one buys USB devices now?
 
It's not a vision, the vision is outside of apple not inside. apple "expected" to sell external devices and make more money. The industry changed the direction or created the vision.
Thats why jobs stayed out of the HDD BR war.

What next? In 7 years are you going to come back and state the rMB was a vision and the elimination of USB ports was planned hence why no one buys USB devices now?

Wireless technology has a way to go, but if Apple can master wireless charging and standardize it across the iThingy/Mac lineup, then even that one USB-C port on the MacBook or the potential lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack on the iPhone 7 won't be so crippling if you don't even need a cable to charge your laptop.

Also, there's a few USB-C monitors on the market. Since the Thunderbolt standard works with USB-C now, it's not too much of a stretch to say that we'll see third party monitors like the Thunderbolt Display where you can connect your MacBook and have a slew of ports in the back of your external monitor to hook up traditional USB devices, gigabit Ethernet, and sound systems.

...Still, every part of me hopes that they add a second port to the second generation. Let's not forget that the first MacBook Air also had only one USB port.
 
It's not a vision, the vision is outside of apple not inside. apple "expected" to sell external devices and make more money. The industry changed the direction or created the vision.
Thats why jobs stayed out of the HDD BR war.

Have you not read the last quote in my comment?

Apple saw people buying things on iTunes, rather than physical media so they started eliminating the SuperDrive with the MacBook Air. That's no coincidence like you're suggesting, but planned based on what Apple thought the new standard was going to be.

What next? In 7 years are you going to come back and state the rMB was a vision and the elimination of USB ports was planned hence why no one buys USB devices now?

No, I don't need 7 years to see something so obvious (you might). They literally state the 12" MacBook is their vision for the future. They state the one USB port is for the wireless world (yes, that's the one without USB devices).
 
I'm personally happy they dropped the DVD drive from the MacBooks. Every single MacBook with a SuperDrive would always scratch my discs up, so in the end I bought an external Blu-ray drive and never looked back. The only reason I would want a current MacBook having a SuperDrive is to swap it for a Hard Drive. Having two hard drives is why its hard for me to let go of my MacBook. (But with the rising capacity of M2 SSDs, hopefully soon a MacBook will hold a ton of data)
 
Have you not read the last quote in my comment?

Apple saw people buying things on iTunes, rather than physical media so they started eliminating the SuperDrive with the MacBook Air. That's no coincidence like you're suggesting, but planned based on what Apple thought the new standard was going to be.



No, I don't need 7 years to see something so obvious (you might). They literally state the 12" MacBook is their vision for the future. They state the one USB port is for the wireless world (yes, that's the one without USB devices).

Groan is this for real... you cant fit a DVD in the MBA, its that simple, its nothing to do with iTunes or the tides, the shape of the moon or the colour of the rug in the white house. apple created this new "wireless world no doubt" too?

twilight zone... I'm don't want to play troll wars thanks, I'm done.

Wireless technology has a way to go, but if Apple can master wireless charging and standardize it across the iThingy/Mac lineup, then even that one USB-C port on the MacBook or the potential lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack on the iPhone 7 won't be so crippling if you don't even need a cable to charge your laptop.

Also, there's a few USB-C monitors on the market. Since the Thunderbolt standard works with USB-C now, it's not too much of a stretch to say that we'll see third party monitors like the Thunderbolt Display where you can connect your MacBook and have a slew of ports in the back of your external monitor to hook up traditional USB devices, gigabit Ethernet, and sound systems.

...Still, every part of me hopes that they add a second port to the second generation. Let's not forget that the first MacBook Air also had only one USB port.

Yeah it will get there and USB-C was the way to go and an external device is no real hardship for the few that need it.
 
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Groan is this for real... apple created the "wireless world no doubt" too?
twilight zone... I'm don't want to play troll wars thanks, I'm done.

Funny, I thought you were the one trolling me. Apple has been great at predicting future trends on multiple occasions throughout their history (1998 iMac did not have a floppy drive, would've fitted easily!) and I don't see why the SuperDrive couldn't be one of them.

Can anyone back me up here?
 
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Well I can't stop ministries that mail out CD's to their partners and I'd imagine it's easier for them to do it this way when dealing with thousands of people. So I am glad I have a CD and even so in my car for this reason. Granted I rarely use it there as mostly I use Bluetooth and USB but I am glad I have one for those niche uses.
 
Groan is this for real... you cant fit a DVD in the MBA, its that simple, its nothing to do with iTunes or the tides, the shape of the moon or the colour of the rug in the white house. apple created this new "wireless world no doubt" too?

twilight zone... I'm don't want to play troll wars thanks, I'm done.



Yeah it will get there and USB-C was the way to go and an external device is no real hardship for the few that need it.

So you do not backup your hard drive to. USB external? You do not own a camcorder and digital camera? We need a USB port.
 
Well I can't stop ministries that mail out CD's to their partners and I'd imagine it's easier for them to do it this way when dealing with thousands of people. So I am glad I have a CD and even so in my car for this reason. Granted I rarely use it there as mostly I use Bluetooth and USB but I am glad I have one for those niche uses.
You said it yourself, niche.

I haven't used a physical disk in my computer in the last 4-5 years. Not a single one of them. I removed my superdrive and switched it for a second hard drive, bought an enclosure to use the superdrive as an external, and it has sat in a cupboard ever since.
 
So you do not backup your hard drive to. USB external? You do not own a camcorder and digital camera? We need a USB port.

Then don't buy a retina MacBook, or accept that you'll need to use the dongle in order to have that USB port.

I decided to get a retina MacBook Pro last year. It's nice having the USB, HDMI and ThunderBolt ports, but my main reason was the feel of the retina MacBooks keyboard.
 
No i don't back-up via USB, i have a time machine for the OS and ALL my data is on a NAS device that's replicated to a second NAS device via a built in rsync function. I then have a smaller set of data thats also backed up to a cloud offering (encrypted).

Do i have digital cameras? Yes, a few. rMBP has a SDXC slot, so it's simple, but it also has USB ports too. So as long as the device has a plug and play option I'm good. But the reality is just about all new cameras now have wireless too. Even with the rMB i don't see the issue, (I) don't need to have external devices all the time. for the few times i need it I'm cool with plugging in either the DVD, or the usbc hub to the compute node.. it's not a big deal. Or i can can use the USB options on either the NAS devices or the Time Machine. But apple are NOT driving that as a vision. in the same way apple didn't invent music services, iTunes as a service was just a copy of what was around at the time - napster!

What next, apple invented thunderbolt?
 
in the same way apple didn't invent music services, iTunes as a service was just a copy of what was around at the time - napster!

What next, apple invented thunderbolt?

Who said anything about Apple inventing anything? lol :D

Apple just makes bold moves every now and then, changes the industry. Rumor has it they'll eliminate the headphone jack on the iPhone 7. A fairly logical follow up to the rise of Bluetooth headphones, would still be a very controversial move. Apple can pull it off though and in two years others will follow (if rumors are actually true). Same story with SuperDrive, floppy disk, 12" MacBook. No invention, just another controversial move.
 
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