Since bluray is the physical media format that the movie industry decided upon and streaming can't yet deliver uncompressed high def content on demand, if you want the highest quality video possible Bluray's the way to go.
You see, screen size is only one factor in the difference 1080p makes. Another is distance from the screen, thanks to the mosaic effect. In other words y'know how the concept behind the Retina Display, at least according to Steve, that the human eye can't distinguish the individual pixels at resolutions of 300 dpi from greater than 3" away? That means you can if you put 'em up right up against your eye. (Not that anybody would ever want to but that's kinda the point there.)
As most people sit closer to their laptops than their desktop computers, you'll see the effect it has on the video, assuming the disc is properly mastered. The same goes for desktop computers when compared to television sets. Here's an informative article on the effect.
The other factor we want to consider here is that portable dvd players typically cap out at 9" screens and at a median cost of $100. The smallest macbook air has a screen size larger than that, let alone the smallest Macbook Pro. You can't playback Blu-ray discs in DVD players at any quality either. Also consider that there must be a considerable market for them, considering that I've seen them at most Radio Shacks as of late. Also, if not for the playback of high resolution media, what's the typical consumer going to do with their Thunderbolt port on the lower end Macbook Pros or the 2560x1440 screen of the 27" iMac? One other thing; if Mac Laptops had Bluray, then fewer people would need a dedicated Bluray player for the home theater. Just plug the sucker in via HDMI and ToSlink and you're ready to go.
At any rate, no matter how you feel about Blu-ray, I think we can all agree that the DVD drive has got to go. I mean, the disparity between DVD and everything else is kinda getting silly here and all of that space is going underutilized during the current state of affairs. If Apple is going to keep optical drives, like they appear to be doing now, why not go for the very best ones on the market? I really wish this update had Bluray and USB 3.0, then the specs would be perfect for me. It's still satisfactory as is but I'd probably wait longer if my iMac still worked. I just hope there's an elegant way to incorporate Bluray if Steve-o ever decides to replace iDVD with iHurt.
I can't blame Steve too much for profiteering though, since he is the biggest shareholder in Disney, a company that exclusively backs Bluray. He'd stand to profit either way, so he must have some sort of vision in this. I dunno what that is exactly, since like I said, digital isn't quite up to par yet but still, he must...
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