Poll: Could you live without an optical drive?

Can Apple drop the optical drives?

  • Yes, drop m today!

    Votes: 249 65.4%

  • No, I will be using discs for a longgggg time to come.

    Votes: 57 15.0%

  • Apple can drop optical in a couple years, but not today.

    Votes: 75 19.7%
  • Total voters
    381
I've got 7 Macs. But I only need one optical drive among them. So I could live without the optical drive on *most* of the Macs.

My Mac mini server doesn't have an optical drive and it's been just fine. Two other Macs haven't had disk inserted since day of purchase, and that was to verify the drive worked. Another hasn't had a disk inserted since upgrading to Leopard years ago.
 
I can remember every CD that I have placed in my macbook.

1. Software disc that came with it to reinstall OSX to wipe out printer and language files (replaced by that nifty USB drive thats shipping with every MBA now).
2. Windows 7 DVD to install.
3. SC2 (which can be easily downloaded legally).
4. A blank CD to write songs for a rental car with no aux.

I would gladly pay around $40 for an external drive (Price would need to cut in half for the superdrive), but I can definitely live life without.
 
StopSign24 said:
I'd go with this, or instead of another hard drive bay, add another few battery cells. Can't go wrong with more time unplugged.
Click to expand...
A hard drive is smaller than an optical drive so I assume it's possible to have a 2nd HDD plus some extra battery in the space of the optical drive.
 
Forgeron said:
- Movies are downloaded. 1080p blu ray quality itunes downloads will happen, it's only a matter of time. And unless you have a 46+ inch TV that you sit relatively close too, you will be ok with 720p for the near future. (Also, real movie lovers will probably have a standalone Blu Ray player, therefore no need for one in your mac.)

Apple will most likely never have blu ray in any line up, has probably considered it dead on arrival.

Also, having a bookcase full of discs is very 1998. :)
Click to expand...

I agree that we no longer need an optical drive in our laptops, but I disagree with your assumptions.

Most real movie lovers/videophiles will not do a digital collection via downloads, at least not until downloads match the same quality of a disc in both video and audio.

Many today are upgrading to 40"+ HDTVs. In general, 720p should suffice from a laptop as a movie player device for the road.

Yes, most movie lovers have stand alone blu ray players, but you can't take your living room with you while traveling, so most who have a laptop want some of their favorites on the laptop, so there is still a need for an optical drive. Like I said, an external one will do, as we can simply rip at home and just take the laptop on the road. Those who only collect blu ray will still rip any DVDs they can get their hands on (friends, family, etc.), and some blu rays come with DVD copies as well (and digital copies, but much lower quality).

Having a bookcase full of DVDs is very 1998. Having a modern film case or in-wall shelves full of HD Blu Rays is very 2010.
 
Blu101 said:
I agree that we no longer need an optical drive in our laptops, but I disagree with your assumptions.

Most real movie lovers/videophiles will not do a digital collection via downloads, at least not until downloads match the same quality of a disc in both video and audio.

Many today are upgrading to 40"+ HDTVs. In general, 720p should suffice from a laptop as a movie player device for the road.

Yes, most movie lovers have stand alone blu ray players, but you can't take your living room with you while traveling, so most who have a laptop want some of their favorites on the laptop, so there is still a need for an optical drive. Like I said, an external one will do, as we can simply rip at home and just take the laptop on the road. Those who only collect blu ray will still rip any DVDs they can get their hands on (friends, family, etc.), and some blu rays come with DVD copies as well (and digital copies, but much lower quality).

Having a bookcase full of DVDs is very 1998. Having a modern film case or in-wall shelves full of HD Blu Rays is very 2010.
Click to expand...
720p-1080p-viewing-distance-tv-size-chart.jpg

Really though, we are talking massive TVs before it becomes a "problem" for most people that it is not 1080p. Even in the "noticeable" category, we are not talking about the 95% of people that don't care.

And if you are traveling, why not download your movie instead? No need to drag discs around.

And a bookcase full of Blu Rays? That might be nice in your dorm room, in between the Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs posters. But by the time you need to start shaving, it really looks rather lame. :) Most (post college) people with blu rays, have them in a closet with a door. Not on display.
 
I'm all for getting rid of the optical drive, but what would then differentiate the MBA/MBPs? In a few years I reckon SSDs will be standard, at least in every Mac. They will always be getting thinner. So in the end the only advantage a MBP has is more ports and a faster CPU. I personally think in a few years the MBAs will be powerful enough to become a replacement for the Pro. Maybe to push the Pro, Apple should jam pack it with features? Optical drive, 10 hour batt life, 4 USB 3.0 ports, 17' model?

I'm talking 2012-13 here, though I reckon without the optical drive in the MBP, 13" MBA > 13" MBP.

Just my $0.02.
 
i fully agree.

especially the fact about you can use the optical drive as an external feature.

so really it works out for everyone.
 
I could live without an optical drive 99% of the time. Just once in a great while I need to use one; usually when a client gives me a disc with pictures on it for uploading to their website. I could use an external USB optical drive for that if Apple were to get rid of it. If it weren't for that, I could live without it.
 
I travel a lot and am in the Navy, I wouldn't want to give up the ability to borrow a movie from a friend and just throw it in and watch it on my laptop. never mind the simplicity of buying a cd from a band I see live and toss it in and watch iTunes add it to my library for convenient enjoyment.

To me the purpose of a laptop is that is it mobile, and has everything it needs to work on its own, I dont want to carry an external extra item unless that space is being used to offer a new feature that far outweighs the drive. Why get less capabilities for the same money?

I would almost pitch that it would be nice to upgrade the drive to blu-ray so I could bring my blu-ray collection to sea as well.
 
Need optical -- but not integrated!

I'll be burning DVDs and BDs for quite a while, but I don't want to drag my burner around with me.
 
I wouldn't mind dropping my optical drive in my Macbook. But, I don't feel like having a external drive attached when I want to check a DVD in my bed.

What I would like ... An optical drive that works wirelessly .... either alone or by connecting it to my router. That would be nice.
 
How about this, I could "live" without it but I wouldn't be happy. I like having my DVD drive *shrug*. It may not be something I"m always relying on but it is handy to have.

And they better supply me my backup CD on a thumb drive if they get rid of it (so I have some way of messing with the computer if the hard drive crashes).
 
As of now nope I couldn't live without my optical drive.

I like having all the hard copies of my movies/ Tv shows via DVD or Blu-Ray. As of right now I haven't seen any itunes download have all the extra's that DVD's or Blu-Rays have on them either and I love things like that.

Also I don't have the space to stick my collection in a closet or whatever someone suggested(because of age (28)). Having them out is just easier access for my nieces to get whatever movie they want to watch also.

Also when my nieces are over I get kicked out my room sometimes, so if I can't have my TV, I have my laptop to fall back on.
 
Are we talking about DVD players or laptops?

I have a few BD players and will continue to buy plastic for many years to come. I can't remember the last time I watched a movie on my laptop. I remember how cool it was back in the day to be the only one on a plane to watch DVDs on my TiBook though.
 
I don't think I would buy a MBP without an optical drive. That is why I didn't even consider a Macbook Air when I bought my MBP this summer.

One of my main uses for my laptop is watching movies at work (not a slacker, my job just has a lot of downtime ;)). While it is possible to rip the movie and transfer it to a laptop without an optical drive, it is much more of a pain than simply popping a DVD in the drive. Sure I could get it through iTunes or other ways, but why should I have to pay to repurchase a movie I already own?

In addition I have a lot of files stored on DVDs that I access only occasionally and while I COULD just copy them to my hard drive, I don't want to.

Finally, DVDs are still incredibly useful for backup purposes. This is not as big of a deal as it was before I bought my new portable drive for Time Machine a few weeks ago (plus now that flash drives are so cheap), but I still want the option available.

Of course, I'm sure people felt the same way about manufacturers removing floppy drives from computers, but I think DVDs are so much more useful that they really can't be compared to eliminating floppies.

Edit - ohh I forgot about games that require the DVD in the drive for authentication checks.
 
I VERY rarely use an optical drive. I watch movies on my TV & bluray player or via Netflix streaming; I don't watch them on my computer. The one time in the last nine months where I needed an optical drive would have easily been solved with a remote drive on a different computer or with an external drive. There is simply no benefit to me in hauling around an optical drive whether internal or external.
 
I would be very happy if the next gen of MBPs comes without an OD. It would allow great things like dedicated graphics on the 13" or making the MBPs smaller and lighter.
I think the people who still use it should stop acting up and simply buy an external. They are cheap, small and light. I guess you would barely notice the external during transport.
 
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