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Sort of disappointed

D

dpalme

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 20, 2009
25
0
that Apple continues on this path of smaller and lighter is better....

I know, I'm old fashioned but removing all media (dvd) without a suitable replacement is frustrating.

Yes, I know cd's replaced floppy's and dvd's replaced cd's. But with each iteration we got more capacity without breaking the bank and for some of us having the ability to deliver video just isn't possible with thumb drives, not to mention the inability to record to them.

its specialized I know, so my requirements become very unique but it doesn't take away from the fact I'm frustrated.
 
I used to feel the same way. I use a DVD drive almost daily, but it is usually for ripping things. I have an external that I plug in when I need it. It would be nice to have it in there all the time but I appreciate the lighter laptop too.
 
dpalme said:
that Apple continues on this path of smaller and lighter is better....

I know, I'm old fashioned but removing all media (dvd) without a suitable replacement is frustrating.

Yes, I know cd's replaced floppy's and dvd's replaced cd's. But with each iteration we got more capacity without breaking the bank and for some of us having the ability to deliver video just isn't possible with thumb drives, not to mention the inability to record to them.

its specialized I know, so my requirements become very unique but it doesn't take away from the fact I'm frustrated.
Click to expand...

I just network my Blu-Ray/DVD drive and use it when needed (very rare), but it works perfectly fine.

You can also buy a external DVD drive for like $25 (You don't need to buy Apple's $90 SuperDrive).
 
I disagree. I'm glad Apple is going smaller and lighter, as it makes the use and carrying around of my new 15" MBP a lot easier than my 2011 15" MBP. I only used the ethernet port and optical drive a couple of times in the 2.5 years I had my old MBP.

Even though I did need an optical drive to install Microsoft Office 2011 and Windows 8 on my new rMBP, I found a great feature that hasn't been mentioned is the use of Remote Disc. I use a Mac mini as my living room media server, which does have an attached Super Drive, and I was able to use it to install my software, without having to physically attach the drive to my computer.
 
dpalme said:
that Apple continues on this path of smaller and lighter is better....

I know, I'm old fashioned but removing all media (dvd) without a suitable replacement is frustrating.

Yes, I know cd's replaced floppy's and dvd's replaced cd's. But with each iteration we got more capacity without breaking the bank and for some of us having the ability to deliver video just isn't possible with thumb drives, not to mention the inability to record to them.

its specialized I know, so my requirements become very unique but it doesn't take away from the fact I'm frustrated.
Click to expand...

Suitable replacement? They gave you a bunch. USB Ports and X/SD card reader.
 
I agree with all of the above. Hardware storage formats fade. Some quicker than others but the fixed and limited. Thus they have a finite life span. There are alternatives as mentioned.

If I may, why do you really still need physical media? What media will not work easily on thumb drives?
 
On my last MBP which I had for almost 5 years I used the optical drive maybe three times. And all of those times I could have used a USB stick instead.

So for me I'm glad they removed it. If I had one complaint at all it would be only having one USB port on each side of the 15" Retina MBP. I'd have liked to have two on the left side and one on the right.
 
dpalme said:
that Apple continues on this path of smaller and lighter is better....

I know, I'm old fashioned but removing all media (dvd) without a suitable replacement is frustrating.

Yes, I know cd's replaced floppy's and dvd's replaced cd's. But with each iteration we got more capacity without breaking the bank and for some of us having the ability to deliver video just isn't possible with thumb drives, not to mention the inability to record to them.

its specialized I know, so my requirements become very unique but it doesn't take away from the fact I'm frustrated.
Click to expand...

There is a reason why an optical drive was removed: it is no longer needed given the proliferation of cloud storage and services.

Besides, there are multiple USB 3.0 ports as well as SDXC to carry all extra stuff.

In our university, we hand students flash drives (thumb drives) in lieu of CD/DVD to install software. Or they can download straight through university's internal site.
 
This is not a case of Apple removing something just so their devices can get thinner/lighter. Yes the MBP did get thinner/lighter and removing the DVD drive made that a possibility, but most people do not need a built-in DVD drive anymore. Everything is digital these days. Why should 90% of people have to suffer?
 
DVD drive took up a lot of internal space for something that isn't used very often. It also tended to be the first thing to break on my laptops over the years. I'd much rather have it external and have that space used for a bigger battery or cooling, etc.
 
I don't mind they got rid of the DVD drive as I removed mine over a year ago and now have 2TB of storage in my 2011 MBP, and use a superdrive if I ever need DVDs.

That said, everything else Apple is removing is what I use. I use my FireWire 800 and Ethernet ports everyday, and very rarely use my Thunderbolt port.

I know there are adapters but I can understand the frustration. But smaller and lighter is definitely better. My MBP is a brick compared to current models.
 
I think Thunderbolt is the next step. The high bandwidth allows for all kinds of things to be on it, which consolidates all peripherals into one bus.

When Thunderbolt docks become more commonplace, you plug everything else on the dock, and will only have ONE cable to fiddle with when moving your laptop around. I think this is perfect.

And eventually, they might be able to make high capacity connection work wirelessly. Maybe not WiFi, but something very short range. Imagine all your peripherals connected automatically as long as your laptop is on the desk.

Combine this with wireless charging, and you have a truly cordless workspace.
 
SVT Amateur said:
Even though I did need an optical drive to install Microsoft Office 2011 and Windows 8 on my new rMBP, I found a great feature that hasn't been mentioned is the use of Remote Disc. I use a Mac mini as my living room media server, which does have an attached Super Drive, and I was able to use it to install my software, without having to physically attach the drive to my computer.
Click to expand...

You can actually find downloads for those.
 
dpalme said:
its specialized I know, so my requirements become very unique but it doesn't take away from the fact I'm frustrated.
Click to expand...

You already admit that your are in the extreme minority who requires a DVD drive, so why would Apple cater for the minority?

A USB superdrive is your friend if you can't convert to digital media.
 
I have a lot of clients who prefer DVD's over thumb drives so I still use that platform a lot. But I use an external that now fits into my laptop bag even easier because my new 13" MBP is even thinner, so it works out great.

I think the majority of people on this site who live their daily lives around tech like it is the only thing that matters claim no one uses DVD drives. Most people I know who use computers use DVD's, they are not on this site and have never heard of it.
 
I wish my rMBP had a floppy drive and a parallel port. :( Now how am I supposed to hook up my Zip drive??
 
cirus said:
Cause people use projectors?
Click to expand...

with VGA cables?

shudder.jpg
 
What is going on?

Why are people so bashing of "legacy components" like the optical drive as one, because last I checked, CDs/DVDs etc, are NOT going anywhere anytime soon, they are here to stay, uh, for a LONG time to come, so - yah…

Why are people bashing about other generations of MacBook Pros too, what is up with that?! They are from the same class and family of AWESOME, hello? It isn't like comparing a Mac to a PC or any other crap-o-la out there, it is a Mac to a Mac, no matter if it was a 2006 or a late 2011, your machine is still incredible and still the THINGEST and LIGHTEST in it's class. So there!

Just because some of you like to follow the "latest & greatest" trend or I call it gimmick, leave those of us alone who actually use our systems for more than just status symbol and to brag. SHEESH already - shame on you for hating on those of us who actually work on our MacBook Pros between the release years of 2006 - late 2011 for instance.

Get off your high-and-mighty trend-set ways for a moment and be real.

Thank you.

^_^
 
vpro said:
Why are people so bashing of "legacy components" like the optical drive as one, because last I checked, CDs/DVDs etc, are NOT going anywhere anytime soon, they are here to stay, uh, for a LONG time to come, so - yah…

Why are people bashing about other generations of MacBook Pros too, what is up with that?! They are from the same class and family of AWESOME, hello? It isn't like comparing a Mac to a PC or any other crap-o-la out there, it is a Mac to a Mac, no matter if it was a 2006 or a late 2011, your machine is still incredible and still the THINGEST and LIGHTEST in it's class. So there!

Just because some of you like to follow the "latest & greatest" trend or I call it gimmick, leave those of us alone who actually use our systems for more than just status symbol and to brag. SHEESH already - shame on you for hating on those of us who actually work on our MacBook Pros between the release years of 2006 - late 2011 for instance.

Get off your high-and-mighty trend-set ways for a moment and be real.

Thank you.

^_^
Click to expand...

So many non sequiturs here... oh well. :)
 
vpro said:
Why are people so bashing of "legacy components" like the optical drive as one, because last I checked, CDs/DVDs etc, are NOT going anywhere anytime soon, they are here to stay, uh, for a LONG time to come, so - yah…

Why are people bashing about other generations of MacBook Pros too, what is up with that?! They are from the same class and family of AWESOME, hello? It isn't like comparing a Mac to a PC or any other crap-o-la out there, it is a Mac to a Mac, no matter if it was a 2006 or a late 2011, your machine is still incredible and still the THINGEST and LIGHTEST in it's class. So there!

Just because some of you like to follow the "latest & greatest" trend or I call it gimmick, leave those of us alone who actually use our systems for more than just status symbol and to brag. SHEESH already - shame on you for hating on those of us who actually work on our MacBook Pros between the release years of 2006 - late 2011 for instance.

Get off your high-and-mighty trend-set ways for a moment and be real.

Thank you.

^_^
Click to expand...

I don't know who's post is worse, the OP or this one. Why does everyone who has no need for a optical drive equal "status symbol braggers"? You're just as insulting as anyone else on this thread.

You're also very foolish to think that optical will be of use for that much longer. Sure, it will be a means to deliver some content, but it won't be the go to way that it has been ever again.

It isn't about apple being innovative. They are not trying to *just* make things smaller. They are adapting to logical tech. They also offer you optional items if you truly need them. I don't see what the problem is at all.
 
I share the sentiment, but not with optical drives. It's with this non-upgradeable trend they have going on.

Rather than making soldered RAM and proprietary flash storage, they could use their massive power of influence to create new form factor standards for hard drives and RAM (was RAM ever too fat?). They have enough resources to do this. Look at how hard they're pushing Thunderbolt, despite market acceptance.
 
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