Anyone else notice that the Zip drive BTO option is now gone from the new Powermacs? Granted, you could get a special bracket and install one yourself, but that's a hassle. What do you guys think about the lack of this option? Copying to a Zip disk is much easier than CD burning, IMHO.
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The Zip drive option is gone!
- Thread starter bigsteve3
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There are much better options available now - how about the USB dongle that carries 256 Megs? It will work on any machine and you don't have a special piece of hardware to read the media. You could even put it on your keychain.....
Iomega stock is up close to the 52 week high, I wonder if this might have change things.....
D
Iomega stock is up close to the 52 week high, I wonder if this might have change things.....
D
Re: The Zip drive option is gone!
When there was no option to have 2 optical drives, everyone complained. "No one uses ZIP disks anymore, I can just email, save to a server (iDisk), or burn a CD." Now here it is, and the complaints are:..... Anyone????
Ah yes: NO ZIP drive!
It's just a fact, there is no pleasing everyone!
When there was no option to have 2 optical drives, everyone complained. "No one uses ZIP disks anymore, I can just email, save to a server (iDisk), or burn a CD." Now here it is, and the complaints are:..... Anyone????
Ah yes: NO ZIP drive!
It's just a fact, there is no pleasing everyone!
Re: Re: The Zip drive option is gone!
I can have two optical drives and a ZIP or two in my PC if I want. However, that doesn't mean I won't be buying a new PowerMac to replace it.
Come on, these are valid complaints. Apple could have fit 3 external drive bays into the case. Especially since a ZIP will fit in a 3-1/2" bay.
I can have two optical drives and a ZIP or two in my PC if I want. However, that doesn't mean I won't be buying a new PowerMac to replace it.
Re: Re: Re: The Zip drive option is gone!
Valid complaint my ass.
Let's think about this: a USB Zip drive costs less and isn't really any slower (Yes I have used both side by side, and no the FW isn't any faster) plus I just can't see the sense in having a drive bay that only fits a floppy or a Zip drive. That's just silly.
Valid complaint my ass.
Let's think about this: a USB Zip drive costs less and isn't really any slower (Yes I have used both side by side, and no the FW isn't any faster) plus I just can't see the sense in having a drive bay that only fits a floppy or a Zip drive. That's just silly.The 250 MB zip drive was the death of the ZIP. It was terrible at handling 100 MB cartriges, and usually crashed most PC's. It was a complete failure.
Remeber the click of death?
I say good riddance.
Remeber the click of death?
I say good riddance.
yes.. unfortunately i remember that very well..
the librarians at our school still use them to back up their database (unfortunately). they have bought 3 zip drives the past few years cause of them breaking (click of death..)...
nowadays i find it amazing that cds are actually cheaper than diskettes let alon zip disks.
hey.. remember the superdisks! man.. they were awful, too...
I've got an external 250 Zip drive and the only thing I still use it for is to transfer files between mine and my brother's computer.
And that's only because our Airport network is down.
And that's only because our Airport network is down.
Shoot, I wish they had done this a year ago when I bought my Quicksilver...the Zip drive was the biggest waste of 100 bucks. If I have to transfer files I'll use the network, e-mail, or a cd (and maybe my iPod, now that I have one ). I have seen very few people who use Zips more than once a week.
). I have seen very few people who use Zips more than once a week.
I'm not saying that I would buy a Zip drive with a new PowerMac or put a Mac inside a PC case (which is possible with enough cooling, btw). I'm just saying that people who want Zip drives should be able to have them in their tower, not sitting on their desk taking up room. I don't care, personally. I have a USB Zip myself.
They can. A Zip drive was often sold with the 3.5" to 5.25" converter for use in full size bays.
I would wager that anyone with two optical drives is likely to burn a CD rather than use a Zip, so the point about having both is kind of moot. Are there any machines to which you'd be moving files which have a Zip, but not a CDROM?
Zips are gone, Floppies will keep going, and going, and going.
The problem with Zip disc is that it is a media between graphic designers mostly but if you are going to send information to a client (example: some bussines card or some graphic):
1. That would be in a JPG or Giff format so you can throw it in a Floppy.
2. Your client is not a graphic designer most of the time, so, they may use Floppy drives.
3. Your client may have a PC and all of them comes with floppy.
4. Floppies are the most common and economic media to transfer data inside in an average office.
I have a USB floppy drive and I use it more than the zip drive.
On the other hand zip disc are easy to loose, I do not know where they end up but for sure are not in my hands
The problem with Zip disc is that it is a media between graphic designers mostly but if you are going to send information to a client (example: some bussines card or some graphic):
1. That would be in a JPG or Giff format so you can throw it in a Floppy.
2. Your client is not a graphic designer most of the time, so, they may use Floppy drives.
3. Your client may have a PC and all of them comes with floppy.
4. Floppies are the most common and economic media to transfer data inside in an average office.
I have a USB floppy drive and I use it more than the zip drive.
On the other hand zip disc are easy to loose, I do not know where they end up but for sure are not in my hands
On the other hand 2 optical drives (2 super drives) would be good to copy a lot of stuff, I can give them a very good use. I have to burn DVDs for clients very oftem. If I had dual 2X DVD burners I would like it. Of cours, no one will never is going to complain about speed these days.
From my point of view, Zip Disks are getting closer to floppy disks. It's only good for small files. Great for some graphics pros. It's a great way for me to transfer mp3's or small movies from PC to Mac.
Not quite there Stimpy... Floppies are going the way of dino... The ONLY time I use a floppy these days is when I am FORCED to (some bios updates require floppies, as does Ghost). Otherwise, I just put the files onto a cd and use that.
As for the zip drive... Every zip drive box that I have seen (to go into a computer) came as a kit to use a 5-1/4" bay... IF you really MUST have a zip drive, then just pick up one of the zip250 internal kits and toss it into the computer... It's not that difficult to do... Even for the technology inept...
Originally posted by AlphaTech
IF you really MUST have a zip drive, then just pick up one of the zip250 internal kits and toss it into the computer... It's not that difficult to do... Even for the technology inept...
Yeah, except it'll look like sh*t.
I'm in the minority then, I guess. I use my Zip drive all the time. Mostly because my computer was released before Apple sold CD-RWs! I bought an external QPS eventually, but had to use it at work. I use zips frequently to back up web sites. It's quick and dirty. If Apple would have at least given us the OPTION, that would have been nice.
Originally posted by Hemingray
Yeah, except it'll look like sh*t.
I'm in the minority then, I guess. I use my Zip drive all the time. Mostly because my computer was released before Apple sold CD-RWs! I bought an external QPS eventually, but had to use it at work. I use zips frequently to back up web sites. It's quick and dirty. If Apple would have at least given us the OPTION, that would have been nice.
Most likely there were so few ordering it, it was an expensive option to keep.
I've had to use Zips for school but people were stealing the drives so I just took my FireWire HD with me and it worked much better for graphics work anyway...no swapping.
Originally posted by Hemingray
Yeah, except it'll look like sh*t.
I'm in the minority then, I guess. I use my Zip drive all the time. Mostly because my computer was released before Apple sold CD-RWs! I bought an external QPS eventually, but had to use it at work. I use zips frequently to back up web sites. It's quick and dirty. If Apple would have at least given us the OPTION, that would have been nice.
Then get creative and paint the face plate/bezel to match what is around it... Or you could make a template and get a machine shop to make you a new face plate for the drive. Just remember to have them make the eject button hole for you...
Hell, you could probably market the things on the web and sell them to the few people that will still want a zip drive inside their tower...
Yeah, I'm not that broken up about no Zip option. I could live without it.
Here's something I actually might consider doing (assuming they're still using the same case design by the time I decide to buy a new PowerMac
): Use the second bay for custom front-mounted FireWire/USB ports.AlphaTech, since you seem to know quite a bit about the inner workings, is there a type of ribbon that can act as an extension from a PCI slot to the actual PCI card? So in this case, the PCI card itself would be mounted to the front of the computer, but the ribbon would act as a sort of "extension cord" to connect it to the PCI slot. Does such a thing exist?
Not that I have EVER heard of, or seen in any of the magazines that I get (or sites I visit). They DO have a product that snakes cables to the ports on the back of your system (USB and FireWire) allowing you to put those ports inside a 5-1/4" bay. You would want to run the cables through a modified PCI slot cover (to make it look better then just through the opening).
I believe that you could find better uses for the spare 5-1/4" bay though, like another hard drive (putting it to a total of five).