Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

What's your opinion about the no-OD rumors?

slapple said:
And since the next MBP will be a redesign, that's their opportunity to ditch the optical drive. If they don't ditch it with next year's redesign, they'll have to wait until the next redesign after that in 4-5 years. They're not going to keep it around for that long when they want everyone to move to the iCloud.

Plus I think if they continue to offer the SuperDrive, it needs to be updated to modern times, i.e. it needs to support Blu-Ray. I don't think Apple cares about Blu-Ray though, so they'll probably just ditch the optical drive.
Click to expand...

Remember the redesign is just a rumor, nobody really knows just yet at all as to what will actually happen.

Though I do agree, if Apple does want to keep the ODD, might as well just add Blu-Ray...as there is software that FINALLY allows you watch Blu-Rays under OS X.
 
the comp i had before this was a gateway netbook with no disk. i had to buy an external for school because a lot of classes still have stuff on disk and it was annoying to have the external out all the time, but in the same time carrying all those disks and trying not to damage them was also annoying. i have the pro now and use it for work and school, still need the disks (not as much anymore). but i have to agree that disks on computers will be a thing in the past. movies will start to be on thumb drives (thunderbolt thumb drives) or some new technology just like everything else. so when the new mbp comes out and it has no od as long as it still has everything i want, still has the same shape, i will buy it and give my wife this one.
 
thundersteele said:
By that same argument, you could remove internal storage and actually also the screen, keyboard and trackpad.
Click to expand...

They already do, removing the keyboard and trackpad. It's called an iPad. If they can remove anything to make it smaller, they will.

The OD is going the way of 1.44" floppy, with flash storage abundant and cheap enough to replace it, plus the emergence of (i)Cloud computing.

Apple is a forward thinking company. That's why they are where they are today.
 
I haven't used a CD or DVD for the last few years.

That said, I still keep a huge desktop PC around for all purposes, mainly the 10 GB hard disks in there and the two 30" monitors that I like to use side by side.

An MBP without the OD would be a welcome change, I too have the OD from my optibayed MBP in storage ready to use as a usb external drive.

All in all, I would prefer a new laptop with two HDs, usb 3 for compatability, and silent cool run, over the current model.
 
Id be happy to lose the OD for more storage or better battery life, to be honest, I cant even remember the last time I used the OD.
 
GoSUV said:
They already do, removing the keyboard and trackpad. It's called an iPad. If they can remove anything to make it smaller, they will.

The OD is going the way of 1.44" floppy, with flash storage abundant and cheap enough to replace it, plus the emergence of (i)Cloud computing.

Apple is a forward thinking company. That's why they are where they are today.
Click to expand...
I don't know what kind of imaginary world you live in if you think that flash is cheap enough to replace a DVD for distribution purposes. Most commercial DVD's are 9GB and come on a shiny silver disk that cost practically nothing to produce. Are you saying that the movie companies can put the same movie onto a 9GB flash device for the same price? Dream on! And Blu-Ray at 25 or 50GB would be even worse (have you seen the prices of 32GB and 64GB flash drives lately?).
 
danny_w said:
I don't know what kind of imaginary world you live in if you think that flash is cheap enough to replace a DVD for distribution purposes. Most commercial DVD's are 9GB and come on a shiny silver disk that cost practically nothing to produce. Are you saying that the movie companies can put the same movie onto a 9GB flash device for the same price? Dream on! And Blu-Ray at 25 or 50GB would be even worse (have you seen the prices of 32GB and 64GB flash drives lately?).
Click to expand...

I think they could easily put them on a flash drive for the same price. A DVD for them has to be well under 10 cents and movies generally make up costs when they are in theaters not from the sale of DVDs. Now would their profits be as high? No. But for most in the music, movie and in general business..it's all about making a lot of money...What do you think SOPA is about?
 
wordoflife said:
No, not really. You actually need those things to have a functional computer.
Click to expand...

Uhm right, that's why all desktop computers have a built in keyboard... or, as was pointed out by someone else, apple already sells "laptops" without keyboard and trackpad... the iPad.

The existence of external ODs alone is not reason enough to remove the internal OD. Lack of use is a much better reason.
 
thundersteele said:
Uhm right, that's why all desktop computers have a built in keyboard... or, as was pointed out by someone else, apple already sells "laptops" without keyboard and trackpad... the iPad.
Click to expand...
I'm not going to keep arguing with you about this, but we're not talking about desktop computers. You can use your laptop without a disc drive. You can't use it without a keyboard, mouse, or screen (since you mentioned it).

The existence of external ODs alone is not reason enough to remove the internal OD. Lack of use is a much better reason.
Click to expand...
I never said this, just so you know.
 
wordoflife said:
I'm not going to keep arguing with you about this, but we're not talking about desktop computers. You can use your laptop without a disc drive. You can't use it without a keyboard, mouse, or screen (since you mentioned it).
Click to expand...
uhm... ok. I guess a laptop should come with a built in screen and input devices. Don't worry, I'm not insisting on that comment I made earlier. At least right now, offering a laptop without keyboard or screen or HD doesn't make sense. Without screen probably never will make sense.

For a crazy moment sometime ago, I thought about buying a mac mini a set of screen + keyboard + mouse for each home and office. Stupid idea of course, but not unthinkable.

I never said this, just so you know.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I know.
 
thundersteele said:
uhm... ok. I guess a laptop should come with a built in screen and input devices. Don't worry, I'm not insisting on that comment I made earlier. At least right now, offering a laptop without keyboard or screen or HD doesn't make sense. Without screen probably never will make sense.

For a crazy moment sometime ago, I thought about buying a mac mini a set of screen + keyboard + mouse for each home and office. Stupid idea of course, but not unthinkable.


Yeah, I know.
Click to expand...


Sorry if my previous comment sounded rude.

lol I almost wanted a Mac Mini too because the initial price looked cheap, but then it got bloody expensive when you added the keyboard mouse and screen. Might as well get an iMac for that price. I think what they did with the Mac Mini was smart. They removed the OD from the Mini and reduced $100 from the price. So people who don't need it saved $100 and those who do can just buy an external OD for $79 (Apple) .. probably cheaper elsewhere.
 
BasilFawlty said:
Don't know if they're true or not, but I just bought a MBP (well, it's on layaway) and if it had been sans OD I would NOT, repeat NOT have bought it! DVDs and CDs are going to be around for awhile and doing away with the OD just kills so much of the functionality of the MBP. It would be right up there with Coke changing their formula or NetFlix splitting out streaming from DVD services in terms of historically bad business decisions. IMHO. :(
Click to expand...

You might the the only person that still uses CDs and DVDs that much. For most users, an optical drive takes up a ridiculous amount of space that could be used for much more practical things.
 
I don't want optical drive from 15 inch or 17 inch, why? Many professional use OD to install or use for videos. I want 13 inch macbook pro to loose od, and perform like macbook pros quad edition.
 
slapple said:
And since the next MBP will be a redesign
Click to expand...

Heh, saw an old thread somewhere here on MacRumors maybe from the... beginning of 2010? Sometime around there. Some guy was positively saying that the next MBP would definitely be a redesign...

Here we are two years later, with three (or four?) new MBP's since then, all of which were supposed to be redesigns...

Remember, this whole redesign rumor is based of an Intel advertisement with a random black computer in it.
 
danny_w said:
I don't know what kind of imaginary world you live in if you think that flash is cheap enough to replace a DVD for distribution purposes. Most commercial DVD's are 9GB and come on a shiny silver disk that cost practically nothing to produce. Are you saying that the movie companies can put the same movie onto a 9GB flash device for the same price? Dream on! And Blu-Ray at 25 or 50GB would be even worse (have you seen the prices of 32GB and 64GB flash drives lately?).
Click to expand...

Well, maybe you still buy/rent DVD/BD movies, but software distribution for one, is moving to an online App store model. There is not even the need to put it on a physical media. For people-to-people, ad hoc file transfer, flash drive almost completely replaces DVD media. A 50GB BD might be more capacious and less expensive than USB sticks, but the best part of the USB stick is that it is reusable. I know you can re-write some optical media, but it is cumbersome, slow, and prone to damage/scratches.

Well, even for movies, Apple and others are moving to online store models.
 
Baloney1011 said:
Heh, saw an old thread somewhere here on MacRumors maybe from the... beginning of 2010? Sometime around there. Some guy was positively saying that the next MBP would definitely be a redesign...

Here we are two years later, with three (or four?) new MBP's since then, all of which were supposed to be redesigns...

Remember, this whole redesign rumor is based of an Intel advertisement with a random black computer in it.
Click to expand...

Good point. Apple could easily wait another year...
 
iisforiphone said:
lets say your a photographer for example, how would you give you client a few hundred MB sample of some photos your took for them?
Click to expand...
I am a photographer, and I'd do it exactly the same way I do now: give them a USB key. Greater capacity than a DVD, smaller, more reliable.

I removed my optical drive and it now sits in a cupboard in an external case in case I ever need it. I can't imagine why I would.
 
I wonder what would sell more.. A MBP with a OD or with a battery that lasts 4 hours longer?
 
I hope its not true! Apple does not cater to the US alone. For example where I live, we have data caps on broadband connections too! (yeah, i know!) So downloading softwares, movies and whatnot is not always an option. I reckon it would be another couple of years at least,until the internet gets faster and more widespread that we can see the exclusion of ODs.
 
anirudh said:
I hope its not true! Apple does not cater to the US alone. For example where I live, we have data caps on broadband connections too! (yeah, i know!) So downloading softwares, movies and whatnot is not always an option. I reckon it would be another couple of years at least,until the internet gets faster and more widespread that we can see the exclusion of ODs.
Click to expand...
Agreed. Here in NZ too, data caps are prevalent on most, if not all internet plans. It's often easier, quicker and sometimes cheaper to just buy software on a CD, movies on DVD etc than to download.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back