New Macbook Pros

[patrick.olson86]

... are apparently coming without optical drives. Thanks Apple, you make ripping cds so much fun for an extra $80. Thanks for considering the music producers (some of your core loyalists). Thank you for driving some of them to PC based machines.

Seriously, though. WTF are they thinking? I don't think $80 for an optical drive is that big of a deal, but IT IS for many people, especially musicians! Also, consider our workspace which is already cluttered with external HDs, controllers, interfaces, etc... and now we have one more thing.

Just my rant.

[noisetonepause]

My main computer hasn't had an optical drive since early 2009. I bought a USB one because I thought you had to have it.. I can't remember when I last used it. I don't buy CDs or DVDs any more. Don't miss it at all. Certainly would feel stupid to carry it around everywhere!

If it lets them build a thinner and lighter computer, I say good.

(Also, while I think it's perfectly possible that this is correct, don't believe Apple rumours)

[synnack]

My main computer hasn't had an optical drive since early 2009. I bought a USB one because I thought you had to have it.. I can't remember when I last used it. I don't buy CDs or DVDs any more. Don't miss it at all. Certainly would feel stupid to carry it around everywhere!

If it lets them build a thinner and lighter computer, I say good.

(Also, while I think it's perfectly possible that this is correct, don't believe Apple rumours)

I agree with you. If I get a thinner lighter MBP I'm all for it. I don't think you can argue that $80 more for an external one is a big deal unless you can say they didn't discount the cost of the MBP by $80 to compensate. Value is relative. You'd have to pay extra for the external one, but you may not be paying for the internal one either. Net 0.

[Breaks Dude]

USB optical drive. Done.

Better yet, get a hard drive docking station and use that. There's a netbook in my house w/o an optical drive and I just hook one up via a docking station. I think I needed to do this only once and never again.

Not much these days requires one...Komplete did. But I think I could have accomplished it w/o a built in drive.

My studio tower has a BD-R drive - that thing is VERY useful BTW. But not everyone needs a blu-ray burner.

It's just the times we're moving to, that's all.

[lapieuvre]

This is how I felt when My new computer came with no 3 1/2" floppy drive...

[blarue09]

just curious how you go about installing all your software without an optical drive? I suppose most people probably only install their programs or VSTs once every year or so. Maybe a $40 external drive is something you'd really only need to keep in the closet until needed. I hope apple isn't selling a dvd drive for $80. You can get external blu-ray drives for that.

[lapieuvre]

Yep 79$ for their external superdrive

The profit margin must be extremely high

[Tarekith]

Just curious how people know what's coming on something that hasn't even been announced yet?

[lapieuvre]

http://www.macrumors.com/2012/05/14/app ... o-at-wwdc/

In this article: "said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven’t been made public."

this comes from a source!!!

[simpleton]

Not meaning to stir things up but... Samsung ($1400)


3rd Gen Intel® Core™ i7-3615QM processor(Ivy bridge)
8GB DDR3 memory
Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support
17.3" LED high-definition display
1TB hard drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M graphics (2GB DDR5)
2 USB 3.0 and 2 USB 2.0 ports
Bluetooth 4.0 interface
Backlit keyboard
metal case

[oslonovski]

Last time I've used my dvd drive was to install snow leopard 3 years ago.
Optical media is dead for me.
I'll take slimmer design or larger battery any day.
And shouldn't any generic usb-dvd drive do the trick?

[doghouse]

This is how I felt when My new computer came with no 3 1/2" floppy drive...

That's how I felt when my computer didn't have a 5" floppy.

And before that when it didn't have an 8" floppy.

And before that when it didn't have a punch card reader.

Etc.

Then there's the reel-to-reel, cassette and MiniDisc recorders I used to use...

[hacktheplanet]

It is 2012. Optical media sucks for portable computers and I'm glad it's being phased out.
There, I said it. Now, I will begin to lament the death for Firewire.

[von haugwitz]

I would like to have an SSD instead of an optical Drive .
I never use the optical drive particularly since you can get the osx Main Versions via Download .

[Earwax69]

They are also ditching Firewire and Ethernet in the next iteration. (Im not against it actually but it's sad for those of you who use Firewire interfaces/HDV cameras)