
Ask HN: First laptop you had without optical drive? - Philomath
I was surprised to search on google and not being able to easily find the first laptop ever to not have an optical drive built in after CD&#x27;S were invented and all computers used them. I&#x27;m curious to see who can name the oldest model here in HN to omit it.
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jepler
IBM full-size Thinkpads could be configured with a second battery or a second
2.5" hard drive in the spot we think of as where the optical drive goes --
user-interchangeable, even.

There have been superportables all along without built-in optical drives, such
as the ThinkPad 560 (1996).

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__d
Toshiba Libretto from 1997.

It had a PCMCIA floppy drive, and I _think_ 1 had similar CD-ROM drive.

I ran Linux on it for a few years, prior to getting a 12" PowerBook.

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tonylemesmer
Sony 505 back in 2000. It was shipped with a PCMCIA external drive but nothing
built in. I still have the laptop on my shelf.

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Philomath
wow! Nice laptop. How expensive was this back then?

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tonylemesmer
I was still a student, but I'd just got my first job. Managed to part with
£1,200!! Most expensive PC I've ever bought even to this day.

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twobyfour
Retina Macbook Pro, 2013. Still kept around an older MBP for a couple years
for the rare occasions that I needed to read a CD or DVD, but I used that
rarely, and the increased portability of the newer one was life-changing.

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jetti
Mine that was for me, 2017 iMac. For my wife, 2017 Macbook Pro. I had a
previous 2012 Macbook Pro but that was the last generation with a CD/DVD
drive.

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SamReidHughes
An EeePC 901. I regret not keeping it.

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anotheryou
They don't last forever. Mine has unbearable coil-whine while charging.

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josephcs
MacBook Air 2013. While it doesn't count, prior to 2013 MBA, I had a 2012 Mac
mini that did have a optical drive.

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Philomath
Mine was very recent... A 2016 macbook pro. I hope I can find someone who had
something from like 2005 or something like that.

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jotjotzzz
Macbook Air for sure. And I still use it and sad that they will discontinue
it. It's a great laptop.

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hacalox
Hp 13 chromebook white. 2015

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Crontab
Macbook Air for me.

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miguelrochefort
Asus Eee PC 1005PE

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amerkhalid
2017 MBP 13 inch

