
Apple's officially over the optical drive, for better or worse - shawndumas
http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/27/editorial-apples-officially-over-the-optical-drive-for-better/
======
jamesteow
"Over the past few years, Apple's been slyly but deliberately severing ties
with a piece of hardware that most rational humans still view as essential on
a full-scale computer."

I can count the number of times on one hand I've needed an optical drive in
the last year.

In the last five years? Probably twenty times or so. I backup on the internet
and use external hard drives. I stream content or view it off of an external.
If I need to transfer files to someone, I do so using the plethora of online
services, wireless networking, or using a thumbdrive.

I'm so very GLAD that Apple has the balls to do this.

"I've gotta say, though -- it's a wee bit difficult to shove 50GB worth of
Blu-ray goodness into a North Carolina sky, and I'm saying that while residing
just a few hours to the right."

I bought a PS3 years ago for Blu-ray, but I never ended up buying one for
movies because the convenience of streaming and mail-in-DVDs made it easier to
save space around the apartment.

~~~
garyrichardson
Yeah, I found this article whiney. The last time I had to use a DVD was
upgrading to Snow Leopard. When I went to do the upgrade I had to take my 1
year old laptop in to get fixed because the DVD drive wasn't working on it --
it in fact probably never worked.

I remember when BluRay 'beat' HD-DVD. By the time HD-DVD was dropped by
Toshiba I was already thinking "who cares? no one is going to buy bluray
anyway."

I suspect within 2 years, ODD will be completely dead from a manufacturers
perspective:

* Games will be acquired through app stores (all the major consoles already have these)

* Movies will come from NetFlix type streaming options (Walmart just entered the game, no?)

* Software will be from app stores as well, or USB sticks

That's not to say you won't be able to buy DVD's, it's just that devices won't
have the drives.

Biggest losers? Best Buy's and similar stores. What are they going to do with
all that shelf space? (I guess I've already proved myself wrong, since they
still have racks of audio CD's sell to the odd 'old' person).

~~~
dkokelley
I think you address an interesting market that will still need disks. The
home-theater geek. It's not yet practical to stream the amounts of data
necessary to play a full 1080p movie for 2+ hours without any noticeable
degradation or stuttering. For now, if you want the best, you need a Blu-Ray
drive.

~~~
9999
So the Blu-Ray market will pretty much be just slightly larger than the
Laserdisc market was. I say it will be slightly larger because in the case of
LDs, only highly affluent home theater geeks could afford to buy the players
and the discs, whereas BD is priced much more competitively.

EDIT: We can also include everyone that doesn't have access to high speed
broadband as candidates for BD, so the potential market isn't quite as grim as
I originally surmised. Given the woeful state of broadband expansion in the
U.S., there's probably a pretty good market for optical discs for the next 15
years at least.

~~~
ZoFreX
One point frequently missed by people mocking blu-ray is that a lot of people
are using it now pretty much by accident. I have a PS3 for playing games, and
at a later date I got a LoveFilm subscription (it's like Netflix but British
and rubbish). Now, if I want to watch a movie, it doesn't cost me a penny
extra to watch the blu-ray. Do I want high def /for free/? Hell yes, I do! So
I think Blu Ray will be sticking around.

However, on the "will the PC crowd miss it?" front - do I need a Bluray
player? Yup! Do I need a Bluray player in my netbook, laptop, or desktop
computer? Nope!

~~~
garyrichardson
I would say the majority of people don't really care about the difference
between BR and regular def DVD's. Hell, I know/understand the difference and I
still don't care.

Audio CD's offered many advantages over tapes and records: audio quality, form
factor, reliability. DVD's were much better than VHS for the same reasons.
Other than being higher quality, BluRay doesn't really offer anything. I'm not
going to replace any of the DVD's I own with BR. In fact, I'm getting rid of
the DVD's and depending on streaming services so I don't have to store all
that crap.

Based on that, I would actually wager that DVD will be around a lot longer
than BluRay. 8 tracks were popular and are basically all gone now, but people
still use records.

------
jinushaun
People always bring up the floppy drive example, but I didn't remember the
huge outcry over the lack of a floppy drive that everyone mentions. By the
time Apple dropped support for it, I hadn't used a floppy disk in years. Sure,
PC tech pundits and journalists were up in arms, but that's their job.

As for optical drives, I have probably used it maybe half a dozen times over
the past few years if you don't count an XBox. What's so crazy about dropping
support for it in PCs? If anything, I'm glad. It'll lead to lighter and
thinner laptops.

~~~
glassx
I remember vaguely... The first iMac was released in 1997, I think?, and the
outcry was because they dropped not only the floppy but also parallel and
serial ports. Some people called it "a toy".

------
fpgeek
Even for Apple's hardware customers, Apple's opinion on whether or not to
deprecate the optical drive isn't entirely trustworthy.

Given that CSS has been comprehensively cracked, ripped DVDs are the most
widespread and reliable source of DRM-free commercial video in the world.
Apple sells DRMed video that competes with (among other things) ripped DVDs.
Beyond the financial incentive, Apple wants people to buy their DRMed video
because it strengthens their ties to Apple's ecosystem. This all means that
Apple has substantial ulterior motives for deprecating the optical drive.

Personally, I think that as technical speed bumps are worked out and available
bandwidth increases ripped video is going to follow the path blazed by ripped
music, so the optical drive still has some life left in it.

~~~
ugh
So, you need an internal drive for ripping? External drives are where it’s at
and Apple will gladly allow you to use them. (You can get one for the low, low
price of $20 if you really want to.)

~~~
fpgeek
Need, of course not. That being said, internal drives make ripping
significantly more convenient and, hence, more common (which still means
incentives for ulterior motives). Defaults matter a lot and having to opt into
an optical drive will make a significant difference in practice no matter how
cheap and easy opting in is.

Also, if Apple is really done with the optical drive, the day will come when
they won't sell the peripheral either. There will almost certainly be third-
party options, of course, but Apple would have added yet another
inconvenience. And so on.

Throughout this process, Apple can reasonably claim to be acting in the
interests of the consumer, but the ulterior motives are still there. That
means there is a credible reason to doubt Apple's claims.

~~~
ugh
What’s inconvenient about ordering an external drive from Amazon? It’s cheaper
than Apple’s drive, anyway, and you can do it right now. There won’t be third
party options – because said third party options are already here and cheap
and available everywhere.

There is no need for stupid conspiracy theories. Optical media is done. It
makes sense to longer include it by default. And if you really believe that
there will be less ripped movies around because Apple ditches the optical
drive, well then I can’t really help you. Pirating will always be easy, what
Apple does doesn’t matter.

~~~
fpgeek
I think you misunderstand me, so I'll try to clarify.

I'm not saying that ordering a third-party drive from Amazon is some
insurmountable obstacle, I'm saying it is a small inconvenience that will
result in a measurable difference in behavior because defaults matter (often
much more than we think - see the studies on opt-in vs opt-out 401(k)
enrollment).

I'm also not arguing that there will be a smaller selection of ripped movies
on bittorrent or whatever. I'm arguing people will use ripped movies less and,
in particular, will use rips of their own collections less (and even watch
their own collections less on their computer, but I think that effect is less
interesting) because the optical drive is less convenient:

\- they're less likely to have it at all (as argued above)

\- it might not be at hand when you want to use it (particularly if you're not
at home)

\- using an external drive is flat-out physically less convenient than an
internal one (particularly if you need to keep your drive and computer plugged
in and/or have other peripherals in the mix...)

Why would it matter that people are ripping their own collections less?
Because the norms around ripping your own collection come from CD ripping and
the norms around downloading movies from bittorrent come from piracy. Many
more people are willing to do the former than the latter. In other words,
ripping your own collection is very useful and is fundamentally different from
pirating. The convenience of ripping DVDs you own is an important factor that
will affect people's video consumption and I think that effect is growing with
time.

I'm also not claiming that there is a complex conspiracy going on. I'm saying
that, from a consumer's perspective, Apple's judgment about whether or not
"the optical drive is done" is compromised. For that matter, this compromised
judgment may manifest itself consciously or unconsciously.

Apple decision-makers might unconsciously make any or all of the following
mistakes (as well as others):

\- underestimating the usability of DVD rips

\- overestimating the usability of iTunes video by not considering niche
drawbacks (e.g. subtitle issues)

\- underestimating the desire of people to have video on non-Apple devices
(e.g. Android phones or tablets)

To put it another way: Even though Apple has better technical judgment
overall, I'm more willing to trust Lenovo or Dell's judgment about whether or
not "the optical drive is done" because they don't face the same conflicts of
interest that Apple does.

~~~
ugh
Who rips movies? That’s even nerdier than ripping CDs which also hardly anyone
does. It doesn’t matter. Pirating has to be far more prevalent than ripping
movies.

I’m not sure what all that judgment talk of yours is about. Optical drives are
done for me personally. I have no use whatsoever for an internal optical drive
and I actually can’t think of anyone I know who would really need one. I will
certainly never ever again buy a PC with an internal optical drive. That has
nothing to do with Apple’s choices. It’s my personal choice and I will be very
happy if Apple will sell me a product that fits my personal choice. If not I
will have to buy something else.

What do I care for Apple’s reasons? (I don’t think they are absurd like you
paint them.)

~~~
fpgeek
I happen to care more about DVD ripping because I like it and I think it is
going to become bigger, but most of my argument also holds if you're talking
about watching DVDs on your laptop or desktop instead (which is completely
mainstream).

That being said, where did you get the idea that ripping CDs is nerdy? Where
do you think the legions of iPods Apple has sold have gotten the overwhelming
majority of their music? iTunes took plenty of time to get to where it is
today and ripping was where (most of) the rest of the iPod music came from. To
take a personal example, my wife has had an iPod for almost 6 years. Her
iTunes Library is at least 80% ripped (maybe even 90%) despite the fact that
she buys plenty of music from iTunes. Why? She had a substantial CD collection
she ripped to start with. She also didn't stop buying CDs (things that you
can't get on iTunes, autographed CDs or special attributes, new or used CDs on
sale for less than they'd be on iTunes, ...).

I'm also not claiming that Apple's reasons are absurd. I'm just saying that
they have structural and institutional biases that might lead them to come to
an incorrect conclusion about this particular point: the value of an optical
drive. In other words, even though Apple has a pretty good batting average on
these sorts of choices, there are reasons to think they might be wrong (in
terms of what people will actually value) in this specific case.

------
kaffeinecoma
Yes, good riddance.

As a bonus, I'll be happy to reclaim the "eject" key for some other use. Right
now on my Mac Pro (i.e. the tower- not the notebook) I hit it by mistake
fairly often when reaching for delete. The drive tray then pops out loudly and
scares my dog.

------
ansy
PCs have been without an optical drive for years before Apple did it. I had a
laptop with no optical drive nine years ago and I'm sure it wasn't original
then. Granted, the experience was so poor I vowed never to live withot a
built-in optical drive again.

But the time has come. In fact it might be a year or two overdue to be
controversial. Now that booting from a USB flash drive is broadly supported my
personal need for removable media is satisfied with just a USB port and a
thumb drive. Burning a DVD to share files or boot to a rescue disk seems old
fashioned and unncecessary. I don't even know where my box of recordable disks
is anymore.

------
r00fus
When I got a netbook in 2008 and realized that the optical, while possibly
useful during install (USB key boot is just as good), was never missed once
Ubuntu was installed and running.

Ever since then, I've felt like the drives on my other laptops are dead
weight.

Apple is definitely doing the right thing... just wonder why it took them so
long.

------
geophile
Good riddance. They add weight, I rarely use them, and they are horribly
unreliable. I've run into problems with discs not ejecting, sometimes not
being readable, blanks sometimes not being writeable, often issuing loud
crunching noises when discs are inserted.

My 2007 MBP is dying, and I'm holding out for the next rev, hoping that the
new machines won't have optical drives. I'd much rather buy a USB peripheral
if I ever need it, and discard it when it gets flaky.

------
ronnier
Optical drives are rarely needed, EVERYTHING is going online and downloadable:
movies, books, shopping, games, etc. Cable companies such as Comcast (xfinity)
and AT&T see this. That's why they are putting in transfer caps now (250
GB/month). Their caps will not limit their own movie services. Services like
justin.tv, Netflix and so on will be hurt.

------
dkokelley
What are optical drives used for? Reading and writing data? There are much
neater solutions. The typical CD holds 700MB, DVDs, 4.7GB. My reusable, USB
thumb drive? 16GB, and I have at least 6 ports on my computer for them.

What about Blu-Ray and movies? For a home theater, Netflix streaming isn't
going to cut it. Everywhere else I am happy to stream, or have my movies
downloaded through iTunes or another provider. (Movie watching rights and
transferability are another can-o-worms though.) For the most part, this
solves 95%+ of my on-the-road movie watching.

For music, Apple would probably prefer you just download everything through
iTunes and bypass the CD, but CDs are still a major piece of the CDN for the
labels. I do need the ability to rip my old CDs to my computer, but I do
prefer keeping everything digitized and backed up. Then again, I haven't had
to rip a CD in years.

------
forgottenpaswrd
Last time I used a DVD was like two years ago. What a good memories: The
acceleration and spinning noises, the vibrations, the spike on consume on the
powermeter, the heat and the extra weight and extra volume for carrying
something you don't use at all.

------
hackoder
I don't think the issue here is (just) optical drive vs no optical drive. Its
the implications that are pointed to in the article, i.e. Apple controlling
the hardware, software and content on the device.

Of course, Apple will not do this completely overnight, but it does seem like
we're moving in that direction one step at a time. I think Apple/Steve's long
term vision has always been for the PC to be like all other electronic
devices; you buy it configured, and for fixes/upgrades you always go through
the manufacturer or manufacturer-approved process. It is a complete opposite
to something like a Lenovo ThinkPad where a lot of the stuff is user
replaceable and serviceable (hence making it a little more future proof and
much cheaper for upgrades).

As a MBP user, I am happy with where Apple is right now but I'm not sure I'm
completely happy with where they're headed (and Apple doesn't care about
customers like me who are probably < 5% anyway). Even if we look at Apple's
website (for e.g. about battery), the terminology changes from 'User
replaceable battery' to 'Battery that you should not replace yourself' etc.
Apple could very well make the next major iteration of Mac OS similar to iOS
(i.e. Apple is the only App store, no side-loading). Minor upgrades (RAM, HDD)
could cost a lot and could only be done by Apple.

Something to think about before investing a lot in Apple products and becoming
tangled in the ecosystem.

~~~
glassx
I've been hearing this for a couple years, and I even had some people
mistakenly telling me they don't get a MacBook because they think it only runs
Apple-approved software.

I don't really think it's gonna happen. "It runs Windows" is a major selling
point for a lot of people I know.

But I'll be the first to jump ship if this ever happens.

~~~
2muchcoffeeman
The MBPs are still pretty good and parts that I want to replace are still user
serviceable (RAM, HD, optical drive - everyone should replace theirs with a
2nd HD).

The Mac Minis still have user replaceable RAM but the HD is not super easy to
get to.

The iMac is pretty bad. You need suction cups to remove the screen from the
body to service it.

I don't think they are going to bother too much about what software you can
run. But hopefully they make basic parts like the HD and RAM MORE user
serviceable.

~~~
glassx
A second HD in place of the optical drive? I never thought it was possible.
Sounds like a plan for my recording rig: the SSD plus a bigger mechanical
drive.

------
sghill
I've had my latest Apple laptop for a year now. I recently tried to burn a DVD
for someone and realized the drive just immediately ejected everything I tried
to put in -- blank DVDs, commercially-pressed CDs, etc.

I don't know if it's been damaged during or travel or it simply never worked,
but the fact that it took me a full year to find out means I'll never put an
optical drive on a "must have" list again. I think Apple is making the right
call.

------
sunspeck
PSA: There's still a ton of excellent, obscure music on CD that hasn't reached
the cloud. Get ripping your local libraries and dollar bins while you still
can.

(Incidentally, the optical drive in my last machine, a Macbook, was as good as
useless. It failed multiple times because of the flex in the plastic case. So
much for impeccable Apple design standards.)

~~~
ugh
Yeah! While you still can! Because if we extrapolate from floppy drives, 2025
might be the year you no longer can buy optical drives. That’s, like, so soon!

Already now all the many users of floppies can pick from only a dozen or so
floppy drives on Amazon. Abhorrent! And the money they have to pay for it! Way
more than $10†! Truly horrific.

All kidding aside, you will be able to buy cheap external optical drives for a
long, long, long time. There is no need at all to worry. The optical drive
merely becomes an external add-on for those who truly need it. I also like to
buy old music that hasn’t made it to “the cloud” and probably never will. I
will keep an external optical drive in the closet for that purpose.

—

† <http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000M3GODW/>

~~~
sunspeck
I'm not saying that CDs will ever be inaccessible to the motivated
technologist. But the media will continue to degrade and disappear at an even
faster rate with optical drives no longer commonplace.

And while I'm sure that Apple buyers were among the first demographic to ditch
physical media, this development is certainly another nail in the coffin of
the brick-and-mortar data archives that are record stores.

~~~
bradleyland
"... this development is certainly another nail in the coffin of the brick-
and-mortar data archives that are record stores."

The lack of an optical drive on Apple laptops will not be the stake to the
heart of the brick-and-mortar music store; lack of consumer interest will.

The social music scene is moving online. Services like Last.fm, Pandora, and
user "created" content sites like SoundCloud are the future. The nostalgia of
standing around a music store is nice to think about, but not particularly
profitable for the owner.

------
kragen
My main machine for the last two years has also been optical-drive-free.
Installing Ubuntu on it was kind of a pain (see
[http://lists.canonical.org/pipermail/kragen-
journal/2009-Jan...](http://lists.canonical.org/pipermail/kragen-
journal/2009-January/000563.html) and
<http://canonical.org/~kragen/unetbootin.html> for details) but otherwise it's
been pretty much fine.

------
protomyth
Now, it is often easier to carry around a usb flash drive which gives higher
data sizes, speed, r/w, and easier to carry. Buy a new one every 6 months and
that is an ok non-enterprise local backup.

My main problem with optical at this point is that the storage capacity and
price really haven't kept up with USB Flash Drives. It is also now easier just
to buy an external hard drive for live backups.

------
ropers
Did the author really just omit any mention of USB flash drives in that
article? Or am I just slightly blind?

------
Pyrodogg
I've hardly used an optical drive since I first got my Lenovo X61. It was only
available in the base unit which spent over 99.9% of it's life on the shelf.

However, even if I haven't used man CDs or DVDs for a while I still get a
"but, but I know I'll need them someday..." reaction.

------
codabrink
I can imagine that this makes the laptops much more sturdier. This is why my
last 2 laptops have been without CD drives. I just bought a $50 external, and
I've been having a hard time understanding why more manufacturers didn't make
optical drive-less computers.

------
vl
Well, while I want my next Mac to be 15" MacBook Air, I really want to have an
option to plug in external BluRay drive. I do watch BluRay movies, and I want
to be able to watch them on my main laptop as well.

------
sn
Personally I like being able to back up my entire home directory on a single
instance of write-once media. A blu-ray disc holds at least 25GB.

------
absconditus
This is just like the floppy drive situation all over again. In a few years no
one will care.

------
rsanheim
About time, and good riddance.

