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1K views 14 replies 11 participants last post by  eMacMan 
#1 · (Edited)
#4 ·
While I agree it doesn't really help with desk space and that "lightness" doesn't matter with a desktop, the optical drive is on its way out and it's typical Apple to be at the front of the curve in dumping old tech.

I barely burn anything anymore. So an external drive that lived mostly in a drawer wouldn't be that bad.
 
#5 ·
Twelve south makes a nice shelf that can sit behind the iMac or Cinema Display. Maybe they will make it slightly larger so a external drive can sit on it to hide it.

I have mixed emotions about the removal of the optical drive. One one hand it isn't needed by everybody, it breaks, and it allows the iMac to be thinner. On the other hand it's a desktop so is thin needed?


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#6 ·
I'm another one that never uses the optical drive, literally can't remember the last time I used mine... and I'm sure the total number of times I've used it in 5 years.

As an aside, Apple really doesn't make that much from their 30% cut of purchases on iTunes/the App Store, at least not compared to hardware sales, where they make almost all their money.

How Much Apple Is Making On The App Store - Business Insider

The link is a little dated, and App Store specific, but the gist applies to all of the content stores they run (iTunes, App Store, Mac App Store, iBooks Store).
 
#8 ·
Thin and light is just a marketing ploy, albeit a proven to be successful one.

Removal of optical drive though is just evolution of computing, Apple is a bit ahead of the curve in that regard (as usual) but considering optical disks are becoming increasingly irrelevant I don't see a big issue with it. In my case, haven't used one for years.
 
#11 ·
You might be confused about the meaning of ploy:

Ploy(n): a maneuver or stratagem, as in conversation, to gain the advantage.

Marketing ploy is a marketing strategy. Outcome (success or not) does not play a role in the definition of the term.
 
#14 ·
I bought a retina MBP (without optical drive) a few months ago. At the same time I bought an external optical drive 'just in case'. Haven't used it yet.

I foresee most computers being without a built-in optical drive in short order, similar to the phasing out of the floppy.
 
#15 ·
The OS no longer fits on a single DVD, so now those of us with a slower internet connection get to wait forever for the next version to come down online.

OTOH Apple seemed incapable of making the OD easily swapped out and the slot drives in particular seem to have a poor reliability record. What all that means is when they fail it should have been an easy 15 minute job to replace an OD. Apples design turned it into a nightmare. As this was an Apple Care item, I suspect the total warranty savings at least equal the $20/machine Apple is saving at the manufacturing level.

Have not really looked into how this impacts trying to add an SSD to the new iMacs but I am pretty sure the customer does not benefit in this area either.
 
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