Slot-loading drives for all?
I know some people hate them, but I wonder if Apple has any plans to "slot-load" all of their products?
The portables are now (finally) all slot-loading.
I think the eMac, iMac and PowerMac would all look quite good with slot-loading drives. I can also imagine Apple gaining SOME economies of scale by using the same drives for the entire product line.
Thoughts?
The portables are now (finally) all slot-loading.
I think the eMac, iMac and PowerMac would all look quite good with slot-loading drives. I can also imagine Apple gaining SOME economies of scale by using the same drives for the entire product line.
Thoughts?
Comments
Originally posted by ipodandimac
slots are nice, but when you add those, you lose support for all those weird-shaped cd-roms... that would be stupid for them to add slots to everthing, b/c a lot of people like the smaller circle in the drive for the smaller discs
I agree. This would be an inconvenience.
I have run into one of these CDs only once in my life, so I (personally) don't know how common they are. Though I DID recently notice them (blank ones) at CompUSA not too long ago.
the drive is slightly broken, so sometimes it doesn't properly eject the Cd,and I have to forcibly remove it, which will only make the drive worse.
it has been like this for ~2 years!
sure it was a neat gimick when I first got it, but personally, I would take the tray system found in the eMac or iMac any day.
Doesn't the PowerMac use a tray drive?
In the past, the small disks never have caught on (they called them "CD3" at one point). There wasn't enough capacity, and they cost more than the 12cm ones. But at the DVD capacity, they may be practical, especially if they cost less.
Non standard shapes are NON_STANDARD don't use them!
flick.
Originally posted by Flick Justice
I wonder if there is a way to get a slot drive to support MiniCD/DVD. like a full cd with the center cut out so it so you can set a mini cd/dvd in it...
flick.
Years ago I remember seeing just such an adapter. It was designed to grip an 80 MM CD places into the hole at the center. Using one of these adapters might not be wise, however. I remember at least one CD drive that had a warning no to use such an adapter, plus, while the things might work okay for basic audio CD playback, the I have to wonder if the grip of the adapter is sufficient at higher drive speeds.
I was able to find this 3" Disc Adapter Ring online:
However, if you want to trust a little CD floating in the middle of this adapter, spinning around at 24x inside, say, your 17" PowerBook's slot-loading drive... well, that's up to you.
flick.
The lack of support for the mini CDR/CDRWs is a major flaw in Apple design. I really wish that they would go back to using trays for all of their computers. Slot loading looks cool, but in terms of functionality it truly sucks.
Let's compare slot and tray loading drives:
Slot loading drive:
(1) Can't accept odd shaped media.
(2) Can't accept standard 8CM mini CDs.
(3) Cannot manually eject a disk (you have to take your computer it a repair center to remove a stuck disk, and can, make your computer completely unusable until the offending disk is removed).
(4) some people think it looks cooler.
Tray loading drives:
(1) accepts odd shaped media.
(2) Can use standard 8CM mini CDs.
(3) Can manually eject problem disks.
(4) some people think it doesn't look as good as slot loading drives.
Obviously tray loading is the better technology, but do we get it? No! The form over function monkeys take it away from us every chance they get. All hail the gods of fashion!
/end rant -- takes a few deep calming breaths (and looks for his medication...).
The last poster also for got to mention the advantage of slots in a notebook- much less likely to be damaged. They're ideal for powerbooks when you don't need any extraneous bits that are likely to get snagged. No point on desktops though, I agree.
Originally posted by Res
I love mini CDR/CDRWs, they hold up to 185MB and are smaller and far more reliable then a zip disk. I am seriously POed at Apple for using drives that can't make use of them.
The lack of support for the mini CDR/CDRWs is a major flaw in Apple design. I really wish that they would go back to using trays for all of their computers. Slot loading looks cool, but in terms of functionality it truly sucks.
Me too!
Though there's one minor advantage a slot loader has you didn't mention - it's easier. You insert the disc to, erm, insert the disc, and when it's time to remove the disc, you hit the eject "button" (ok, F12 counts as a button) and remove it.
As opposed to: To insert disc, press Eject button. Position disc on tray. Close tray. To remove: Press Eject "button". Remove disc from tray. Close tray.
I'd rather have the support for mini-CDRs though. When I started using them I seriously wondered why the hell I'd put up with (large, clumsy) full size CDs for so long.
What I'd like to know is why no computer manufacturer seems happy with the "top loading" form factor of optical drive. Portable CD players tend to use this. On a laptop, imagine if part of your keyboard was hinged (or maybe the back of the LCD), and you just put the CD on the tray and closed the machine to insert it, and likewise the reverse when you wanted to open it. It ought to be as space efficient as a slot loader, result in no protruding parts, no slots to allow gunk into your machine, and best of all, no limitations on CD shape.
Originally posted by peharri
What I'd like to know is why no computer manufacturer seems happy with the "top loading" form factor of optical drive. Portable CD players tend to use this. On a laptop, imagine if part of your keyboard was hinged (or maybe the back of the LCD), and you just put the CD on the tray and closed the machine to insert it, and likewise the reverse when you wanted to open it. It ought to be as space efficient as a slot loader, result in no protruding parts, no slots to allow gunk into your machine, and best of all, no limitations on CD shape.
There is an Intel laptop avail that loads this way ... the lid is under your left palm .... don't know how resting your hand there might affect it, and I don't remember who the manufacturer was. (and I'mm too lazy to look it up for you).
Originally posted by ipodandimac
slots are nice
Ohhh yeah, slots are nice!
Originally posted by Res
I love mini CDR/CDRWs, they hold up to 185MB and are smaller and far more reliable then a zip disk. I am seriously POed at Apple for using drives that can't make use of them.
The lack of support for the mini CDR/CDRWs is a major flaw in Apple design. I really wish that they would go back to using trays for all of their computers. Slot loading looks cool, but in terms of functionality it truly sucks.
Let's compare slot and tray loading drives:
Slot loading drive:
(1) Can't accept odd shaped media.
(2) Can't accept standard 8CM mini CDs.
(3) Cannot manually eject a disk (you have to take your computer it a repair center to remove a stuck disk, and can, make your computer completely unusable until the offending disk is removed).
(4) some people think it looks cooler.
Tray loading drives:
(1) accepts odd shaped media.
(2) Can use standard 8CM mini CDs.
(3) Can manually eject problem disks.
(4) some people think it doesn't look as good as slot loading drives.
Obviously tray loading is the better technology, but do we get it? No! The form over function monkeys take it away from us every chance they get. All hail the gods of fashion!
/end rant -- takes a few deep calming breaths (and looks for his medication...).
I think getting frustrated isn't always the best reaction. Having slot-load drives makes sense on laptops. They're smaller drives because they don't need to accomodate a tray and you don't need as much space to insert a disc - the whole tray doesn't need to come out to do it. Add to that there is no chance of the tray getting knocked hard against something in transport. It would be a bad move for Apple to go to slot load in their desktop line, however.
Originally posted by KingOfSomewhereHot
There is an Intel laptop avail that loads this way ... the lid is under your left palm .... don't know how resting your hand there might affect it, and I don't remember who the manufacturer was. (and I'mm too lazy to look it up for you).
Panasonic