New Mac mini lacks optical drive as Apple continues to ditch the disc

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  • Reply 41 of 163
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by circling View Post


    Sorry for the confusion... We don't use mini's to create these disks... I was thinking about the students that buy the disks. If a student gets a new mini, then they have to spend more money to see their show.



    It's not really up to you to determine what computer someone else buys, nor is it any concern of yours whether they buy a computer with or without an ODD.



    If anything, this should be telling you to stop distributing this stuff on DVDs.
  • Reply 42 of 163
    I'm thinking that the loss of the Optical drive may discourage some in the htpc market from a new mini purchase. I personally haven't bought or rented a disc in so long that I honestly cannot remember when it was. There is after all a reason all the rental stores are drying up and going out of business.

    Just looks odd to see that Apple doesnt sell the regular MacBook anymore though.
  • Reply 43 of 163
    lamewinglamewing Posts: 742member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jsmythe00 View Post


    At first i was like cool. But looking into I agree with this poster. The mac mini has less hardware but is the same price. Not everyone is networked so how do they get software? Also, if they have to buy an external drive to get 3rd party software, apple effectively just raised the cost of their most low end system.



    I think Apple is making it more expensive to own they're low-end computer. More likely this may drive PC sales as an alternative to owning the mac mini.



    And before anyone goes off on a tangent about me trolling, I'm very pro apple. My house has 2 iphone 3g replaced by 2 iphone 4, 1 4th gen ipod touch, 2nd gen ATV, 2nd gen mac mini, 1 1st gen ipad(waiting to replace with ipad 3), and if apple comes out with an HDTV we're getting that also.



    I just think apple should have another option for getting software on your mac...and the OD was it.



    It seems I was wrong about the price, so it is about the same price to buy the Mini and an external drive. Kludgy to say the least, but doable. NOT so doable for those who wanted to use it as part of their home entertainment system....if they own/rent DVDs.



    I am also not a troll or Apple hater. I have been using Apple computers since 1985.
  • Reply 44 of 163
    strobestrobe Posts: 369member
    I replaced the optical drive in my MacBook Pro 17 with a second hard drive as soon as I bought it. I put the optical drive in a cheap external enclosure, but hardly ever use it. I think the last time I used it was for some windows program in Parallels Desktop many moons ago.



    I have to confess that I *never* liked optical from it's very inception. I used syquest disks and found optical to be slow and fragile. There was always promises to make them fast, but it never happened. Meanwhile their fragility was always combated with propaganda instead of results. How many old optical disks work compared to floppies 10 years older? My old syquest disks from the 90s most likely work just fine.
  • Reply 45 of 163
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jsmythe00 View Post


    Not everyone is networked so how do they get software?



    If people aren't networked and for some off reason need an internal optical drive why do you think they are the target market for the machine without an optical drive?
  • Reply 46 of 163
    huntsonhuntson Posts: 90member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    It's not really up to you to determine what computer someone else buys, nor is it any concern of yours whether they buy a computer with or without an ODD.



    If anything, this should be telling you to stop distributing this stuff on DVDs.



    You're as arrogant as Steve
  • Reply 47 of 163
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by circling View Post


    Sorry for the confusion... We don't use mini's to create these disks... I was thinking about the students that buy the disks. If a student gets a new mini, then they have to spend more money to see their show.



    Sell a digital version that they can download from the interwebs, I hear some folks are doing it
  • Reply 48 of 163
    huntsonhuntson Posts: 90member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jsmythe00 View Post


    At first i was like cool. But looking into I agree with this poster. The mac mini has less hardware but is the same price. Not everyone is networked so how do they get software? Also, if they have to buy an external drive to get 3rd party software, apple effectively just raised the cost of their most low end system.



    I think Apple is making it more expensive to own they're low-end computer. More likely this may drive PC sales as an alternative to owning the mac mini.



    And before anyone goes off on a tangent about me trolling, I'm very pro apple. My house has 2 iphone 3g replaced by 2 iphone 4, 1 4th gen ipod touch, 2nd gen ATV, 2nd gen mac mini, 1 1st gen ipad(waiting to replace with ipad 3), and if apple comes out with an HDTV we're getting that also.



    I just think apple should have another option for getting software on your mac...and the OD was it.



    No one cares if you're pro-apple - my house has over fourty apple devices bought over the past 5 years.
  • Reply 49 of 163
    strobestrobe Posts: 369member
    Oh, for those bemoaning the loss if their optical drive...



    1) Of course you can install windows without an optical drive. You have been able to do this officially before you could do it officially with Mac OS X. Ever heard of a netbook?



    2) You don't need Apple's super expensive hardware to have an external DVD drive. Buy any cheap wintel drive, of which there are zillions due to the popularity of netbooks.



    3) Asking Apple to provide bulky, expensive to engineer around, old hardware as standard kit because 5% of users can't figure the above out won't make the mini cheaper.
  • Reply 50 of 163
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by huntson View Post


    You're as arrogant as Steve



    Except I'm not making money off it, so I'm obviously a bad guy for it.



    Either that, or you take the opposing opinion.



    Which means that you're okay with companies and other people telling you what you can and can't buy. Which is ludicrous.
  • Reply 51 of 163
    huntsonhuntson Posts: 90member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    Except I'm not making money off it, so I'm obviously a bad guy for it.



    Either that, or you take the opposing opinion.



    Which means that you're okay with companies and other people telling you what you can and can't buy. Which is ludicrous.



    I take the view that the relase of the MacMini w/o optical drive should not tell one that they should stop relseaing their stuff on DVD.
  • Reply 52 of 163
    djintxdjintx Posts: 454member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mazda 3s View Post


    So they removed the optical drive, and the price stayed the same?



    I could understand ditching it on notebooks, but ditching it on a desktop machine that is already uber tiny to begin with seems ridiculous to me.



    Hmmm, sadly this is a very good point. Unless they crammed something equally valuable inside, the price should have come down a bit. So for those who do not opt for a second internal HDD or SDD, what is going to be in that space?





    EDIT: Nevermind. Someone explained there was a price drop, so that's cool. I guess I don't pay enough attention to some of Apple's products/pricing like I should.
  • Reply 53 of 163
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by huntson View Post


    I take the view that the relase of the MacMini w/o optical drive should not tell one that they should stop relseaing their stuff on DVD.



    You have to follow the market or you're left behind. I didn't say to stop, I said this could be telling him that people don't want discs anymore.



    So you'd've told a keyboard manufacturer to not release USB keyboards in 1997, then. Keep with that PS/2...



    Oh, wait. People still sell PS/2 keyboards and mice...
  • Reply 54 of 163
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lamewing View Post


    What part of "some people only own one computer" doesn't make sense? If that one computer were the new Mac Mini, then HOW would they make such an install USB drive without a optical drive or easy access to another machine? If the Mini had an optical drive so that I could make the install USB drive...then I wouldn't need the USB drive.



    Why drive instead of flying?

    Afraid to fly, get sick when flying, cheaper to drive, etc.



    Apple is a business, not a charity. My statements put financials to the side. It's all about speed. The optical drive is shockingly slow by today's I/O standards.



    Find a friend with a computer or go to a Microsoft Store to get your USB wiped up.
  • Reply 55 of 163
    deletedelete Posts: 48member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ontheinside View Post


    Why take a car across country when you can take a plane?



    Driving a car across the country slowly allows you to take in the scenery in a way you can't with a fast a fly-over.

    Installing slowly with a DVD is not about the same kind of enriching experience.
  • Reply 56 of 163
    strobestrobe Posts: 369member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jsmythe00 View Post


    At first i was like cool. But looking into I agree with this poster. The mac mini has less hardware but is the same price.



    Really?! I guess if you don't include the CPU, GPU, hard drive (with extra slot?), oh and a little thing called THUNDERBOLT while keeping hdmi meaning you can run two or more displays.



    But sure, less hardware
  • Reply 57 of 163
    djintxdjintx Posts: 454member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    It's not really up to you to determine what computer someone else buys, nor is it any concern of yours whether they buy a computer with or without an ODD.



    If anything, this should be telling you to stop distributing this stuff on DVDs.



    Here is a much easier suggestion...



    Instead of this student being forced to buy another computer that has a DVD drive, or purchasing the Apple external Superdrive, or having to borrow a computer or optical drive from a friend...why doesn't he or she just use the DVD player connected to their TV?



    I don't know anyone who doesn't have a DVD player and/or game console in their living room on which they can watch DVDs. I doubt these players are going anywhere. You can argue the poor student issue, but most college students these days are anything but poor.
  • Reply 58 of 163
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post


    Only if the mini is the only computer in the house. Otherwise you can use the optical drive of any Mac on your home network.



    Besides, this is what you should expect for being so cheap. You are using the cheapest computer Apple makes and you are running two OS's on it. I bet you are running on minimal RAM and have a VGA BenQ monitor attached to it as well.



    The only thing cheaper would be switching back to Windows and buying some awful windows box that will last all of a year before it blows up or needs to be upgraded. Maybe that's your future.



    I really have to ask this:

    Are you this much of d**khead in real life? Or do you only feel okay acting like such a prick via the internet?



    Having read your comments for months, they're always rude, condescending and venomous.
  • Reply 59 of 163
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mazda 3s View Post


    So they removed the optical drive, and the price stayed the same?



    I could understand ditching it on notebooks, but ditching it on a desktop machine that is already uber tiny to begin with seems ridiculous to me.



    The price is $100 lower, it comes with dedicated graphics, and a 500 GB HDD on the base model - That's a damn fine compromise. No one's gonna use a SuperDrive for ripping CDs, DVDs or installing software anymore - That's why there's iTunes and the Mac App Store. However, when the Mac Pro's updated in the near future, they'll likely leave the SuperDrive or make it a configurable option at least.
  • Reply 60 of 163
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by delete View Post


    Driving a car across the country slowly allows you to take in the scenery in a way you can't with a fast a fly-over.

    Installing slowly with a DVD is not about the same kind of enriching experience.



    The only time I equate optical discs with an enriching experience is when I boot up my LC 575 and play old disc based games on it.



    Because that "disc read" sound brings back so many great childhood memories. There's just nothing else like that sound or how you feel when you hear it.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DJinTX View Post


    I don't know anyone who doesn't have a DVD player and/or game console in their living room on which they can watch DVDs. I doubt these players are going anywhere. You can argue the poor student issue, but most college students these days are anything but poor.



    This is the exact argument for why Nintendo didn't provide DVD playback with the Wii and Wii U. There's absolutely no point to the added cost, weight, heat, and power draw when everyone already has a DVD player.
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