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

1235789

Comments

  • Reply 81 of 163
    joelsaltjoelsalt Posts: 827member
    Another thing:



    Is the "power brick" now gone off the cord? Is that what some of the optical drive space was used for?



    I hate the effing power brick on my 2009 mini cord.



    update: it is! Huzzah!
  • Reply 82 of 163
    I think Jobs has a little yellow stickie on his desk that reads:



    The future: no moving parts, no wires
  • Reply 83 of 163
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bslaght View Post


    With Software updates and having to download all of my apps from the internet now...will Steve pickup the tab for my increased internet data bandwidth usage charges?



    I know many people that are capped at 5gb. So Download Lion this month...opps gotta wait until next month to download iwork or ilife or adobe cs or whatever until next month or pay rediculous overage fees.



    And forget it for any one that lives in a rural area without high speed.....insanity.



    Insanity? Or "insanely great".
  • Reply 84 of 163
    It's rather evident that Apple is discontinuing optical drives because it is a conflict with their plans for streaming content delivery.



    I will say from experience that I ran into some small problems when using remote CD software install on Mac Mini server. The remote tool itself kept crashing on a piece of software, so I had to make a disk image on another machine, copy it to an external hard drive, then install it. We got an external drive to avoid any possibility of that happening again.
  • Reply 85 of 163
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bslaght View Post


    With Software updates and having to download all of my apps from the internet now...will Steve pickup the tab for my increased internet data bandwidth usage charges?



    I know many people that are capped at 5gb. So Download Lion this month...opps gotta wait until next month to download iwork or ilife or adobe cs or whatever until next month or pay rediculous overage fees.



    And forget it for any one that lives in a rural area without high speed.....insanity.



    Your HOME Internet is capped at 5GB a month? Move somewhere else, then. That's blasphemy.
  • Reply 86 of 163
    7t17t1 Posts: 1member
    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.



    No, the price went down $100.
  • Reply 87 of 163
    jabohnjabohn Posts: 582member
    So my late 2009 mini will have to hold on for awhile. I have around 50 DVDs of backup files for design projects I've done over the years. Some of the them started as CDs, then I transfered to DVDs, then to Dual-Layer DVDs. So what is the next step Apple? Buy a big-ass hard drive and hope it doesn't crash some day?



    Yes I can buy the external superdrive, but as it was said before it kills the esthetic of one small box.



    Yes I can buy an iMac, and a I'd LOVE to, but as long as Apple insists everyone use glossy screens it won't happen.



    Why is Apple taking away more and more options?
  • Reply 88 of 163
    wovelwovel Posts: 956member
    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.



    If you only have one computer, maybe you can spring for the optical drive...



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by chogidog View Post


    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.



    I think exactly the opposite is true. I would not even consider building another HTPC with an optical drive.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jabohn View Post


    So my late 2009 mini will have to hold on for awhile. I have around 50 DVDs of backup files for design projects I've done over the years. Some of the them started as CDs, then I transfered to DVDs, then to Dual-Layer DVDs. So what is the next step Apple? Buy a big-ass hard drive and hope it doesn't crash some day?



    Yes I can buy the external superdrive, but as it was said before it kills the esthetic of one small box.



    Yes I can buy an iMac, and a I'd LOVE to, but as long as Apple insists everyone use glossy screens it won't happen.



    Why is Apple taking away more and more options?



    Because they are designing hardware that fits the needs of the vast majority of their customers. They maintain a limited product line and there will always be some use-cases that do not fit into their model. I am sure if you did a real survey, you would find that for every person that thinks they need their optical drive, you would find 100 who have not touched it in more then 6 months. I would wager you would find at least 20 that did not even know what that slot in their current computer was for.



    I have a 2010 MBP I but once cd in since I bought it (I quickly imaged it and took it out). The only thing I use the drive for on my iMac is ripping DVDs. I would be perfectly fine with an external drive for that.
  • Reply 89 of 163
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jabohn View Post


    So what is the next step Apple? Buy a big-ass hard drive and hope it doesn't crash some day?



    You act as though you have to have that hard drive running all the time. You obviously don't.



    Drives "crash". Discs scratch. SSDs stop working if you drill a bore hole through them. All formats have caveats.



    Quote:

    Yes I can buy an iMac, and a I'd LOVE to, but as long as Apple insists everyone use glossy screens it won't happen.



    Not another one...



    Quote:

    Why is Apple taking away more and more options?



    I think they just want to stop making so much money.



    Hear me out, now.



    Apple's "taking away" features in the hopes that people are actually intelligent and buy from someone else to get said features. As opposed to blindly continuing to purchase from Apple and whining about it.



    Apple WANTS you to go somewhere else. Eventually they'll reach their most streamlined where they've taken away enough features that many people don't buy from them but still have enough to make the amount of money they want.



    Or maybe because they're forcing appropriate change on the industry.
  • Reply 90 of 163
    prof. peabodyprof. peabody Posts: 2,860member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bslaght View Post


    With Software updates and having to download all of my apps from the internet now...will Steve pickup the tab for my increased internet data bandwidth usage charges?



    I know many people that are capped at 5gb. So Download Lion this month...opps gotta wait until next month to download iwork or ilife or adobe cs or whatever until next month or pay rediculous overage fees.



    And forget it for any one that lives in a rural area without high speed.....insanity.



    You're looking at it from the wrong side perhaps.



    In a world where everything is downloaded, the whole idea of bandwidth caps or paying by the megabyte is ridiculous. The faster the downloading becomes a more accepted practice than using old fashioned discs, the faster the bandwidth caps you are currently suffering on will disappear.



    I keep hearing about these bandwidth caps in the USA but I've never met or known anyone in my country that ever had to endure them on a non-mobile device. From that I gather that bandwidth caps for home use are a US (southern US), aberration that will soon go away.
  • Reply 91 of 163
    pt123pt123 Posts: 696member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post


    You're looking at it from the wrong side perhaps.



    In a world where everything is downloaded, the whole idea of bandwidth caps or paying by the megabyte is ridiculous. The faster the downloading becomes a more accepted practice than using old fashioned discs, the faster the bandwidth caps you are currently suffering on will disappear.



    I keep hearing about these bandwidth caps in the USA but I've never met or known anyone in my country that ever had to endure them on a non-mobile device. From that I gather that bandwidth caps for home use are a US (southern US), aberration that will soon go away.



    Bandwidth caps going away? Do you really think the ISP got everyone worked up over caps just to have it go away? That is wishful thinking. I recently got a notice from AT&T about a cap and they are providing tools to monitor usage. Caps are something that exist and nobody really thinks about anymore.
  • Reply 92 of 163
    pennywsepennywse Posts: 155member
    I'm not sure what all the panty twisted complaining is all about. If you require an optical drive, bigger hard drive, faster processor, and so on, then just spend a bit more and get the 13" MBP (which is way more capable than the old MB). If you don't need all that crap and are looking for more portability, then the MBA is your gem.



    The Macbook just didn't' fit in the lineup anymore. I think this was a sharp move by apple and helps streamline their computers even more.
  • Reply 93 of 163
    cycomikocycomiko Posts: 716member
    Dammit



    i hope the local guys have some cheap refurbs, as I wanted one as a media PC and now they have gone out and cocked that up



    So old apple price with 320m $1148



    new apple price with intel shit $949



    new apple price with AMD $1249



    ah, the sounds of profiteering in the morning



    plus the added benefit of shit tech support



    bleh
  • Reply 94 of 163
    akhomerunakhomerun Posts: 386member
    Even though the windows world will take another 5 years to be comfortable with this change, my full size Desktop computer doesn't even have a disc drive.



    I upgraded my motherboard and it didn't have an IDE connection for my old disc drive, so I said screw it, I haven't used my DVD drive in years. No reason to spend the $20.



    Even my Windows installation was done through USB drive. All you have to do is copy the files directly off the disc onto a USB drive and a modern BIOS can boot from it just fine.



    The speed of installing Windows from a dual channel USB drive is amazing.



    My parents and friends wonder how I can make this change, but most of them probably didn't even realize that their netbooks don't have a DVD drive - because they would never use one even if they were equipped.



    DVDs are slower, bigger, and have a lower capacity than my flash drive. Thanks to Apple for leading the way again, disc drives will soon be gone on all computers!



    (The only disc format that should be around is Blu-ray. Still, if hollywood let me download high quality 1080p videos I probably would ditch Blu-rays, too.)
  • Reply 95 of 163
    bslaghtbslaght Posts: 40member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Pennywse View Post


    I'm not sure what all the panty twisted complaining is all about. If you require an optical drive, bigger hard drive, faster processor, and so on, then just spend a bit more and get the 13" MBP (which is way more capable than the old MB). If you don't need all that crap and are looking for more portability, then the MBA is your gem.



    The Macbook just didn't' fit in the lineup anymore. I think this was a sharp move by apple and helps streamline their computers even more.



    this works up until Apple decides the MBP no longer requires an optical drive anymore either....

    then what..?
  • Reply 96 of 163
    The price sure has dropped. £529 for the basic model. Used to be £699 or £599. I may have to get one of these new Mini's to use as a web server
  • Reply 97 of 163
    paul94544paul94544 Posts: 1,027member
    I have a 46 inch LCD TV on the wall in my sitting room. I also have a 26 inch LCD tv in my den I use for my ipad2



    I already have an apple wireless keyboard and mouse



    If I get the Mac Mini I'd like to be able to connect it to the TV and my other LCD display in my den just on the wall right adjacent to the TV wall in sitting room, which has comcast router / and modem all wired up.



    I suppose I can simply use dual monitors and simply carry my mouse and keyboard between each room as needed. Will it work? That way I can watch streaming netflix movies on both lcd screens simultaneously?
  • Reply 98 of 163
    bregaladbregalad Posts: 816member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    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.



    The sounds that really take me back in time:



    The sound of an Apple auto-inject floppy drive when you insert or eject a disk (1984?-1993)

    The distinctive sound of the 20MB hard drive in the Mac SE (1987)

    The sound of a Disk ][ seeking the boot track on a 5.25" floppy (1979)
  • Reply 99 of 163
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Bregalad View Post


    The sounds that really take me back in time:



    The sound of an Apple auto-inject floppy drive when you insert or eject a disk (1984?-1993)

    The distinctive sound of the 20MB hard drive in the Mac SE (1987)

    The sound of a Disk ][ seeking the boot track on a 5.25" floppy (1979)



    Lets not forget the screeching sound radiating from the speakers from Cassette tapes on old 8-bit machines.
  • Reply 100 of 163
    mmtm1983mmtm1983 Posts: 31member
    just buy a exturnal blu-ray burner sweeeeeet
Sign In or Register to comment.