Gawd I hope not. Tray loading would be a very nice upgrade though. Heck, a tray loading Combo drive would also be an improvement. There's too much non-standard media out there. How does the slot loaders deal with 8cm discs? And especially for a laptop which gets mover around a lot, and for a superdrive which takes a long time to burn a DVD, it doesn't make a good combination.
Let's have a Tray loading device that fully ejects and is replaceable with a second battery or 2nd hard drive.
Apple should redesign the tray, so that a thin 4mm solid tray slides out, with a CD thickness indent for 8cm and 15cm disks. I don't think titanium should be used, as Ti is not very hard, and the tray could bend. Maybe a thermoplastic (the whole machine should be carbon fibre thermoplastic anyway) or, since it's a simple shape and solid, carbon nanotube fibre.. ok, that's a stretch.. but we're a lot closer than most people think...
8mm discs and those funky business card CD's should be banned. Horrible things. Slot loader prevent snags and broken trays. Do we really want to move backwards?
<strong>8mm discs and those funky business card CD's should be banned. Horrible things. Slot loader prevent snags and broken trays. Do we really want to move backwards?</strong><hr></blockquote>
As for moving backward; one can view adding complexity without incremental performance increse as moving backward.
I also think it's ironic that you want to ban shaped CD's becasue they're design for design's sake (very good argument) to ensure that your design-for-design-sake slot loading drive works with all media..
I agree that those business card thingies are crap, but 8cm CDR and DVD are around in the form of still and video cams. Not a whole lot of them around, but they exist. I've heard of at least one product that shipped their device driver on an 8cm CD <img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" /> I think it'd be better to be guaranteed of compatiblity and a selection of OEM drives, than to have to wait for someone to offer up a slot load superdrive and be worried about 8cm media all the time.
Does the current slot loader accept 8cm media reliably? If it does, I could live with it.
<strong>I also think it's ironic that you want to ban shaped CD's becasue they're design for design's sake (very good argument) to ensure that your design-for-design-sake slot loading drive works with all media..</strong><hr></blockquote>Is the slot-load simply form before function? I think there is a functional benefit to not having a tray come out of the computer. It's simpler and less obtrusive.
I'm skeptical of this report, though. Usually AtAT is right-on, but this doesn't make sense.
<strong>Does the current slot loader accept 8cm media reliably?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Nope.
Also, it's Logitech that ships their mouse driver on a mini-cd. At worst it's annoying, since you can just download it (but why do that when support's built in anyway?). Also, if you've got an older TiBook, as I do, and you buy an external CD burner, you can just use that...
<strong>8mm discs and those funky business card CD's should be banned. Horrible things. Slot loader prevent snags and broken trays. Do we really want to move backwards?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Regardless if you think they suck, people do use those weird CDs. If you need to use a CD like that for some reason then you're screwed. That really sucks.
I really don't think it's moving backwards. You notice Apple replaced the slot-loading drives in the iMacs with tray-loaders in the new iMacs.
8mm discs and those funky business card CD's should be banned. Horrible things. Slot loader prevent snags and broken trays. Do we really want to move backwards?
<hr></blockquote>
[quote]Originally posted by EmAn:
<strong>
Regardless if you think they suck, people do use those weird CDs. If you need to use a CD like that for some reason then you're screwed. That really sucks.
I really don't think it's moving backwards. You notice Apple replaced the slot-loading drives in the iMacs with tray-loaders in the new iMacs.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Im gonna have to go with hmurchison on this one. If apple was the kind of company that didnt press the industry to shift focus from normal ideas and technologies, we wouldn't have seen apple drop things like ADB, SCSI.. ect. and pick up and move on with things like USB, Firewire, ADC w/ VGA, ect. If you really need the technologies apple doesnt supply stock, like scsi or the ability to play those stupid mini-cd things, they are availble through 3rd party product developers, which works for them. Apple gets your $ and hopes you to focus on their technologies (good technologies) and third parties get your $ if thats not good enough for you. Thus the computer industry moves on.
If you have a disc in the drive it would take two steps.. no?
"One advantage is that there isn't a tray that can be broken."
he he he.. that remindes me of an episode of the Simpsons where Lisa sells Homer a rock to keep tigers away.
"by that logic I can say this rock keeps tigers away"
"How do ya figure"
"Well...you don't see any tigers around do you?"
"Lisa! I want to buy your rock!"
The point is that to remove the tray, there has to be a lot more complicated automated disc grabbing assembly, which could break as well.. no?
Listen. I love the Ti book. I think it's one kick ass computer. I just think OS X has infected Apple with an undercurrent of useless chrome that's evident in descisions that add complexity without adding significant benifit. Maybe it's to keep Windows defectors feeling comfortable..
I've been waiting for a superdrive in the TiBook since I first saved enough money to get one, and I would jump through the ceiling if it happened, particularly if it were slot-loading.
As for the person who said the slot-load is another element of complexity that could break, I say this: yes, it could break, but I won't be the one to do it through my own stupidity, and I won't have to explain to Apple how I stood up too quickly, bumped my knee on the damn thing because I forgot to close it, and "would you please fix it for free?"
-- PEte
PS - isn't the TiBook the most beautiful computer ever made? I believe I'll still say it when I'm old and grey.
the reason the imac doesn't have a slot load drive is cause they don't have a slot load superdrive. i have a feeling once they can make them, then they will switch back to slot load on the imac.
i don't know if slot loading is better but appearantly apple does, so i wouldn't count on anything
<strong>the reason the imac doesn't have a slot load drive is cause they don't have a slot load superdrive. i have a feeling once they can make them, then they will switch back to slot load on the imac.
i don't know if slot loading is better but appearantly apple does, so i wouldn't count on anything</strong><hr></blockquote>
Isn't the round shape of the new iMac sort of an obstacle for a change back? There will be quite some space inbetween the tip of the case and the actual drive...
Comments
Let's have a Tray loading device that fully ejects and is replaceable with a second battery or 2nd hard drive.
BUT...
Apple should redesign the tray, so that a thin 4mm solid tray slides out, with a CD thickness indent for 8cm and 15cm disks. I don't think titanium should be used, as Ti is not very hard, and the tray could bend. Maybe a thermoplastic (the whole machine should be carbon fibre thermoplastic anyway) or, since it's a simple shape and solid, carbon nanotube fibre.. ok, that's a stretch.. but we're a lot closer than most people think...
<strong>8mm discs and those funky business card CD's should be banned. Horrible things. Slot loader prevent snags and broken trays. Do we really want to move backwards?</strong><hr></blockquote>
agreed. The rest of these ideas suck ass.
<strong>Let's have a Tray loading device that fully ejects and is replaceable with a second battery or 2nd hard drive.</strong><hr></blockquote>
the old powerbook G3 with the hot-swappable drive bays (for a battery, cd, floppy or whatever) was bloody fantastic. in my opinion...
As for moving backward; one can view adding complexity without incremental performance increse as moving backward.
I also think it's ironic that you want to ban shaped CD's becasue they're design for design's sake (very good argument) to ensure that your design-for-design-sake slot loading drive works with all media..
bonkers...
[ 04-10-2002: Message edited by: JasonPP ]</p>
<strong>I'd love a SuperDrive TiBook.</strong><hr></blockquote>
i would just love a tibook...
Does the current slot loader accept 8cm media reliably? If it does, I could live with it.
<strong>I also think it's ironic that you want to ban shaped CD's becasue they're design for design's sake (very good argument) to ensure that your design-for-design-sake slot loading drive works with all media..</strong><hr></blockquote>Is the slot-load simply form before function? I think there is a functional benefit to not having a tray come out of the computer. It's simpler and less obtrusive.
I'm skeptical of this report, though. Usually AtAT is right-on, but this doesn't make sense.
<strong>Does the current slot loader accept 8cm media reliably?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Nope.
Also, it's Logitech that ships their mouse driver on a mini-cd. At worst it's annoying, since you can just download it (but why do that when support's built in anyway?). Also, if you've got an older TiBook, as I do, and you buy an external CD burner, you can just use that...
<strong>8mm discs and those funky business card CD's should be banned. Horrible things. Slot loader prevent snags and broken trays. Do we really want to move backwards?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Regardless if you think they suck, people do use those weird CDs. If you need to use a CD like that for some reason then you're screwed. That really sucks.
I really don't think it's moving backwards. You notice Apple replaced the slot-loading drives in the iMacs with tray-loaders in the new iMacs.
8mm discs and those funky business card CD's should be banned. Horrible things. Slot loader prevent snags and broken trays. Do we really want to move backwards?
<hr></blockquote>
[quote]Originally posted by EmAn:
<strong>
Regardless if you think they suck, people do use those weird CDs. If you need to use a CD like that for some reason then you're screwed. That really sucks.
I really don't think it's moving backwards. You notice Apple replaced the slot-loading drives in the iMacs with tray-loaders in the new iMacs.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Im gonna have to go with hmurchison on this one. If apple was the kind of company that didnt press the industry to shift focus from normal ideas and technologies, we wouldn't have seen apple drop things like ADB, SCSI.. ect. and pick up and move on with things like USB, Firewire, ADC w/ VGA, ect. If you really need the technologies apple doesnt supply stock, like scsi or the ability to play those stupid mini-cd things, they are availble through 3rd party product developers, which works for them. Apple gets your $ and hopes you to focus on their technologies (good technologies) and third parties get your $ if thats not good enough for you. Thus the computer industry moves on.
yes.
(dust still gets into the drive from those plastic, static-cling-monster CD-ROM and DVD-ROM's, and makes it much harder to clean if needed)
"I think there is a functional benefit to not having a tray come out of the computer. It's simpler and less obtrusive."
That's not a benefit, that's an advantage.
FAB
Feature: Slot loading drive
Advantage: "less obtrusive"
Benefit: um.. well... a little help here people?
[ 04-10-2002: Message edited by: JasonPP ]</p>
<strong>Benefit: um.. well... a little help here people?
</strong><hr></blockquote>
1" TiBook. Cool grinding noises.
edit: been in Germany zu lang. I can't spell anymore.
[ 04-10-2002: Message edited by: GardenOfEarthlyDelights ]</p>
Certainly these aren't "must have" features, but to say that there are no advantages is simply not true.
I've never had to use a business card or 8cm CD, so I can't comment on that problem, but it doesn't seem like that serious of a sortcoming to me....
"One advantage is that there isn't a tray that can be broken."
he he he.. that remindes me of an episode of the Simpsons where Lisa sells Homer a rock to keep tigers away.
"by that logic I can say this rock keeps tigers away"
"How do ya figure"
"Well...you don't see any tigers around do you?"
"Lisa! I want to buy your rock!"
The point is that to remove the tray, there has to be a lot more complicated automated disc grabbing assembly, which could break as well.. no?
Listen. I love the Ti book. I think it's one kick ass computer. I just think OS X has infected Apple with an undercurrent of useless chrome that's evident in descisions that add complexity without adding significant benifit. Maybe it's to keep Windows defectors feeling comfortable..
As for the person who said the slot-load is another element of complexity that could break, I say this: yes, it could break, but I won't be the one to do it through my own stupidity, and I won't have to explain to Apple how I stood up too quickly, bumped my knee on the damn thing because I forgot to close it, and "would you please fix it for free?"
-- PEte
PS - isn't the TiBook the most beautiful computer ever made? I believe I'll still say it when I'm old and grey.
i don't know if slot loading is better but appearantly apple does, so i wouldn't count on anything
<strong>the reason the imac doesn't have a slot load drive is cause they don't have a slot load superdrive. i have a feeling once they can make them, then they will switch back to slot load on the imac.
i don't know if slot loading is better but appearantly apple does, so i wouldn't count on anything</strong><hr></blockquote>
Isn't the round shape of the new iMac sort of an obstacle for a change back? There will be quite some space inbetween the tip of the case and the actual drive...