Testimonials: The SuperDrive - I

The SuperDrive  / CD burners they still have a future if interest on the Mac? This was the theme of our call to witness that generated many responses. They show that the subject is complex, between rejection and in some easements needed and in others for this module inside the Mac.

Apple has already abandoned moods without the floppy drive, it was a daring choice at a time when the Internet did not broadcast that he knows now. But some, we shall see, refutes this parallel. However, Apple has removed the SuperDrive in the Mac mini and a (logically) deprived the MacBook Air from the beginning. She made a further step towards the paperless with the Mac App Store, one-stop shop for its latest software to its operating system. Should we see an evolution carried out at a rapid pace that would make 2012 the year of the disappearance of the SuperDrive in the Mac? In light of the views of such a decision would be received in order at least shared. Here is a selection of some one answer left by readers in the forum on this subject.

Several comments need to continue to exchange and share content returned. Not to mention piracy, there are those situations where data to be shared are large, or the recipient is away or little or not connected. Encoding CD, trivial function, has not been struck down by download services, legal or not.

SSD rather than SD

Among users, however, the SuperDrive has long since disappeared in favor of an association between the hard disk and a second storage volume. Its replacement by a SSD is a sport with a lot of people. As globeman "I have a MacBook Pro 13", I turned the SuperDrive because I do anything serious. I have an SSD in place so I have the advantages of SSD and of storage capacity , something that is sorely lacking in the MacBook Air, because I do not want to put everything in the cloud (eg photos). "

Or Albook "SuperDrive removed from my old PowerBook G4, and have always replaced by a second hard drive in my MacBook Pro. Currently it is even an SSD. " Finally, mmx3 "I have a white MacBook (not unibody) which still has its SuperDrive but has almost never been used, and a MacBook Pro 15" early 2011 when the SuperDrive jumped to an SSD as soon as I ' I received the machine. SuperDrive has never been used "(see also two disks in a MacBook / Pro: Double OWC Test Data, ed). Little by little, CB has reached the same conclusion. He swapped the burner by a support later, but has not completely given up the first "The last use of the external SuperDrive on my MacBook Air has been installing Snow Leopard purchased in box: so that another time. My last film vacation edited via iDVD, I sent it to my family by downloading a disk image from MobileMe. At the last professional seminar I attended, I received a gift 2 USB 8 GB each ... For all these reasons, I finally decided to remove the SuperDrive in my iMac G4 and replace it with an SSD. The recorder will go into a bay external FireWire bought second-hand, just in case. For cons, I installed a new SuperDrive on the G4 Cube that serves as my music server: I buy my music on CD and are now ripped in Apple Lossless at high speed. "

The absence of the SuperDrive is then largely offset by other media or online solutions, such as Unam "In recent months, the user filled MacBook Air 11", I'm going royally. When I want to buy music or rent a movie, I go through iTunes. To light files, I use the mail or USB drives for large files. For software there is the Internet and the Mac App Store. The big publishers are getting into too : Blizzard to buy online games and download them ... which prevents piracy of apps and physical support. "

For graloof with two Mac with a SuperDrive saw its release, the situation is simple "Ultimately it could very well buy an external SuperDrive for every home like a printer: it does not have a computer printer! “ This assessment is especially true for computers sedentary. Some would like to see their MacBook Pro lightened and refined by the disappearance of this material element, except that others see it as a constraint. When traveling, it would again take on a external SuperDrive. We swapped a space for an other. Among the arguments for removing the SuperDrive there is that of reliability. Not so much media that inserts that players / recorders chosen by Apple for its machines. "Having spent 10 years as technician in Apple approved service centers, optical drives have always been failures nests, taking into account those environments created by" smoking "" Macinside notes.

Yip same point in opting for an external solution, however, "The SuperDrive is indispensable, even if I use it soon. In fact I try to avoid as much as possible. On multiple Macs (iMac and MacBook Pro 12 "/ 15") that drive, yet little used, generally screwed up pretty quickly. CD or DVD stuck, prints missed, CD pedal to any copy or import, I have a little fed up with Apple SuperDrive. I want one so Apple MacBook Air 15 "and I'll buy an external drive, but preferably not from Apple."

Finally SergioSL no less critical of Apple in this case as very specific "For as good as the SuperDrive for Mac, Apple may well be all fired! The last three Macs that I had (1 iMac, MacBook 2), and I still have two of them, the SuperDrive dropped from the second year ... and not for excessive use because I burn slightly (a few CD / DVD music and data in the year, and rarely image or video). As they disappear not change much, even for lower prices of those damn Macs! "

Among the opponents or the reluctance to the disappearance of internal SuperDrive we observe very different situations, if not original. For example a reader plovemax, very loyal to two issues of France Culture, grave their podcasts on CD for listening on the move "I have a job where I often drive but when I stop regularly" and then the archive on DVD. Double trouble, but some say it is the only solution found by this user, who also still buys CDs of music he transfers to his account Mac.On also professionals in the field of video and Chavran "Up to today, the SuperDrive is indispensable. 


Cinematographer and director (documentaries for TV channels or commands) I work on a Mac Pro. All I ask for DVD to follow the various stages of assembly (pre-assembly with TC or watching trials) and then the DVD is then used to circulate a "teaser" TV markets. For now it often works well. They are not yet ready to read files dematerialized. To deliver such a large amount of photos (CD / DVD). Then for personal reasons or pros I view my DVD on Mac (great quality monitor speakers and monitoring). Conclusion: If SuperDrives disappear I'll have to acquire an external reader-writer. Whatever Apple says, the DVD still has a future. But I also understand that some may find the SuperDrive superfluous or unnecessary. "