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Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook Pro

Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

I wish they'd ditch the optical on the iMac.

Ethernet or firewire? Meh, I might just need those. But definitely not the optical drive. I'll be surprised if there's any Mac that has one come the end of this year.
 
Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

I like that it has an HDMI port. I don't know what I would ever use that for on a laptop, but I like that it's there. :p
 
Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

I like that it has an HDMI port. I don't know what I would ever use that for on a laptop, but I like that it's there. :p

Before we had an Internet-capable streaming device (i.e., Xbox 360) in our apartment, my wife and I would plug my laptop into our television via HDMI to watch stuff on Netflix Instant Watch, so there's that.

I couldn't give up an optical drive at this point, though. When I buy a DVD, I rip it and put it onto my iPad so I can watch it while I'm traveling for work.
 
Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

Maybe someday these things will come with removable batteries.
 
Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

. When I buy a DVD, I rip it and put it onto my iPad so I can watch it while I'm traveling for work.

Do you use HandBrake? I can't get it to work with any DVD I have, it bitches about copy protection.

As for HDMI, I'm wondering why it's not the standard for video connections on all Apple gear. Why do they keep having to fuck around with this 'DisplayPort' crap?
 
Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

. When I buy a DVD, I rip it and put it onto my iPad so I can watch it while I'm traveling for work.

Do you use HandBrake? I can't get it to work with any DVD I have, it bitches about copy protection.

I use a separate program to rip the DVD, then Handbrake to compress the video. (Handbrake used to have the functionality to strip CSS protection from discs, but that was removed a few years ago.)

As for HDMI, I'm wondering why it's not the standard for video connections on all Apple gear. Why do they keep having to fuck around with this 'DisplayPort' crap?

Presumably because Thunderbolt was built upon DisplayPort technology with funding and collaboration from Apple.
 
Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

I prefer to have the older model's setup with an optical drive for one very specific reason - so I can rip the thing out and install a 2nd internal HD (or SSD). With the new ones I can't do that (or upgrade the HD if I want to for that matter).
 
Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

Firewire and Ethernet will work via the Thunderbolt chain (which is 12x faster than firewire) and a simple adapter cable.

You can use any $30 usb dvd/cd burner and only plug it in when you actually need it, too....
 
Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

The more things change, the more they stay the same. I once had an IBM laptop. It didn't come with a CD-ROM drive. In order to install software, I had to buy a PC-MCIA version. Now look at the new mac, granted they are much thinner, but they are doing the same thing all over again.
 
Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

Maybe now the previous generation's price will drop.
 
Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

The more things change, the more they stay the same. I once had an IBM laptop. It didn't come with a CD-ROM drive. In order to install software, I had to buy a PC-MCIA version. Now look at the new mac, granted they are much thinner, but they are doing the same thing all over again.

With major software programs become available via electronic download through app stores etc etc this sort of thing is become more and more common.

Think the software manufacturers will like it as well. Sure their internet connectivity isn't totally cheaper but for companies such as Microsoft and Adobe it's probably a lot cheaper to provide the software via download then produce CDs or DVDs.
 
Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

Removing the optical drive is fair enough as most people don't rely on them on a day-to-day basis any more, and it simplifies chassis design in terms of cooling.

Removing Firewire is fair enough as almost nobody uses it (though you'd still expect a product commonly used by professionals to have it, given how many pro quality peripherals such as external soundcards use it).

But removing ethernet? SERIOUSLY? Are they retarded? Sure, you don't need it when you're on the move (with portability being one of the original selling points of laptops), but the vast majority of people use their laptops in fixed positions within reach of a wired switch/router much of the time, and a great number of those people have the common sense to use wired over wireless whenever and wherever possible.

I guess they're just trying to replace as many connectors as possible with their general purpose proprietary one so that they can make money from selling overpriced adapters. Typical Apple. I guess if somebody is willing to spend a few grand on an Apple product, they're probably either able to afford all the overpriced accessories to go with it anyway, or they're just gigantic Apple fanboy hipster morons that don't realise or don't care that they're being ripped off.
 
Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

I'd argue its too soon to ditch the optical drive but whatever, Apple.
 
Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

I agree that it's a little too soon to ditch the optical drive. I use my laptops optical drive every time I travel as a bluray player at the hotel and/or when staying at my grandma's. Also came in handy for the reception at Dad's funeral as we hooked it up to a projector and used it to run the slideshow.
 
Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

Apple tends to be on the forefront on adding and taking away of technology. I would support your insistence if it was the entire line, but it's still safe in the other MacBook Pros. For how long, that will be interesting to see. I really like Apple when they do things like this, they move forward the entire computer industry. You can dislike Apple all you want but you cannot deny their ability to fundamentally change the way companies approach manufacturing computer and what they offer consumers.

I will be saving my pennies to acquire one of these very soon.

I'd argue its too soon to ditch the optical drive but whatever, Apple.
 
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