Interesting discussion. I could theoretically get away with not having an optical drive in my MBP, and only use a lightweight external drive for installing software and possibly playing movies. Maybe software will be delivered on flash media in future, maybe via the Internet. Perhaps a subscription to the cloud only for the apps you need?
However..I can't see optical disks being phased out anytime soon although I think that is Apple's desire. The move is toward a model of purchasing everything through the iTunes store, and having everything digital and maybe in the cloud. I'm a bit dubious about the intention, only for the same reason I didn't like Internet Explorer being a core part of the Windows OS, and why I don't like the idea of going to Woolies to buy my milk, bread, motor oil, 4" x 2" timber, phones and everything else. As and aside, in 1995 (when I worked for WA News) I went to a digital conference in Dallas, where the consensus was that by 2005, newspapers would be dead, that all news would be online and that people would read news on a small pocket sized screen. It's now 2011 and while the predictions were reasonable accurate, a cultural change can take longer than we think, even if the technology is capable. There will always be the nerds and gadget freaks who will take it up first, but the general population will always take longer. When it does go, it goes quick and so much so you almost don't notice (eg Vinyl Records -> CDs) Consider how long it has taken the humble 3.5" floppy drive to not be part of a standard (non-Apple) computer. Up until recently, I still had to have a floppy disk with storage controller drivers for 2003 Server installations! So you *may* be right and only time will tell. I think it will take longer than 5 years for the demise of the Optical Drive. Cheers, Stuart On 26/02/11 2:57 PM, "cm" <cm200...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Hi Daniel and Ronni, > > I will save your emails for five years and over a coffee ask you what you > think about them then. :-) > > As Internet bandwidth improves these large, fragile chunks of plastic will > seem more and more last century a bit of an exaggeration but the format is > over 26 years old now and even longer for the first audio CD. There has been a > steady increase in data density but nothing revolutionary. The new Thunderbolt > standard is now rated at 10 GB per second over copper wire - that is one > double sided DVD per second. Imagine how fast the drive would have to spin to > achieve that throughput. The plastic would likely fly apart. Thunderbolt is on > it's way to 100 GB per second over optical cable. > > As an example I yesterday downloaded Lion from the Mac App Store. At pre > national broadband speeds, it took an hour, but I didn't have to pay $10 and > wait two weeks for a DVD to come from California or Asia. > > We will likely migrate to a single drive somewhere in the house for legacy > items I'm already there. And soon after a CD drive will be a curiosity for > audio buffs and Mac service guys. :-) > > Cheers, > Carlo > > Sent from my iPad > > On 26/02/2011, at 14:24, Ronda Brown <ro...@mac.com> wrote: > >> >> On 26/02/2011, at 1:58 PM, Daniel Kerr <wa...@macwizardry.com.au> wrote: >> >>> >>> On 26/2/11 1:51 PM, "Ronda Brown" <ro...@mac.com> wrote: >>> >>>> >>>> On 26/02/2011, at 1:28 PM, Daniel Kerr <wa...@macwizardry.com.au> wrote: >>>> >>>>> it sort of leads to the >>>>> path of not needing an Optical Drive (I'm still not 100% convinced just >>>>> yet >>>>> Carlo, but I might be getting there with other options as well. :op ;O) - >>>>> Had to add that bit,...lol) :o) >>>> >>>> I can't get my head around not having an Optical Drive. I might be 'Old >>>> School' but I want an Optical Drive! >>>> Sorry Carlo, I don't agree with you on this ;-) >>>> >>>> Cheers Ronni (who is melting away in this heat ... Whatever happened to the >>>> sea breezes I always get everyday where I live? The ocean hardly has a >>>> ripple >>>> ... >>>> >>>> >>>> Sent from Ronni's iPad >>>> >>> >>> Hi Ronni >>> >>> Yeh, I'm a bit the same with the Optical Drive. >>> I've done a few with clients where I replaced the Optical drive with an SSD >>> drive in that bay. (ie they had 2 2.5" drives but no burner). And they >>> didn't miss it. Mind you, in the environment they are in, they have a USB >>> Burner they can "share" and lots of computers for "Remote Disc" usage. >>> I suppose as long as you've got one computer with an Optical Drive it would >>> be ok. But for a laptop out on the road, I sometimes think you still need >>> the Optical Drive. >>> Hence I'm still 50/50 on it,..lol. >>> But what will be will be. :o) >>> >>> I just installed CS5 Standard Design Edition and Adobe Acrobat for a client >>> to a 17" MacBookPro, and that was 2 DVD's. So wouldn't want to have >>> downloaded all that off the internet! >>> But I guess, as I said it my other post on this (I think). If that was >>> supplied on a 16GB "security locked" USB Flash Drive so it couldn't be >>> erased then yes, wouldn't need an Optical Drive. >>> >>> Could be just as good. Mass marketed "Adobe" logoed USB drives with the >>> software and manual on the 8 or 16GB Flash Drive. Locked so the client can't >>> erase it and a card with the serial number then that would work. >>> Smaller box to supply too I would think. Costing for them would work out the >>> same one would imagine. >>> So yeh, suppose there's other ways to do it. >>> >>> And yes, I agree on the heat! We need a bit of a cold snap I think. (Had >>> over 4 hours of no power again last night from about 9.30pm to 2am). Sigh. >>> >>> Kind Regards >>> Daniel >> >> Hi Daniel, >> >> Yep, I understand. I've been upgrading my MacMini today, you know where it is >> located under my TV & Entertainment Unit, & how hard it is to get to the back >> of MM to connect to firewire port & USB ports. I say bad words everytime I >> have to unplug an EyeTV unit or Firewire Drive from it. >> >> So easy to just slot the Discs into the Optical Drive on the front ;-) >> >> Cheers, >> Ronni >> >> Sent from Ronni's iPad >> >> >> >> -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- >> Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> >> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> >> Unsubscribe - <mailto:wamug-unsubscr...@wamug.org.au> >> > > > > -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- > Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> > Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> > Unsubscribe - <mailto:wamug-unsubscr...@wamug.org.au> > Stuart Evans T4 Technology ALBANY Shop 6, 69 Lockyer Avenue, Albany, WA, 6330 T> 08 9842 9660 F> 08 9842 9664 E> stuart.ev...@t4.com.au BUNBURY Unit 2/14 Rose Street, Bunbury, WA, 6230 T> 08 9721 9660 F> 08 9842 9664 P PLEASE CONSIDER THE ENVIRONMENT BEFORE YOU PRINT THIS E-MAIL ____________________________________________________________________________ _________________________ IMPORTANT INFORMATION: DISCLAIMER This correspondence is for the named person's use only. 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