No DVD drive in new iMac ???

Carousel wrote:

I have a lot of DVD's, but I just hate extra stuff. So, trying to decide between the old model or the new one. The new one just sounds like a glorified Air.

The new iMacs are a lot more than a glorified Air. They have excellent low glare, individually color calibrated screens & powerful graphics processors, which should be a big plus for your Photoshop work. The built-in sound system is amazingly good & they run almost dead silent, which should make audio edits in Final Cut easier & more accurate.

Compared to earlier iMacs, the new super thin ones run remarkably cool, even though they are far more powerful. My 2012 27" iMac literally runs cool to the touch & the new ones with Haswell CPU's should run even cooler. If you are used to the fans spooling up noisily under heavy workloads in the older ones, you will really appreciate this.

As for extra stuff, if you think about it a large DVD collection is itself a whole lot of extra space-eating stuff, so a compact bus-powered external reader or burner isn't really that much extra to add to that. One of these will fit nicely below the screen next to the stand "foot" & with a forward facing slot or tray it's a little easier to use than the old side-loading built-in ones.

If you absolutely, positively have to have a built-in optical drive then the new ones aren't for you -- but you will be missing out on what is unquestionably a much better, far more powerful & refined machine.

What is the newest iMac model WITH the internal optical drive? I am looking to buy a refurbished model and want to retain the internal drive.

You are actually better off with the USB External that Apple sells right now for under $100.

Yes, the flock of Apple Geniuses at the local Apple store told me that same and I am considering that well. However, I still want to know what is the newest iMac model with the internal optical drive? I am looking on eBay as well. Cannot afford a shiny, new computer. Refurbished is fine.

pacobell73 wrote:

What is the newest iMac model WITH the internal optical drive? I am looking to buy a refurbished model and want to retain the internal drive.

That would be one of these:

• The "iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2011)" model, Model ID: iMac 12.1; Model number A1311; order number MC978LL/A

* The "iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)" model, Model ID: iMac 12.2; Model number A1312; order number MC813LL/A (2.7 GHz) or MC814LL/A (3.1 GHz)

Please keep in mind that Apple's slot-loading "Superdrives" (including the external ones) are not particularly robust or high performance. Personally, I would not even consider a refurb that had a built-in one unless it came from Apple & I could afford to get the three year Applecare extended coverage with it. If I planned on using an optical drive much, I would buy one of the many external ones now on the market. Some of them are quite cheap & perform at least as well as Apple's.

Carousel,

I have a 2009 iMac with a built-in Superdrive. Very recently, however, my Superdrive started rejecting DVD blanks, refusing to burn even top-quality media. The cost: around $50 for an external combo drive, or over $200 for a repair.

I've since been able to squeeze a little more life out of my iMac's Superdrive - but I've also some to realize the wisdom of a design that keeps the combo drive seperate. I use my Superdrive daily, and I'm happy I have one, but the all-in-one design, while conceptually appealing, makes a whole lot less sense when you're one of the thousands who are stuck with dead, dying, or malfunctioning iMac Superdrives.

There's a reason Apple decided to remove the Superdrive from the chassis of the iMac. Actually, lots of reasons. Decreased heat. Reduced noise. Reliable, replaceable media drive. Smaller, thinner all-in-ones.

R C-R: you make a very interesting point. I have an old G4 from 2002, the first to have a DVD burner. The drive needed to be replaced in 2009 and that was after extensive use. It owed me nothing. Apple has lost touch with its mass audience by removing the internal drive and FireWire. Consumers want one-stop shopping, not the thinnest version yet but at a cost by having to buy "add-on" just to get the basic. They made the same mistake with the iPhone by substituting AppleMaps for standard Google.

The old G4 is long ready for retirement. I do loads of video/audio editing, and need an IMac that can support the latest FCPX and Abelton Live 9. I am thinking of a new MacBook Pro or iMac with internal drive and FireWire.

pacobell73 wrote:

The old G4 is long ready for retirement. I do loads of video/audio editing, and need an IMac that can support the latest FCPX and Abelton Live 9. I am thinking of a new MacBook Pro or iMac with internal drive and FireWire.

Of course you need to make the decision based on what best suits your needs, but do be aware that the latest iMacs are substantially more powerful & have far better displays than the last ones with built-in Firewire ports. Both should be big benefits for users doing AV editing.

BTW, the Apple Thunderbolt to Firewire adaptor works quite well (I have one) if you need FW capability. It adds about $30 to the overall price of an iMac solution.

Most of my editing peers are selling their older Intel-based iMacs for the newer one you speak of because of the amazing power the new ones possess. Shelling out the extra $$$ for FireWire adapters and external, overall more durable burners are worth it to them. In their eyes, Apple made the right move. I guess coming from G4 world, this is a big change in more ways than I can wrap my head around.

Dumb question and probably not the correct forum for this: are the most current MacBook Pro and MacBook Airs good for FCPX and Abelton Live 9? Have they also depensed of the built-in internal drive and FireWire connection ?

poikkeus1 wrote:

Carousel,

I have a 2009 iMac with a built-in Superdrive. Very recently, however, my Superdrive started rejecting DVD blanks, refusing to burn even top-quality media. The cost: around $50 for an external combo drive, or over $200 for a repair.

when you're one of the thousands who are stuck with dead, dying, or malfunctioning iMac Superdrives.

There's a reason Apple decided to remove the Superdrive from the chassis of the iMac. Actually, lots of reasons. Decreased heat. Reduced noise. Reliable, replaceable media drive. Smaller, thinner all-in-ones.

Well, thats not true at all.

If you Superdive immediate pops out disks its a damaged loader (9 times out of 10)

If it pops out disks after several seconds its a dirty lens (almost always)

However you should note that are SO MANY diff. types of blank media DVD out there, no burner will 'eat' more than about 60% of them for burning.

Heat is not an issue with the Superdrive, never was.

The 'reliability' factor isnt actually true. Its the fact that people were sticking all kinds of things in the Superdrive, including junk media and blaming the Superdrive was "bad", when it wasnt

also dirty lens and then reads and burns dont work, which is NO fault OF the Superdrive itself, rather the user sticking in dirty DVD and disks (very very common!)

Other reasons too of course, online downloads etc. etc.

However archival DVD professional burns are important, such as century disks rated for 100+ years of life.

DVD for media CONSUMPTION a near extinct animal.

However for archival media data, it is still VERY PRICELESS. There is NO good cheap long term data storage other than professional DVD century disks People need something that is not magnetically based.

😊

R C-R Texas, USA

keep in mind that Apple's slot-loading "Superdrives" (including the external ones) are not particularly robust or high performance. Personally, I would not even consider a refurb that had a built-in one unless it came from Apple & I could afford to get the three year Applecare extended coverage with it.

Well, this generalization is incorrect. Older Superdrives were made by Hitachi, new ones made by Panasonic.

I have repaired at least 30 Apple (not-Apple made) Superdrives, ...99 time of 100 they are very easy fixes and are either A: loader issue or B: not really a "fix" but a dirty laser diode lens.

As for insurance on a Superdrive that would be unwise, since a new replacement Superdrive is only $40 on ebay and not much more from OWC. As such it is cheap-time to replace one.

I have "repaired" many many Superdrives that merely had a dirty laser diode lens, ...a '10 second' repair requiring almost no effort.

Many people are unhappy with Apple for ommiting the optical drive. By not including an optical drive, users are more likely to purchase content on-line from Apple. Ommiting the drive also reduces manufacturing complexity for Apple. A win-win for Apple, a lose-lose for the consumer.

There is also NOT ONE conveniently placed USB port or SD card slot on the new iMac. This also reduces manufacturing complexity for Apple, while screwing the consumer.

PlotinusVeritas wrote:

As for insurance on a Superdrive that would be unwise, since a new replacement Superdrive is only $40 on ebay and not much more from OWC. As such it is cheap-time to replace one.

It isn't a cheap fix for recent iMacs, since they are not designed to be opened by consumers & doing so will probably damage the gasket that holds the screen in place, as well as possibly damaging the short cables that need to be unplugged to remove the screen. You also need (at a minimum) one or two "Torx" screwdrivers & a 'spunger' to remove the parts.

If anybody is thinking of doing this yourself, I strongly recommend that you first look for a teardown guide from iFixIt & see if it is a job you think you can handle before trying it.

It is correct that internal Imac repair is a 'pain'. My least fave mac to replace parts on.

One person screen removal requires a bit of ingenuity.

Yes, those who havent spent a good amount of time repairing other computers, Imac repair is not for the "faint of heart".

*I have not and would not recommend someone do it that doesnt have some good computer repair skills.

Older Imacs (2007 2008 2009) are a "breeze" to repair, but still a pain.

The FIX itself is cheap, the $40 superdrive, but most dont need to be replaced, and most have just a dirty laser lens or loader

By not including an optical drive, users are more likely to purchase content on-line from Apple.

Chicken and egg there. Perhaps - and this is just a guess - the market is moving relentlessly away from optical media. Perhaps consumers like and want the convenience of downloaded material. I live in a house with two teenagers, 26k tracks in the music section of iTunes, 400+ movies, 60+ TV series and no one here has bought anything on optical media in more than two years. This experience is common among my kids and their friends. They don't go into 'Record Stores'. They find new music on Spotify and YouTube. Although we shoot and edit family movies all the time, we haven't burned a disk in a similar time fraame. When we share them with famil across the world, we do so electronically. It's faster and more convenient. Truth is, looking over at my 2.5 year old iMac, I didn't need an optical drive at all.

And if you believe Apple are "screwing the consumer" why on earth would you do business with them? Would you continue to shop at a local store if they were screwing you?