No DVD drive in new iMac ???

psnikon wrote:

I'm sure over $530 is very comforting to those who paid over $570 in the recent past...

And those who paid far less in the slightly longer term.

psnikon wrote:

No. I'm not going to post links to your replies.

psnikon wrote:

I remember Apple stock selling for about $12 a share. Of course Steve Jobs wasn't around. Hey... Wait a minute...

Exactly.

I've bought between 75 and 100 Macs, maybe a bit more than that, in the last 20 years. Why would my opinion matter? 🙂

Your opinion matters exactly the same amount as anyone else's does.

Hemlaw wrote:

I've bought between 75 and 100 Macs, maybe a bit more than that, in the last 20 years. Why would my opinion matter? 🙂

I'm sure Apple appreciates your business, but to keep things in perspective consider that in the last three fiscal years alone, Apple sold over 51 million Macs according to its reports to the SEC.

From Apple's perspective, the question is how many iMac, Mac Mini, etc. sales will it lose because they no longer have built-in optical drives. Realistically, the relatively few comments posted here saying that is a deal breaker will do little if anything to convince Apple to develop a new iMac line with built-in optical drives. Sending feedback to Apple might make a little more difference, but not much.

For those contemplating buying a new iMac in the immediate future, it comes down to a simple choice: either buy one (with or without an external optical), or don't.

Didn't we go through all this gloom and doom talk when Apple removed the floppy drive from the Mac?

To me it is that same thing all over again. It appears that as soon as Apple see the need drops for an accessory they drop it. This always causes an uproar until all the other vendors falls into line and drops it also.

With need for the optical drive dropping like the floppy did, I think that there is no chance of getting Apple to back down on this just as they never backed down on their floppy decision.

Allan

And we didn't complain when Apple dropped support for the Zip or Jaz (total garbage) Drive.

Not to mention the change away from PPC processors, and so on ....

David M Brewer wrote:

And we didn't complain when Apple dropped support for the Zip or Jaz (total garbage) Drive.

Actually, you can still use a USB Zip drive if you still have one, even with Mavericks, although I have no idea why anybody would want to do that. (I just checked with an old Iomega brand Zip drive I still have & it still works!)

Allan Eckert wrote:

Didn't we go through all this gloom and doom talk when Apple removed the floppy drive from the Mac?

Sure. Every time Apple does something like this there are those that predict it will be The End of Apple As We Know It. Then, a few years later, it has become such a non-issue that only a few users even remember what all the fuss was about.

When Apple does it again, we go through the same thing, sometimes with a This Time Will Be Different addition.

It is unquestionably the end of Apple, a schedule is not available for implementation of 'the end'

But it might be different.

Ridiculous that a home computer can be sold without a optical drive. Seriously? Even if there was some logical reason not to have it built into the iMac, they could at least give you the external drive when you spend thousands of dollars on their computers. Apple just wants to nickel and dime you every chance they get. I got a new iMac and they transferred all my old data over to the new one, except for programs I purchased and registered. Now I can't re-register the same disc, so what, I have to spend hundreds more on Logic, again? I bet the next series of iMacs won't come with a keyboard or mouse, or hard drive, or something ridiculous like that.

mjg556 wrote:

Ridiculous that a home computer can be sold without a optical drive. Seriously? Even if there was some logical reason not to have it built into the iMac, they could at least give you the external drive when you spend thousands of dollars on their computers.

I don't want an optical drive, why should I have to pay for one just because you want one.

Buy it yourself.

mjg556 wrote:

Ridiculous that a home computer can be sold without a optical drive. Seriously? Even if there was some logical reason not to have it built into the iMac, they could at least give you the external drive when you spend thousands of dollars on their computers.

First of all, iMacs are not just home computers anymore. They are quite powerful enough & cost effective for many uses outside the home, including in many professional environments.

Second, & more to the point, why make everybody pay for something that only some want? Neither Apple nor any other company will actually "give" you anything for free -- one way or another you pay for it. Personally, I don't have a need for an optical drive with my 2012 vintage iMac, but if I did I would not even consider Apple's slot-loading "Superdrive" because there are far better, higher performance choices to choose from, many of which do not cost as much as Apple's external Superdrive, or even in some cases what Apple would have charged for a built-in one.

If you guys actually read what I wrote, you'd see that I said it should be included with the purchase of the computer, part of the cost, so you wouldn't be paying anymore for it. If you don't want it, don't take it, or don't use it, or just get rid of it. A computer without an optical drive is like buying a car that doesn't come with tires, it's stupid. Just because a dozen or so people on the planet don't actually want a optical drive doesn't mean the tens of thousands or so people who buy Macs and would like one should be inconvenienced. Aside from watching movies or burning music, which isn't THAT important, I shouldn't have to pay 80 bucks for an external optical just to be ABLE to install new software that I already have to purchase. If you don't want the drive then don't use it. If anything, it should be cheaper to buy the computer and opt out of having the optical drive if you don't want it. Apple already makes a killing on their products, they can afford to offer an optional optical drive to people for christ's sake.