Q: No DVD drive in new iMac ???

R C-R wrote:

 

Csound1 wrote (about the USB to FW adaptor):

 

Add me, it looks like it adapts the plug, not the protocols.

Yep. Just because the plugs fit doesn't mean it does anything useful.

 

OT: reminds me of when I had an electronics repair business. We made up custom audio cables for customers & displayed a few samples on a point-of-sale pegboard. As a joke, I made up an XLR (mic connector) to garden hose "adaptor" & (my favorite) a BNC to dinner fork one & displayed them along with the real ones.

Edison to F Connector was always good for a laugh

crh24 wrote:

This is the most definitive  Apple source I've found on USB ports on Mac computers.

FWIW, this is the section of the USB System Information for my wired Apple aluminum keyboard plugged into my 2012 iMac, showing a low current, low speed Kensington trackball & my Nikon plugged into its two ports:

Apple1987 wrote:

So would the FireWire 400 to 800 adapter and then a FireWire 800 to Thunderbolt adapter combination that MichelPM mentioned above have a better chance of adapting the protocols?

It won't change USB protocols into Firewire ones or vise versa but it will let you use (most) FW 400 devices with a Thunderbolt port. I have both of these adaptors (the Apple Thunderbolt to FW 800 & an Inland brand FW 800 to 400 one) & they work well with all except one of my FW 400 external hard drives.

For some reason, my old Buffalo "DriveStation" HD isn't recognized if plugged directly into this adaptor chain, but it does if plugged into the passthrough FW 400 port of one of the other drives & that drive is connected to the chain. I think that has something to do with the Buffalo's auto-power sensing feature but I'm not sure about that.

R C-R wrote:

 

El Deanio wrote:

Most maybe, but sadly not all in my experience.  I recently bought an LG 'Super Multi Blue' (well, that's what it says on the case) BD Rewriter.

Which LG model did you get? Was it an LG branded one or something else? Note that at least one of the bus-powered LG branded models requires simultaneous connection to two USB ports to get enough power for high speed burning.

 

That's a limitation of USB 1 & 2 devices -- to be compliant a port must limit its power demand to no more than 1/2 amp (2.5 watts) to prevent a protected hub from shutting down that port. Several bus powered USB 2 devices besides the LG one get around this limitation by providing for simultaneous connections to two ports, doubling the available power. (See this for a more complete explanation.)

 

Also worth noting: high speed burning generally requires more power (as does burning an M-disk) so even burners that provide for two-port bus power don't usually support the fastest burn speeds. Some provide for using an external supply & only support their fastest burning speeds when so powered.

 

Unfortunately, often sales brochures & sometimes even user manuals are not too clear about this.

Sorry. I missed this post and didn't mean to be rude. 

This is the one I use. http://www.lg.com/us/data-storage/lg-BP06LU10

Thanks for the info.

El Deanio wrote:

This is the one I use. http://www.lg.com/us/data-storage/lg-BP06LU10

 

Thanks for the info.

According to the review on that site by user "Uzbeckin" this is one of the ones that requires two USB ports, one just for extra power. Have you been using it that way?

Wow. I just realized that. Good thing I didn't buy one. I've been looking to upgrade my old system. Why on earth would I spend $2000 on a computer that doesn't have a DVD player? OMG How stupid can they get. I use DVD's all the time! Movies/backups/pictures you name it. Apparently Apple doesn't know what a DVD is. Oh well, I'll go talk to Dell now. I hate that too. I friggin hate windows. But not as bad as a DVD-less computer. Maybe next design cycle, when they put the DVD back, I'll be in the market again. Reminds me of Coca-Cola switching formulas. They forgot to check with the customers.

Why oh why do people still like DVDs? Just get an external drive and put all your movies on there. You get faster access times and it's way easier to search and organize your files. Also firewire can be done through thunderbolt.

New iMacs are awesome.

You guys still got your undies in a knot over the non drive issue?? wow.... Talk about beating a dead horse..

The horse is not dead yet.  If it was, you would not have posted.

Sounds like the hew and cry that took place when the floppy drives were discontinued. I just went out and bought an external Teac USB floppy drive.

And by the way, that old Floppy Drive still works in my brand spanking new 27" iMac (sort of...)

It's clear that Apple are making the inevitible happen sooner rather than later. To get us used to the whole digital thing. Saying that Sony tried it with the PSP Go and failed massively. Mainly due to the price asking for £200 + for a console that is very old, just re-designed and a lot smalled than the PSP-3000. I reckon if it was still going and they released it now at around £70-£100 it would be a killer.

Trust me, in a few years time or maybe even less than that you really won't care that there's no DVD drive. If you really need to load discs into your Mac then like everyone is saying, just buy an external. You don't need to splash out on Apples Superdrive unless your crazy about aesthetics. Even though there are some externals (even blu-rays up for cheaper prices than the superdrives that look just as nice and blend well with a Macbook or iMac)

a few years? i hope to be using my optical drive 10 years from now on my old imac. of course it won't be much good for the internet anymore. should i buy a chromebook to sit next to it? i looked at my imac this morning and i have 11 applications that i use that don't require the internet and six of those won't run on the new imacs without upgrading my software or hardware. windows? forget it but a mix of an old imac and a new chromebook looks pretty good right now. to keep it in the family i may get an old macbook instead of a chromebook but either way apple will miss out on a new imac sale. and they won't have a clue as to why. they'll just say that mac sales are dropping because everyone is switching to tablets.

I made disk images of all the programs that are on DVDs and put them on another HD. (Final Cut Studio has 6-7 DVDs.) The disk images (programs) install faster (realy fast) and I don't have to baby sit the installation. Final Cut Studio was taking 3 to 4 hours to install. It now take less than 30 minutes!!!

Optical drives will be around for more than a few years, no doubt about it!  Apple is just anxious to push people into purchasing their digital content from their online store.

It defeats the purpose of the 'super thin design' if you have to dangle a bunch of accessories off the back and use up all your USB ports doing so. If Apple is designing something to add value or save the consumer money, then they can justify it. I just opted out of a new iMac because they suddenly decided to bury DVD's. By the same token, I never bought the New Coke. Apple is not going to gain market share making bad consumer decisions. If I wanted a stripped down computer, I'd buy a tablet. It's thinner than a iMac. If they want to turn an iMac into a tablet, they are going to lose the desktop market.

I wonder what the Apple investors think about all this? I forsee some unhappy people.

Dangle? I have all of my devices, external HD, modem and DVD drive 4-6 feet from my computer, hidden from view!!!

Many would agree with your assessment.