SuperDrive on MacBook Pro

There is an article which tells of three Apple adapters that may work with

the Apple USB SuperDrive; conditionally all may work. Uncertain which.

• Mac computers that can use the Apple USB SuperDrive

• (Document Type: Document)Jun 21, 2017. The Apple USB SuperDrive and MacBook Air SuperDrive are compatible with any Mac made after 2008 that doesn’t have a built-in optical drive. To connect your SuperDrive to your MacBook (2015 and later), or your MacBook Pro (2016 and later), you can use one of these adapters...
• https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202665

This document + link should be similar to one previously noted or within one.

And if you can buy from an Apple store you could ask a sales rep beforehand

as in before payment. They offer a return policy. ~ These differ from Authorized

Apple Resellers & Service Providers; who as independent dealers, can vary.

A reasonable purpose to acquire the OWC unit would be as part of a home hub

or dock; where you'd have other hardware you'd want to interface with MBk/Pro.

Good luck & happy trails! 🙂

A power-through adapter will provide something for Apple USB SuperDrive to run.

Apple sells some. ~ An extravagant 'does most everything' an example to consider:

OWC 13-Port Thunderbolt 3 Dock - Space Gray - MacSales.com

OWC's new Thunderbolt 3 Dock brings connectivity, delivers charging power

to your laptop and other devices, all with just one Thunderbolt 3 cable.

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TB3DK13PSG/

The smaller simpler one still does not provide power to the Apple USB SuperDrive

and you still need to adapt to regular USB. Better options cost more & look ahead.

• Using USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports and adapters on your Mac notebook - Apple Support

All the adapters you need to buy for MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt3| MacWorld (2017)

https://www.macworld.com/article/3136583/macbook-accessories/macbook-pro-thunder bolt....

Check where you get these various adapters, be sure they've good returns policy;

& read Apple support documents, or related ones that cover newer Mac portables.

Good luck & happy trails! 🙂

It has to be “direct”, although that can include a passive adapter. A simple USB-C/USB-A adapter will work like this one:

Amazon.com: AUKEY USB C Adapter, [2 Pack] USB C to USB 3.0 Adapter for Galaxy S8 S8+ Note8, MacBook Pro, Google Pixel 2 …

abbafromca wrote:

The OWC Dock is pretty pricey and also large and heavy, making transport with the laptop a problem, but I'll consider it.

I'm a novice, so what is a "Power-through adapter"? and will it work of the SuperDrive? Is it the Apple USB-C/USB-3 cable?

Other than the ones mentioned, you have to directly connect through some sort of passive adapter, and the USB-C to USB adapter is one. It's going to reject it if you use any kind of multi-port USB hub.