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Whither the Portable Optical Drive?

Posted by timothy on from the do-you-stream-or-spin dept.

"The MacBook Air and the Ultrabook come without a piece of hardware that's been a mainstay in laptops for a long time — the optical drive," says a piece at CNET. "Maybe because they really aren't that necessary anymore." I would have thought otherwise a few years ago, but traveling in the meantime with a small netbook was certainly handy. Since that machine died, I think I've used the optical drive in its low-end laptop successor a grand total of once, which was to test its wireless compatibility with a Live CD Linux distro.

5 of 440 comments (clear)

  1. Speak for yourself by unity100 · · Score: 5, Informative

    There are a lot of situations in which people need to use optical drives on laptops. The uses range from gaming to application installs, to backup.

    Only having to use your portable with alive cd to 'test wireless compatibility' tells me that you are a sysadmin, or another i.t. professional. chances are high that you rarely do what normal people do with that portable but work. let me break the news about common people to you - people still move data on cds.

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    1. Re:Speak for yourself by amanicdroid · · Score: 5, Informative

      My external DVD burner works brilliantly for the rare occasions that I need it and shaves unnecessary bulk from my daily carry.

      I've spoken for myself per request.

  2. Four uses remain by tepples · · Score: 5, Informative

    Gaming in markets with broadband? Steam. Application installs in markets with broadband? Mac App Store, Ubuntu Software Center (which has paid repos now) or whatever Windows has. Moving data from one PC to another? USB flash drives. On-site backup? External hard drives, especially if your data is over the 4.something GB limit for DVD-R or DVD+R media.

    But this still leaves several uses for optical discs: 1. operating system installations, 2. application installations in places that can't get DSL, FTTH, or cable Internet, 3. burning music CDs for people who don't already own and use a suitable PMP, or 4. burning DVDs for the large number of people who own a DVD player that happens not to have a USB input and don't already have a home theater PC. I admit most of these can be done on a USB burner kept at home, and that's what I use with my 10" Dell.

    1. Re:Four uses remain by PCM2 · · Score: 5, Informative

      4. burning DVDs for the large number of people who own a DVD player that happens not to have a USB input and don't already have a home theater PC.

      I love /. sometimes. Careful analysis reveals that an optical drive can be used for burning files from BitTorrent, while missing the glaringly obvious: They put optical drives in laptops so people can play DVDs.

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  3. Hello, 1999 or 2000 rather by siddesu · · Score: 5, Informative

    My first "netbook" without an optical drive was a Sony Vaio Picturebook - like this one: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press_Archive/199809/98-085/index.html. I used it happily on the road until about 2003, when I upgraded to a Victor Interlink - like this one: http://www.kemplar.com/jvc_741.php.

    Both still work, and the Victor with Linux still puts most netbooks to shame.