Mac Pro - Optical Drive Will Not Open

This is my greatest frustration with my MacPro. Why in the world didn't they put an "open" button on the Optical Drive (CD drive)?

Such a simple thing as opening the drawer to remove a disc becomes a BIG deal when it won't respond to the open command. I had to exit everything, shut down and restart the MacPro before the Optical Drive (CD) drawer would open. This should NOT be necessary.

I had similar frustations with my iPod when it would not shut off and there was no ON/OFF switch. I had to leave it on until the battery ran down completely. Again, it should NOT be necessary when a simple physical switch would do the job. I guess it's an Apple thing. This is one area where the PCs have it RIGHT.