Yep, Apple Killed The CD Today

Yep, Apple Killed The CD Today
Yep, Apple Killed The CD Today

Do I agree with this? Well there is: itunes store, the iOS app store, the new OS X app store, the new MBA OS reinstall drive and the TV with it's streaming service. That's a lot of things that don't use optical discs. I'm sure people like Sony with their blu-ray discs will disagree with this totally. And sure this will not happen overnight. But if Apple have started on the long road to the death of the round media disc there is a lot of evidence to make it sound very plausible.

More links:
Apple Killed The CD When It Stopped Using It As The iTunes Logo
Apple Killed The CD About Time Macbook Air owners rejoice | TrendyPress

Meh. So, they included a flash drive with one model that doesn't happen to have an optical drive standard. I don't think that's killing off the optical disc, as much as addressing the value problem with the MacBook Air not having one or including the USB SuperDrive. Talk about an overzealous commentary.

That is a pretty slick way to deliver the OS reinstall, BTW... unfortunately, I'm sure users will still find a way to lose it. I think we should have a door prize for the first person who posts here asking how to reinstall their OS when they've lost their USB fob

So, I've recently purchased a MacBook Air and have lost my USB drive. Now, as I understand it, posting my question here enters me into some sort of door prize contest. If you can enter me into this contest and also help me with this question, that would be great. Thank you from a new MacBook Air owner. Super excited!

The CD and other optical discs, like DVDs and Blu-rays, are obviously going to live on for a while as a way to transport media. But make no mistake that today, with two unveilings, Apple has effectively sealed the fate of the optical disc in the computer industry. Soon, it will go the way of the floppy disk.

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Someone can have my door prize if they can find the contradiction in this part of the blog post.

vansmith said:

So, I've recently purchased a MacBook Air and have lost my USB drive. Now, as I understand it, posting my question here enters me into some sort of door prize contest. If you can enter me into this contest and also help me with this question, that would be great. Thank you from a new MacBook Air owner. Super excited!

Someone can have my door prize if they can find the contradiction in this part of the blog post.

Click to expand...

Quote:
The CD and other optical discs, like DVDs and Blu-rays, are obviously going to live on for a while as a way to transport media. But make no mistake that today, with two unveilings, Apple has effectively sealed the fate of the optical disc in the computer industry. Soon, it will go the way of the floppy disk.

haHa...They will live on for a while, but will soon be gone....what did I win?

Good one Van. That does contradict.

Chef, knowing van and his love for Unix, you probably won a Open Suse live CD!

I do agree also with CWA. The first Macbook Air was a pain as you either had to purchase a $99 external optical drive or have another computer to use it's Optical drive. The Flash drive with the OS Reinstall is a GREAT idea for that machine as it's really to thin to have an optical drive built in.

That does not mean the end of the Optical media. I bet though down the road that will happen but not very soon.

I have a Netbook (Boo, want an Air) and have a USB Flash drive with my OS Reinstall that I carry with it just in case. A lot handier than a CD/DVD external for such a small machine.

I think the demise of the CD drive has been in the works for a long time, But I don't think Apple or any one Corporation in particular should get credit for it. DTravis made a good point about the original MBA and Netbooks (Which are extremely popular) It's been a gradual process for a couple of years now.

For me I'm more excited to see flash memory take the place of traditional hard drives.

A not including a feature on a computer with a small market share from a company with a small market share doesn't really dictate that the feature is dead, or even a bad feature. Everything obsoletes eventually. I'd suggest that the consumers' willingness to pay for a feature, or their preference for another feature dictates obsolescence.

To quote a user on the VWVortex form, "This article is a blatant nut-hugging by an Apple fanboy."

Napster? Other downloadable music services before iTunes? Steam? Netflix? Thumb drives and other cheap solid stage portable storage? Netbooks that never had CD/DVD drives? Programs downloadable straight from the creator's website?

You can download PhotoShop and Light Room trials and enter purchased serial numbers to make them the full version.

Apple's latest MBA has done nothing extraordinary in making the disc extinct.

Village Idiot said:

Apple's latest MBA has done nothing extraordinary in making the disc extinct.

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Exactly. And I was thinking along the same lines as that VWVortex quote when I read his cursory review of the new MBA too. It's astoundingly short-sighted and unabashedly biased. What's the point of reviewing something that you decided was God's gift to computers before you even took it out of the box?

I don't believe that I am alone on this forum and in the real world where people still back
up their photos and rip lossless tracks on optical disc, besides downloading software for safe keeping. Until the cost comes way down on a usb stick its hard to beat the cost of the optical disc.

osxx said:

I don't believe that I am alone on this forum and in the real world where people still back
up their photos and rip lossless tracks on optical disc, besides downloading software for safe keeping. Until the cost comes way down on a usb stick its hard to beat the cost of the optical disc.

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Agreed! CDs and DVDs are still the primary form of music and video purchases.

I do think that the transition is happening, but some things have to happen first. As you mentioned, the usb prices need to come down.

And what I think probably effectively killed cassette tapes, was when CD players started becoming standard features in cars. People primarily listen to music when they're on the go, and until usb connectivity, or some kind of universal mp3 player connectivity becomes standard, then CDs aren't going anywhere.

I'll personally be pretty P.O.ed if there comes a time when I can't burn my music to listen to in the car, or if I'm forced, because of apple to buy a new head unit.

dtravis7 said:

Chef, knowing van and his love for Unix, you probably won a Open Suse live CD!

Click to expand...

Just what I was hoping for!

dtravis7 said:

I do agree also with CWA. The first Macbook Air was a pain as you either had to purchase a $99 external optical drive or have another computer to use it's Optical drive. The Flash drive with the OS Reinstall is a GREAT idea for that machine as it's really to thin to have an optical drive built in.

Click to expand...

I had a professor who brought his MBA to class and wanted to show a DVD so he brought the external optical drive. He couldn't use it because he was using a Smart Board which took up the one USB slot on his MBA. This is just one example of the pain of not having an optical drive built in. So, it's nice to see Apple, since there is no optical drive, provide some means of reinstalling OS X that doesn't involve additional hardware.

osxx said:

I don't believe that I am alone on this forum and in the real world where people still back
up their photos and rip lossless tracks on optical disc, besides downloading software for safe keeping. Until the cost comes way down on a usb stick its hard to beat the cost of the optical disc.

Click to expand...

Why not use an external drive? I can get a 500GB 3.5" SATA drive for $40 and put that into an external casing. I'd much rather go that route.

True, but I can back up scanned photos to DVD for 25 cents, stuff them in my safety deposit box, and forget them until my house burns down (or blows away in today's 50mph winds)!

XJ-linux said:

True, but I can back up scanned photos to DVD for 25 cents, stuff them in my safety deposit box, and forget them until my house burns down (or blows away in today's 50mph winds)!

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That's why I use Mozy and do offsite backup in addition to Time Machine.

osxx said:

I don't believe that I am alone on this forum and in the real world where people still back
up their photos and rip lossless tracks on optical disc, besides downloading software for safe keeping. Until the cost comes way down on a usb stick its hard to beat the cost of the optical disc.

Click to expand...

I rarely use the CD or DVD player in my car. Normally, music and videos are stored on the iPod in my glove box.

Software backups, computer images, movies, files etc... are all stored on my server with important backups off site on an hard disk.

Thumb drives are a bonus as they're easily re-writable where as CDs and DVDs are generally a one time use thing.

Here's an interesting thought: When it comes time to release Lion, will Apple provide a flash drive with the new operating system on it for Air users? Or perhaps in the future it may become standard to see new releases from Apple on both DVD and flash drive.

That's a good idea you cam up with. I'm sure it costs more money to make both the flash drives and DVDs for Lion (and other future Apple releases). So probably just making the flash drives might save Apple on money + keep the MBA users happy.

Personally if I had my choice I'd probably go the flash drive option. Sure I look after my DVDs but they can still get scratched where as the flash drive can not. Well sure the connector pins of the flash drive can be damaged but that is much harder to do.

I do not believe the DVD is going anywhere soon ... too many companies sell software that Apple has no control over. Example I just downloaded Office for Mac 2011 and there was an option to buy the Disc for $15

still too much money to be made

I like flash, but DVDs resist electrical and magnetism to a greater degree. Of course flash is smaller, but marginally pricier.

if apple can get me an internet that will make downloading a 50gb bluray movie faster than I can get it from the movie store, then they will have killed the "cd"
oh, and a flash drive with 50gb for cheaper than a bluray movie.