Who needs optical drives anymore?

Who needs optical drives anymore?

cd-pileThe portable computing website Liliputing asked the question this week “Do optical disc drives matter anymore?” Judging from the comments, even those who said they need a CD/DVD drive prefer not having the extra size and weight on their laptops.

With the increasing popularity of netbooks, and the increasing ubiquity of downloads and cloud computing, optical drives have been uses less and less frequently. Personally I have used my DVD drive in my laptop only a few times this year, and usually to burn files to disc. A USB optical drive could easily have handled my needs.

With the music industry’s top-10 selling albums only reaching into the tens-of-thousands, and software being downloaded online, it seems like the CD is reaching its latter days. Do you agree or disagree?

About Steven Kippel

Steven Kippel has worked as a systems designer for a leading high-end audio/video custom integrator in Southern California since 2003. He is responsible for researching new technologies and integrating them into existing systems and new construction projects. He has designed several high-profile systems for discriminating clients on the cutting-edge of technology. When he is not hard at work, Steven is spending time with his wife, playing with his band or promoting concerts and bands in the Inland Empire. His favorite bands include The Cure, U2, Eisley, Living Sacrifice and DragonForce.

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4 Comments on “Who needs optical drives anymore?”

  1. Agree. I have an external CD/DVD drive, which does come in handy for the occasional install disc, but I can’t remember the last time I’ve been on the road and missed having an optical drive around.

    You basically need an optical in your laptop if a) it’s a gaming laptop or b) you watch a lot of Netflix movies from the road. Both uses are fairly specialized.

  2. Believe it or not, I don’t have one in my laptop. I couldn’t do without having one in my desktop though.

  3. USB thumbdrive support is a requirement for the next DVD player I purchase. It’s much easier and convenient to throw a video file on flash media than to burn it to a disc.

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