Apple bans Blu-ray from Macs: Discs are 'holding us back' - Polidicks

[IMG]http://cdn-static.cnet.co.uk/i/c/blg/cat/desktops/new-imac-front-back.jpg[/IMG] [QUOTE]Apple will never let you watch Blu-ray movies on your Mac, because discs are "holding us back". Apple has revealed the reasons the new MacBook Pro with retina display and the new super-slim iMac ditch disc drives altogether, and it's bad news for Blu-ray. Apple marketing mouthpiece Phil Schiller told Time Blu-ray comes with "issues unrelated to the actual quality of the movie that make a complex and not-great technology". Apple's not-like of Blu-ray is just one of the reasons why the very latest Apple computers ditch discs completely: Schiller says rotating discs "have inherent issues -- they're mechanical and sometimes break, they use power and are large. We can create products that are smaller, lighter and consume less power. "These old technologies are holding us back," he adds. "They're anchors on where we want to go." Aside from any technical issues Apple may have, ditching discs makes business sense for the fruit-flavoured Californian company. Apple doesn't make any money when you watch a film on a disc, but, because it sells movies as downloads in the iTunes Store, it does create an opportunity to make money when it drives you away from discs. If you can't stick a Blu-ray or DVD in your new Apple computer, you might download the film from iTunes instead. More money for Apple's coffers, but not so great if you have a large collection of DVDs. If you can't let go of your little spinning plastic plates for your filmic fix, you can get an external Blu-ray player, or look out for films that include an Ultraviolet version. Ultraviolet is a service that stores a digital copy of selected films you can buy on Blu-ray. Purchase the disc and it comes with a code that allows you to stream or download the film to your phone, tablet, laptop or computer. In other words, you have the box for your collection, the disc for your telly, and the digital version for everywhere else. Or you could, y'know, thumb your nose at Apple and buy a proper computer with a disc drive in it. Do you think Apple should keep disc drives in the iMac and MacBook, or is it time we were freed from the shackles of physical media?[/QUOTE] [url]http://crave.cnet.co.uk/homecinema/apple-bans-blu-ray-from-macs-discs-are-holding-us-back-50009616/[/url] The Blu-Ray format has better audio quality and little better video quality than iTunes HD. A blu-ray film can be 20GB...Apple is shitting themselves if they think we don't need discs to hold all that, as if most people have hard drives with several TB. This is just to shove their inferior format down consumer's throats

That is just plain retarded. I look forward to the day when we don't need discs but we haven't gotten there yet.

And yet another reason as to why i'll never get a Mac.

Ok apple, whatever you say.

...are you fucking joking? I know I personally don't use a lot of CD's on my desktop but they're still needed.

[QUOTE=squids_eye;38236835]That is just plain retarded. I look forward to the day when we don't need discs but we haven't gotten there yet.[/QUOTE] exactly, for regular old DVD's yeah we don't need discs no more, but high quality movies are just too large for people without several 2TB HDD's stacked up in their tower this is why iTunes HD is inferior quality, to save hard drive space

I kind of agree, actually. Good move.

Buy a USB player and call it good if you really want one. I haven't used a CD in years. Anytime I purchase something with drivers, I download the latest versions online.

[QUOTE=Amiga OS;38236881]You know, Apple were the first one to ditch Floppy disk support. And guess what, floppy disks died off shortly afterward. I never bought a DVD drive for my PC, and I've yet to need one.[/QUOTE] Yeah, but isn't it a bit early to ditch optical drives? Downloading a 25GB odd movie is impractical for some people, whether it is connection speed or bandwidth caps.

[QUOTE=squids_eye;38236835]That is just plain retarded. I look forward to the day when we don't need discs but we haven't gotten there yet.[/QUOTE] I'd say we're there but discs are still ultimate convenience for high quality film.

If we're going to ditch the need for a disk drive, can we at least increase the amount of storage available in Mac then? I've only got a measly 250 gb drive, 30 of which was taken up by the OS and included software. I can't depend on only 220 gb with all of the new high demand software and video files coming out.

I can't even remember the last time I used my laptop's CD drive.

"We can't make it thinner with a disc drive, CUT IT OUT, IT'S HOLDING US BACK!"

[QUOTE=oldeskoolfan;38236953]If we're going to ditch the need for a disk drive, can we at least increase the amount of storage available in Mac then? I've only got a measly 250 gb drive, 30 of which was taken up by the OS and included software. I can't depend on only 220 gb with all of the new high demand software and video files coming out.[/QUOTE] A 1tb hdd in a mac would add $6000 to the price.

Whatever they do, people will still buy it

I support this notion. I haven't used an optical drive in any of my computers for years. I don't use Blueray. It's pointless. If they move their whole tech base to never adapt the technology, it will let it die faster. Good.

My pc doesn't even have a disk drive and the last time I felt like I needed it was when I wanted to install an old game I found.

Apple is all knowing about the future and knows what's good for all technology.

My blu-ray collection is growing at a fast rate because I care about the quality of my films, I don't want to have to download a 15-20 GB copy on my slow connection. I was thinking about buying a macbook, hoping that they soon would include blu-ray drives, but this is going to make me look elsewhere.

But a blu-ray can be like 50 GB, it's often easier to buy it on disc than having to download it. On the other hand it's useless to watch an ultra high quality movie on a laptop. But if your mac is your only computer that's stupid because you won't even be able to rip a fucking CD.

Misleading title much. Apple didn't "ban" Blu-rays on Macs, all they did was no include a disc drive and just state their reasoning. An external drive would work just fine.

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I'd agree with them if I had 10tb of storage. Otherwise I'm keeping my bluray disks.

Use Netflix.

So this moves towards digital distribution, great However, for some people that simply isn't an option yet. Some people can't get good enough speeds to download a movie at any reasonable speed Also, iTunes movie downloading is appalling. Out of the 6 or so films I downloaded through it, all of them stopped halfway and had to be completely re-downloaded (usually multiple times). Two of them actually never managed to finish, one of which I complained about and the other some tech support numpty drove me away from even trying to get my money back I suppose that's what I get for being honest and paying for my films, huh Netflix isn't bad, though. Just a poor selection

[QUOTE=Desuh;38237193]My pc doesn't even have a disk drive and the last time I felt like I needed it was when I wanted to install an old game I found.[/QUOTE] BluRays are impracticable to download considering the following: -Capped internet -Slow internet -Device has a SSD (~100GB or so) Additionally: -If one already has a bunch of movies and would like to rip them or watch them (Apple has a long history of butt-fucking backwards compatibility) -Bringing a movie to a friend's is impossible because you can't burn it or they don't have a drive that can play it -Age >= 40 so you don't know how to work the newfangled iTunes machine and they don't have the movie you want (many studios won't release via iTunes)

[QUOTE=SCopE5000;38237282]Use Netflix.[/QUOTE] bandwidth caps and lackluster internet speeds

[QUOTE=JoshJosh117;38237273]If you really need one, just buy an external blu-ray drive? Personally I don't have any use for optical drives. I don't think I've even used one in years.[/QUOTE] Having an external drive, the required cabling, and slots to carry it defeats the entire point of owning a laptop. Netbooks exist for a reason. [editline]29th October 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=SCopE5000;38237282]Use Netflix.[/QUOTE] If I wanted a pixelated mess I'd search full movies on youtube. Netflix also suffers from a crippling lack of content, and massive delays in distribution. This isn't even getting into bandwidth concerns.

I see it like this: Apple bans CD/DVD/Blue-ray disc so people can't install other OS on their machines

Time to download a 1.5 gb episode of The Office (non-hd): ~3 hours Time to go to the store and pick up the entire season: 10 minutes. When ISPs are capable of providing services that can match the demands and needs of the ever evolving world, this will be become a viable alternative. Until then, I prefer my entertainment Disked, not Buffered.