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Mac Musings
Burning CDs, Watching DVDs
Dan Knight - 2001.01.24 - Tip Jar
Watching the keynote at Macworld San Francisco, I would have sworn that Steve Jobs said the big difference between the other Power Mac G4 models and the 733 MHz one was that all the drives supported CD, CD-R, CD-RW, and DVD - but only the G4/733 SuperDrive also supported DVD-R.
I was wrong. That was disappointing. What's even more disappointing is that Apple has no CD-RW/DVD options, even though such drives have been available for months and are regularly covered on Accelerate Your Mac.
Accelerate Your Mac is one of my favorite sites. They're always on the cutting edge with things like CD-RW/DVD drives, EIDE cards for PCI slots, and the latest video cards. Their database has 51 user reports on "combo DVD/CDR" drives. Here's a quick summary:
- Que! Combo FireWire CD-RW/DVD
- Toshiba SD-R1002 IDE CD-RW/DVD
- Toshiba SD-R1002 FireWire CD-RW/DVD (IDE drive in FireWire case)
- Ricoh MP9120A-DP IDE CD-RW/DVD (not bootable)
- Ricoh MP9060A IDE CD-RW/DVD
The vast majority of reports, maybe 85%, are for the Toshiba drive. It boots the Mac. It burns CD-R and CD-RW. It plays DVDs. And it's reasonably fast: 4x writes, 4x CD-RW, 24x read, and 4.8x DVD.
The first review on Accelerate Your Mac was posted in May 2000, but vnunet.com had a product preview in February - almost a whole year ago. Yet much of the Mac community seems unaware of this useful hybrid.
That's too bad, because I'm convinced a lot of Power Mac G4 buyers would love to get their new computers from the factory with a combination CD-RW/DVD drive instead of the more pedestrian CD-RW drive or far more costly SuperDrive.
The Que! Combo comes in 4x4x24x4x, 6x4x24x4x, and 12x10x32x8 versions, giving the buyer with a FireWire port a range of speeds and price points. The Toshiba mechanism can replace the CD or DVD-ROM drive in any Power Mac or clone that supports EIDE drives.
I don't know what CD-RW drive Apple uses in the G4s, nor do I know how much the Pioneer SuperDrive mechanism adds to the cost of a G4 (The Apple Store doesn't say), but I'm guessing a good number of new buyers would be willing to ante up an additional $100 or so for a CD-RW/DVD drive inside their new computer. I think Apple is missing an income opportunity here.
The same goes for the external FireWire CD-RW/DVD drive, although the Que! drive has a very attractive price (see deals below). But I'm betting Apple could sell an Apple branded FireWire CD-RW/DVD very successfully, considering the number of FireWire iBooks, PowerBooks, iMacs, and Power Macs out there - or maybe they should simply consider selling the Que! drive.
Apple spoiled us by adopting DVD early; now they seem have almost abandoned it. If Steve Jobs thinks Apple missed the boat by going DVD instead of CD-RW, I think they're missing the boat by not offering something between CD-RW and the SuperDrive.
iVCD
While we're at it, I'd love to see Apple come out with a version
of iDVD that's designed for video CD mastering (VCD). Sure, the
quality isn't the same as DVD, but for those with less capable
machines than the G4/733 who only have CD burners, it would be a
great way to make portable movies you could watch on a Mac, PC, or
DVD player.
Dan Knight has been using Macs since 1986, sold Macs for several years, supported them for many more years, and has been publishing Low End Mac since April 1997. If you find Dan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
Recent Mac Musings
- Amazon.com v. Interstate Sales Tax: Everyone Loses, 07.01. Amazon.com is standing up to states that are trying to have it collect sales tax on interstate commerce, which most see as a violation of federal law.
- Intel's Promise Fulfilled: More Processing Power per Processor Cycle, 06.30. Apple promised improved CPU efficiencies when it announced the move to Intel in 2005. Three years of MacBooks show the progress.
- Low-end Mac & Cheese, 06.26. Windows PCs are like macaroni and cheese you buy from the store. Macs are like homemade macaroni and cheese.
- Broadband Growth, Phantom Traffic Jams, and Psychohistory, 06.17. Mathematics has always fascinated me, and I love deconstructing research to try to determine what's really going on.
- More in the Mac Musings index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: 'Yikes!' Power Mac G4, Aug. 1999 - The only Power Mac G4 with PCI graphics was built on a modified G3 motherboard.
- Group of the Day: Tiger List is for anyone using Mac OS X 10.4.
- July 5 in LEM history: 98: iMac: First of a family? - iMac perfect for schools - 00: Apple is not your friend - 01: 75 Mac Advantages - Exploring the fractal universe - Do you trust me? - 02: The joy of X with Classic - 05: No Quartz Extreme for Pismo - Brief history of NeXT - 06: Education iMac - TopXNotes - Battery reset utility for WallStreet and Clamshell iBooks
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- iPhone 3GS Overheating, Battery Life App, 240 GB Upgrade for 5G iPod, Total Baby App, and More, iNews Review, 07.02. Also low cost international calls, U-verse remote DVR control, Sync Blocker USB-to-Dock cable, Rocket Taxi improved, and more.
- MacBooks Top Amazon Sales, EFI 1.7 Problems, Pros and Cons of Built-in Batteries, and More, The 'Book Review, 07.02. Also make a bootable SD Card, Leopard on a 9" Dell netbook, MacBook Pro and Air reviews, triple WiFi range, bargain 'Books from $179 to $2,300, and more.
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- Optimized Software Builds Bring Out the Best in Your Mac, Dan Knight, Online Tech Journal, 06.30. Applications compiled for your Mac's CPU can load more quickly and run faster than ones compiled for universal use.
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- Is Steve Jobs' Health Essential to Apple's Future?, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 06.30. Steve Jobs' health is an important thing, but Apple has demonstrated that it can be profitable without him.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best Mac Pro Deals, 07.02. Used 3 GHz 4-core, $2,000; 3.2 8-core, $2,900; refurb 2.8 8-core, $2,399; new 2.66 4-core, $2,290 a/r; 2.26 8-core, $3,070 a/r; 2.66, $4,499; more.
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- Best 17" PowerBook G4 Deals, 07.02. Used 17" 1 GHz PowerBook, $689; 1.67 GHz, $749; hi-res, $1,029.
- Best Xserve Deals, 07.02. Used 2 GHz single G5, $800; dual, $1,000; refurb 2.8 GHz 4-core Xeon, $2,100; new 2.26 4-core Nehalem, $2,888; 8-core, $3,449; 2.66, $4,799; 2.93, $5,999.
- Best iPod touch Deals, 07.01. Refurb 2G/8 GB, $179; 16 GB, $259; iG/32 GB, $279; new 2G/8 GB, $215; 1G 16 GB, $210; 2G, $275; 2G/32 GB, $369. Prices include shipping.
- Best 13" MacBook & MacBook Pro Deals, 07.01. Used 1.83 GHz, $595; 2.0, $629; new 2.0, $889; 2.13, $925 after rebate; refurb 2.0 Unibody, $949; 2.4, $1,099; new 2.26 MBP, $1,119 a/r; more.
- Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 07.01. Used 867 MHz Combo, $400; 1.33 GHz, $448; 1.5 GHz, $599; 1 GHz SuperDrive, $509; 1.33 GHz, $599; 1.5 GHz SD, $679.
- Best Apple TV Deals, 07.01. Refurb 40 GB Apple TV, $199; new, $220; refurb 160 GB, $279; new, $320. Prices include ground shipping.
- Best G4 iBook Deals, 06.29. Used 12" 800 MHz Combo, $290; 1 GHz CD, $299; Combo, $370; 1.33 GHz, $428; 14" 1 GHz Combo, $399; 1.2, $465; 1.42 GHz, $500.
- Best Power Mac G3 and PCI Video Card Deals, 06.29. Used beige 300 MHz, $25; G4/366, $39; blue & white 350, $80; 400, $90; 450, $105; PCI video cards from $15; shipping additional.
- Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 Deals, 06.29. Mac OS X 10.0, $30; 10.1, $20; 10.2, $60; 10.3, $50; 10.3 Server, unlimited users, $130.
- Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, 06.29. Close-out 500 GB Time Capsule, $199; 1 TB, $350; AirPort Extreme Base Station, $130; refurb AirPort Express, $85.
- More deals in our archive.
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