Good Read: Notebooks shedding DVD drives

Sharing is caring! How about this article – AP reports on many of the changes in the notebook world – in order to lower weight and improve battery consumption, they are omitting DVD drives.

This is fine in a world where your applications and media are downloaded or can be loaded via flash. However, I think this is an instance of the industry being a bit hasty and an opportunity for backlash. Many applications, including Microsoft Office, still install applications via CD or DVD media. Also, movies are still in disc form and last time I checked, none of the major studios were all warm and fuzzy about users ripping films to their computers.

The cost-cutters and retailers out there will suggest that users just go and buy a USB DVD drive to augment their system. A quick search found this to cost around $50-70 depending on brand. An OK idea, but if you’re a frequent traveler, that “thin and light” notebook is not so thin and light when you have to truck around a heavy power cable and NOW a DVD drive in the briefcase.

Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail.