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http://www.macnn.com/articles/04/12/15/mce.8x.superdrive/

MCE drive offers dual-layer DVD burning to PowerBooks

updated 05:05 pm EST, Wed December 15, 2004

 

MCE 8X SuperDrive


MCE Technologies today announced it is shipping the , a replacement for the optical drive in Apple's PowerBook G4 laptops. The drive offers true Double Layer support, letting users record up to 8.5GB of data on a single side of a Double Layer DVD, in addition to recording to both DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW media. It also reads and writes standard CD-R/RW media and is compatible with all of Apple's iApps including iTunes, iDVD, iPhoto, and Finder Burning. According to MCE, the drive is user installable and compatible with the 12", 15", and 17" Apple PowerBook G4. The drive costs $300 for PowerBooks that currently contain a Combo or SuperDrive, and $350 for those that include a standard DVD-ROM or CD-ROM drive.


by MacNN Staff

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Comments

  1. JeffHarris

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 1999

    0
    12/15, 07:28pm | report spam | Reply |

    DRAT!

    So, $300 bucks to replace my SuperDrive and the thing won't read either SACD or DVD-Audio formats.

    I'd really like to be able to play at LEAST SACD audio disks on my PowerBook.

    It looks like an excellent upgrade, though.

  1. Targon

    Grizzled Veteran

    Joined: Aug 1999

    0
    12/16, 01:52am | report spam | Reply |

    8x dvd read?

    how come these drives dont ship as 16x dvd read?

    would like DVD-Audio too even tho my car deck doesnt play them, or any other dvd play i have and i cant buy the media :-(

  1. birdman

    Forum Regular

    Joined: Jan 2000

    0
    12/16, 08:11am | report spam | Reply |

    $300?

    My friend just bought a laptop dual-layer DVD-RW/+RW drive (essentially the exact same features of the MCE drive) at newegg.com for $40. Yes that's right, $40. But of course it won't work with a PowerBook. Gosh I sure do love paying 750% more for my upgrades than the folks ont he PC side!

  1. tr

    Mac Elite

    Joined: Nov 1999

    0
    12/16, 09:19am | report spam | Reply |

    $40? yeah, right.

    i'd like you to show me this $40 laptop dual layer DVD-RW drive at newegg, because i can't seem to find it. maybe because it doesn't exist.

    and of course you know that the only reason you're paying so much for this drive is because you're getting it through MCE, a "Mac specialist".

    and i'm sure you know that you can usually buy pretty much any reasonable optical drive, and have it work and be supported in X. there's a little app called Patchburn. look into it. just because it doesn't say "works on Mac" in big bold letters on the box, doesn't mean it won't. i'm guessing that even MCE runs Patchburn, because there's no way a drive this new is even supported.

    just wait until this drive hits more retail channels, then you'll be able to buy it at "PC prices".

  1. Targon

    Grizzled Veteran

    Joined: Aug 1999

    0
    12/16, 10:30am | report spam | Reply |

    why doe sit need drivers?

    on the web site, they say the drivers need to be installed. I thought OSX provided system wide support of ANY ATAPI drive?

  1. strictlyplaid

    Senior User

    Joined: Jun 2004

    0
    12/16, 10:52am | report spam | Reply |

    It was a desktop burner

    Hi, I'm actually the friend who bought the "laptop burner" -- actually, it was a desktop burner, which automatically lowers the price considerably. But $300 still seems like a ton to me. I think tr is right about waiting until it hits more channels, even if he was a bit of a jerk making his previous point.

  1. strictlyplaid

    Senior User

    Joined: Jun 2004

    0
    12/16, 11:07am | report spam | Reply |

    On further consideration

    I don't know if I agree with tr. Most laptops don't have easily swappable drives, and even the ones that do have proprietary and unit-specific drive shapes and connectors. That's probably why this drive costs so much -- and I'm not sure anyone else will jump in there and make it. It's not like a desktop drive, which is always the same shape and always fits into the same connectors (at least on the PC side.) So, if you want it, you might have to take the $300 plunge.

  1. birdman

    Forum Regular

    Joined: Jan 2000

    0
    12/16, 03:26pm | report spam | Reply |

    re: $40? yeah right

    You couldn't find it on newegg, and neither could I. :) That's when I emailed him to find out the URL for the page, which is when I found out it was indeed a regular desktop IDE burner, not for a laptop. Sorry for the confusion.

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