In cases where users still need to use optical media for long-term storage, it’s still important to be able to identify on the surface what is on the CD, DVD or Blu-rays that you’ve burned (beyond scribbling with a sharpie). Optical drives also make it possible to access old media that only exists on discs. And fewer and fewer PCs feature optical drives, meaning most computers in the world that are currently available are without native optical capabilities.ĭespite this, optical media still has a crucial role for many users such as serving as long-term storage ( these discs hold data for 1,000 years), and making it easier to share large files like movies and photo libraries. The last model with the feature was the 2012 non-Retina MacBook Pro, which was officially discontinued in October 2016 (though the highly configurable MacBook Pro remains very popular). It’s been years since Apple has built an optical drive into a new Mac.
