Customer Reviews

Apple Macbook Air SuperDrive (MB397G/A)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

The MacBook Air SuperDrive is light and compact as advertised. It slides into a bag pocket and hardly adds any weight or bulk. And it performs as advertised, quickly and quietly.

But, it consumes the MacBook Air's only USB port and works only with that one port -- it does not work with USB hubs! With no downstream ports of its own, you can't use your SuperDrive and any other USB device at the same time. Like a keyboard or mouse, or your iPhone or iPod, or a USB printer.

This is a remarkable oversight. But if you want to install Boot Camp or play DVDs, you'll need this -- or something like it.

(In my original review on 2/10/2008, I wrote "it's pretty much the only game in town right now." But since then, some commenters noted that generic USB optical drives will work, such as the LG GSA-E50L. Thanks to C. Ross and PenPal for chiming in! I haven't tested the LG or any other USB DVD drive sold on Amazon with the MacBook Air, so I can't attest to how well they do or don't work with MacBook Air.)

*updated 7/27/2008*

Quote: "But if you want to install Boot Camp or play DVDs, it's pretty much the only game in town right now."

Actually, pretty much any external portable DVD drive should work with the MacBook Air.

I have an external Targus DVD drive and a no-name brand; both work with the Airbook.

Most external, portable DVD drives have two USB cables, one for data and power, the second for extra power alone. The reason is that USB is limited to 2.5 Watts, but DVD drives tend to use more than that (same is true for most external 2.5" hard drives). Apple is boosting the power in its USB port by providing extra amps; this is why the MacBook Air SuperDrive needs only one cable.

So, any external, portable DVD drive should work by plugging in a single USB cable. The converse is not true: the Air SuperDrive will only work in extra powered, non-standard USB ports, ie. virtually no others.

Still, this is a beautifully designed drive for a very good price (being a minimalist, I'd like to see a version that is a little lighter, but I haven't found one that is smaller and lighter than the Air SuperDrive yet).

Cheers,

Godo, author of "The Carbon Buster's Home Energy Handbook"

PS: you may want to consider using a bluetooth mouse and keyboard if you find the single USB port too limiting.

I had a first-generation MacBook Air from their availability last February until last week. I acquired the new, improved second-generation MacBook Air eight days ago. Throughout, I've had a SuperDrive, two over the period.

I found the SuperDrive useful for loading software, not for playing DVDs with my original MacBook Air, but not due to a fault in the SuperDrive. The processor on my particular computer was never adequate for playing video for longer than a few minutes, if that. I am hoping to get more use out of the SuperDrive with the faster graphics chip in my new MacBook Air, since it plays video better.

My complaint about the SuperDrive is that the short connecting cable bends and breaks easily. I had to have one SuperDrive replaced for that reason. I recommend mainly using the SuperDrive at home on your desk, and, being very careful when carrying it in your case, so as not to stress the weak cable.

While the SuoerDrive plays well with the MACBOOK Air there are other Drives you can use that play just as well. I have the "Samsung USB 2.0 8x DVD Writer External Optical Drive SE-S084B" and it works great with the MBA. I used it to load all my programs to my MBA. If the DVD fails to eject you can always manually eject it pressing the eject button something the SuperDrive does not permit. I did get the SuperDrive and it's a good match aesthetically and functions as advertised. Just remember, there are less pricey options for your MBA that work with more than just the MBA.

I purchased this when I ordered my MacBook Air simply because I wanted the back-up security in case it was difficult to install programs through my iMac. I have used it consistently since that time and find it to be a perfectly adequate product. In fact, I would recommend it to anyone who purchases the MacBook Air. It is lightweight and almost as portable as the Air. Definitely recommended.

I bought this after many months of not having a CD drive for my macbook air. It works well, is recognized quickly when plugged in, and burns CDs quickly. The only con is that it doesn't work with my regular macbook, not that it needs to since there is one built in, but it'd be convenient if I wanted to burn 2 cds at once or burn a cd image from one onto another....

We needed a new DVD drive for our Core Duo Mac Mini and Apple branded replacements are not cheap. This works as a no-hack OEM fix for the Mini. Remove the drive, brackets and board from this drive, then six screws to get the drive out of the Mac Mini and off you go!

Apple products usually bring such high expectations (along with inflated prices) that it's not unusual to see a lot of carping by consumers with little left but the possibility of disillusionment should the latest Apple wonder prove to be something less than sliced bread. I'm so attached to my Mac Air that at first I was inclined to see the Superdrive add-on as a convenient and clever, reasonably priced add-on. It's only now that it's dawned on me: I've wasted a couple of hundred on an Apple "lemon"--two of them. When the first one refused to eject discs--except after employing every trick in the book (the object is to fool the mechanism into not doing a perpetual reset)--I chalked it up to an exception; after the second one immediately began to behave the same way, I now see that this item from Apple is neither exceptional nor an exception: it's a miserable, frustrating, ineffective, time-wasting design that would be too expensive at any price.

Once the CD or DVD is jammed, there's no mechanical way of ejecting it--not even a pin-hole. Unlike the Superdrive in my iMac, this one will not play or create an MP3 disc. The oh-so-chic style left me scratching my head trying to determine which was the top side and which the bottom. The thing spins around so noisily that it sounds like it's dying an agonizing death each time it's used (which was very infrequent).

In short, I finally wised up and cut my losses at a couple hundred; I then ordered the most popular add-on CD burner on Amazon--the Samsung, at less than half the price. It works several times better.

I bought the Superdrive along with my Macbook Air because I didn't want to deal with the hassle of using another computer's drive to install software. It works just fine for that function. It's light, quiet and easily packs away in my bag when I don't need it. I might also use it occasionally to watch a DVD but so far I've only watched programs I bought from Itunes.

The only negative is that it provides an additional drain on the battery if you're away from an AC source, maybe more-so than a built in drive. I guess the lack of a USB port is also a negative although in my case I don't see when I would need this. Given the price of the computer itself - I got the SSD version- getting this was a no-brainer.

UPDATE: I've used the drive for watching DVD's several time now and the drain on the battery isn't too bad. Would be nice to have a replaceable battery in the MBA but you can't have everything.

Other reviewers have complained about the fragility of this device, so I have heeded their warnings and keep it in the original box on my desk to use there only. So far I have had no complaints or problems with it, and it does what it is supposed to do. I still have major issues with iTunes, whose interface and general file system design, in my opinion, really stink and make peripherals like the SuperDrive a lot more difficult to use than they should be, but the drive itself works quite well.