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Product Description
Compact and convenient, the MacBook Air SuperDrive connects to your MacBook Air computer or Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server with a single USB cable and fits easily into a travel bag. It lets you install software and play and burn both CDs and DVDs, including double-layer DVDs. Weight - 0.71 pounds; 320 grams .
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
273 of 282 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not perfect, costs more than others, but I still like it pretty well
March 29, 2011
At the time I write this, there are two other reviews of the Superdrive and both are negative. I agree with many of their observations, but I respectfully disagree with their overall assessment of the Superdrive.
Let's start with build quality. The Superdrive is encased in the same sturdy aluminum that encases your Macbook Air. (This also makes the Superdrive a perfect match, asthetically, for the Air.) The bottom of the Superdrive is black plastic with a thin ring of rubber to prevent the drive from sliding around your desktop. This plastic doesn't feel cheap or flimsy to me; I can't imagine it ever being damaged unless the Superdrive is subjected to unusual trauma, like dropping on a hard floor from 5' up.
In contrast, most other external DVD burners I've used or researched are completely encased in plastic and feel a bit flimsy. The pop-out disc trays that others have are plastic and a bit wobbly.
The negative reviews correctly point out that the Superdrive's cord is short, not detachable, and not user-replaceable. So, you must take a bit of extra care as not to damage the cord. I don't mind the short length, though. My Air sits on a Rain mStand, roughly 6" off the top of my desk. The cord is long enough to reach the Air's USB port when the Superdrive is sitting on my desk.
The negative reviews correctly point out that the Superdrive doesn't have a dedicated eject button or a light that indicates drive activity. Most other brands have these features.
However, I do not miss these features. I don't often need an external optical drive. Since buying my Air about 6 months ago, I've only needed the drive a few times - to install MS Office and other software, and to write a DVD of a movie I filmed on my iPhone for a party. Because I don't need an optical drive very much, I can easily live without these features. Plus, I like the simplicity of the Superdrive. Plug it in and it just works. Easy and simple.
The negative reviews correctly point out that the Superdrive ONLY works with the Macbook Air, while other external optical drives work with most or all Macbooks and most or all Windows laptops. But how much of a problem is this, really? I would only need to use the Superdrive with another computer if its own built-in optical drive failed. If that happened and I wanted to read a DVD, I'd regret that the Superdrive doesn't work with that computer. But if I wanted to write a DVD, I could just transfer the files from that computer to the Air using a thumb drive or the cloud, and then use the Air and the Superdrive to write the files to a DVD.
The negative reviews correctly point out that the Superdrive is more expensive than other drives. But if you can afford a Macbook Air, you can probably afford to spend an extra $20 or $30 for the optical drive you really want. But it's definitely true that you can find less expensive drives that will work well for you, and Amazon sells some good ones that are affordable.
Overall, I like the Superdrive pretty well, despite its relatively high price and the couple of features it lacks. It does everything I need, it's simple and just works, and it looks very good with my Air.
I do not claim that my opinion is more valid than the negative opinions of other reviewers, and before you spend your hard-earned money I encourage you to consider their reviews carefully. My goal is merely to offer shoppers a different perspective, and to show that not everyone dislikes this drive.
Let's start with build quality. The Superdrive is encased in the same sturdy aluminum that encases your Macbook Air. (This also makes the Superdrive a perfect match, asthetically, for the Air.) The bottom of the Superdrive is black plastic with a thin ring of rubber to prevent the drive from sliding around your desktop. This plastic doesn't feel cheap or flimsy to me; I can't imagine it ever being damaged unless the Superdrive is subjected to unusual trauma, like dropping on a hard floor from 5' up.
In contrast, most other external DVD burners I've used or researched are completely encased in plastic and feel a bit flimsy. The pop-out disc trays that others have are plastic and a bit wobbly.
The negative reviews correctly point out that the Superdrive's cord is short, not detachable, and not user-replaceable. So, you must take a bit of extra care as not to damage the cord. I don't mind the short length, though. My Air sits on a Rain mStand, roughly 6" off the top of my desk. The cord is long enough to reach the Air's USB port when the Superdrive is sitting on my desk.
The negative reviews correctly point out that the Superdrive doesn't have a dedicated eject button or a light that indicates drive activity. Most other brands have these features.
However, I do not miss these features. I don't often need an external optical drive. Since buying my Air about 6 months ago, I've only needed the drive a few times - to install MS Office and other software, and to write a DVD of a movie I filmed on my iPhone for a party. Because I don't need an optical drive very much, I can easily live without these features. Plus, I like the simplicity of the Superdrive. Plug it in and it just works. Easy and simple.
The negative reviews correctly point out that the Superdrive ONLY works with the Macbook Air, while other external optical drives work with most or all Macbooks and most or all Windows laptops. But how much of a problem is this, really? I would only need to use the Superdrive with another computer if its own built-in optical drive failed. If that happened and I wanted to read a DVD, I'd regret that the Superdrive doesn't work with that computer. But if I wanted to write a DVD, I could just transfer the files from that computer to the Air using a thumb drive or the cloud, and then use the Air and the Superdrive to write the files to a DVD.
The negative reviews correctly point out that the Superdrive is more expensive than other drives. But if you can afford a Macbook Air, you can probably afford to spend an extra $20 or $30 for the optical drive you really want. But it's definitely true that you can find less expensive drives that will work well for you, and Amazon sells some good ones that are affordable.
Overall, I like the Superdrive pretty well, despite its relatively high price and the couple of features it lacks. It does everything I need, it's simple and just works, and it looks very good with my Air.
I do not claim that my opinion is more valid than the negative opinions of other reviewers, and before you spend your hard-earned money I encourage you to consider their reviews carefully. My goal is merely to offer shoppers a different perspective, and to show that not everyone dislikes this drive.
61 of 65 people found the following review helpful
By OregonBay
I usually rate Apple products at 5 stars, but this one leaves me scratching my head. It's not that it is mis-marketed, or poorly made, but you do need to dig into the deets before you buy this product.
I purchased this drive because I have a newer model Mac Mini without an optical drive AND I have a Netbook that needed WinXP to be reinstalled. So I figured why not buy that sexy companion drive for the Mac Mini and just use it to install XP on that netbook...
First thing first -- this drive will only work with the newer Mac Mini (2011) without an optical drive and/or the Macbook Air (MBA). It does not work with other Mac's or with PC's. That's what really leaves me scratching my head, I understand the Apple philosophy, but really? Why limit the use to only two devices? I have multiple Macs and I can't even use it with those?
Next -- The connection cable is hardwired into the back of the drive and is really short. Using it with my Mac Mini is not a problem since its position is static and the wire is long enough, but other makers of portable drives use a standard mini USB connector so you can use any length of cable you want. I can see that short cord being an issue with the MBA. Also, if the cord gets any abuse and for some reason quits working, you cannot replace it.
The device seems to be well made, and works quite nicely with the Mac Mini, but it is on the expensive side for a combo or "super drive" and its limitations seem to negate its usefulness. One of the features I like about it for the Mac Mini is the ability to eject the disks with the wireless keyboard, it's a nicety but not essential.
I wound up having to buy an inexpensive combo drive for that XP install anyway -- on top of $80 for this super drive. I have decided to keep the drive just for the Mac Mini to install software and watch DVD movies, it does complement the Mac Mini quite well in aesthetics, but if I had it to do over again I would just buy an inexpensive combo drive from another reputable maker.
If you have the right equipment and simply have to have an Apple product in this category, this is the one - and only one to get. Otherwise there are better inexpensive options out there.
I purchased this drive because I have a newer model Mac Mini without an optical drive AND I have a Netbook that needed WinXP to be reinstalled. So I figured why not buy that sexy companion drive for the Mac Mini and just use it to install XP on that netbook...
First thing first -- this drive will only work with the newer Mac Mini (2011) without an optical drive and/or the Macbook Air (MBA). It does not work with other Mac's or with PC's. That's what really leaves me scratching my head, I understand the Apple philosophy, but really? Why limit the use to only two devices? I have multiple Macs and I can't even use it with those?
Next -- The connection cable is hardwired into the back of the drive and is really short. Using it with my Mac Mini is not a problem since its position is static and the wire is long enough, but other makers of portable drives use a standard mini USB connector so you can use any length of cable you want. I can see that short cord being an issue with the MBA. Also, if the cord gets any abuse and for some reason quits working, you cannot replace it.
The device seems to be well made, and works quite nicely with the Mac Mini, but it is on the expensive side for a combo or "super drive" and its limitations seem to negate its usefulness. One of the features I like about it for the Mac Mini is the ability to eject the disks with the wireless keyboard, it's a nicety but not essential.
I wound up having to buy an inexpensive combo drive for that XP install anyway -- on top of $80 for this super drive. I have decided to keep the drive just for the Mac Mini to install software and watch DVD movies, it does complement the Mac Mini quite well in aesthetics, but if I had it to do over again I would just buy an inexpensive combo drive from another reputable maker.
If you have the right equipment and simply have to have an Apple product in this category, this is the one - and only one to get. Otherwise there are better inexpensive options out there.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Needed this Superdrive to add to my 2007 Mac Mini after I added an SSD and a second hard drive for data.
This drive is badass! I had a few issues writing DVD's with the default DVD writer that came with the old Mini. With this drive I haven't had a failure yet.
Oh and for those who say the Superdrive only works on the Macbook Air and the newer Mac Minis all I can say is poppycock!! LOL!!
Here are the instructions on how to make this drive work on ANY Mac.
The trick is to add "mbasd=1" to the Kernel Flags in com.apple.Boot.plist. com.apple.Boot.plist exists by default in Lion, but not in earlier OSes.
There are multiple ways to edit a plist, I'll use TextEdit since every user has it. Since Lion already has com.apple.Boot.plist there are two subsets of instructions, one for Lion and one for all other OS Xes.
Bottom line: com.apple.Boot.plist will look the text between the starred lines when done:
*****************************************
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" [...]
<dict>
<key>Kernel Flags</key>
<string>mbasd=1</string>
</dict>
*****************************************
First, launch TextEdit.
--------------
For Lion:
Copy /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.Boot.plist to the Desktop. Drag the file onto TextEdit's icon in the Dock. The file will look like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" [...]
<dict>
<key>Kernel Flags</key>
<string></string>
</dict>
Add the text "mbasd=1" (no quotes, no extra spaces) between <string> and </string>. It should look like the text between the starred lines above. Save and close the file.
--------------
For Snow Leopard and earlier:
In TextEdit create a new document, then copy all the text above into the document. Save it to the Desktop using the name com.apple.Boot.plist and close the document.
--------------
Finally: Copy the file to /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration and authenticate when asked. Restart, the SuperDrive will now work.
This drive is badass! I had a few issues writing DVD's with the default DVD writer that came with the old Mini. With this drive I haven't had a failure yet.
Oh and for those who say the Superdrive only works on the Macbook Air and the newer Mac Minis all I can say is poppycock!! LOL!!
Here are the instructions on how to make this drive work on ANY Mac.
The trick is to add "mbasd=1" to the Kernel Flags in com.apple.Boot.plist. com.apple.Boot.plist exists by default in Lion, but not in earlier OSes.
There are multiple ways to edit a plist, I'll use TextEdit since every user has it. Since Lion already has com.apple.Boot.plist there are two subsets of instructions, one for Lion and one for all other OS Xes.
Bottom line: com.apple.Boot.plist will look the text between the starred lines when done:
*****************************************
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" [...]
<dict>
<key>Kernel Flags</key>
<string>mbasd=1</string>
</dict>
*****************************************
First, launch TextEdit.
--------------
For Lion:
Copy /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.Boot.plist to the Desktop. Drag the file onto TextEdit's icon in the Dock. The file will look like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" [...]
<dict>
<key>Kernel Flags</key>
<string></string>
</dict>
Add the text "mbasd=1" (no quotes, no extra spaces) between <string> and </string>. It should look like the text between the starred lines above. Save and close the file.
--------------
For Snow Leopard and earlier:
In TextEdit create a new document, then copy all the text above into the document. Save it to the Desktop using the name com.apple.Boot.plist and close the document.
--------------
Finally: Copy the file to /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration and authenticate when asked. Restart, the SuperDrive will now work.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Kind of Works
This drive works... some of the time. The rest of the time, it won't accept/eject your disk. Once you do get the CD in, it does the job but it's quite loud. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jillian Hardin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Drive Does the Job
It's unfortunate that Apple decided in its infinite greed to make the DVD drive a separate unit that you have to buy instead of having it within the computer as it used to do. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Angela Dawson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rarely used; pretty; reliable
I rarely use DVDs or CDs these days, but when I do, I like to use a DVD/CD drive that looks attractive and makes only a little noise. This is such a DVD/CD drive. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Hugo M. M. Rabson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome of corse!
It's apple! That's all that needs to be said. You won't ever have a problem with a drive. Ever. Period. Underline. Bold letters.
Published 3 months ago by video guy
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's Apple - whats more to be said
Sure there are blu-ray recorders out there and some are much cheaper but to go with my Mac Mini there was no contest.
I like the automatic disk loader (no drawer. Read more
I like the automatic disk loader (no drawer. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Edward Cheek
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gets the job done, sometimes the only way to install BootCamp
If you have a late-2011 MacAir (I think that was the second gen), this is pretty much the only way you are going to get past the earlier/more rudimentary EFI implementation to... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Daryll Herberger
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great addition t9o my macbook air
This is a great addition to my mac book air! Makes my laptop just as good as the mac book pro.
Published 3 months ago by Alexandra Kyte
5.0 out of 5 stars
SuperDrive it is
Very good no prob..
Don't know why I just can't say this is good in a few words...all this is unnecess
Don't know why I just can't say this is good in a few words...all this is unnecess
Published 4 months ago by slim
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very sturdy and light
Love it. Very sturdy. I've dropped it on stone floor and dented it on the corners and still works great.
Published 4 months ago by Ronnie
4.0 out of 5 stars
dvd
This product works well for the most part. It will be great when it is blue tooth compatible because the short cord makes it difficult to move the computer around .
Published 5 months ago by Josh
