Last week in lab we talked about obsolete technology and it turned
out what classifies as obsolete technology to most people are the technologies
that aren't really even being produced nowadays: Walkmans, VCRs, floppy disks,
etc, etc. But I think there’s a unique case of it emerging that many other
people also share but don’t really realize it. By this I mean something that is
still commonplace in every new laptop and computer with a few exceptions. I’m
talking about a CD/DVD optical drive.
Think about it, when’s the last time you used a CD/DVD drive on a
computer/laptop? I may be way off base with that belief, but I know I haven’t
used one for years considering I have no use for one any longer. They still
make physical music, physical games, and physical DVDs but you can also get the
vast majority of those online through digital media whether you buy it, pirate
it or stream it.
I currently own a Microsoft surface pro, a mash-up between a tablet
and laptop for all intents and purposes because it isn't fully one or the
other. To facilitate its use as a tablet, it’s lacking some things, namely a CD
drive similar to some macs. The laptop I had before this one did have a CD
drive but it sounded like the laptop was going to spontaneously combust when
anything was put into it. Thus, I never used it with the exception of when I
found a Hannah Montana music video CD one summer.
I get my music online, not through CDs, but through iTunes/Google
Play music/YouTube/Pandora. I watch movies through the internet, often by
streaming from various websites like Netflix or Amazon Prime or on the occasions
when a physical movie comes with a code for the digital download. Games are no
exception either with both Steam and various seedy, illegal websites providing
digital versions of the games that travel with you everywhere (seriously, Steam
is my best friend) making game disks for PCs more of a hassle than anything.
Even taking into account the other things that they are used for
like writing to a CD/DVD for storage purposes, then you have flash drives and
cloud storage outclassing them. Not to mention drives are often quite large and
something more useful could be put in its place instead like a better hard
drive or graphics card. They just aren't the most convenient method anymore and
I've never seen anyone walking around with loads of physical CDs/DVDs/game
disks so that they can pop them into their laptops around campus to enjoy their
music/movies/games while everyone stares wondering if their laptop is actually
an explosive.
I remember what they were originally used for, I remember having
to put in the Diablo II disk every time I wanted to play the game or putting in
music CDs and ripping songs to my computer and then burning playlists onto
empty CDs. I remember my dad actually saying no to my first laptop and picking
one that was $50 more because it had a Blu-ray/CD/DVD drive rather than just
the CD/DVD drive. I remember all those times, and I don’t miss them. I think
that little by little, the optical drive is dying especially since in this society
we love any and all ultra portable technology (ie everything Apple) and it’s one
of the things that being left out more and more in every new piece of
technology that comes out.
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