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musicpenguy

macrumors 68000
Oct 29, 2006
1,851
761
Apple - Actually advertises this if you look at the Mac Mini Server it is stared that the MBA SuperDrive is also designed for the other SuperDrive less m
Mac :)
 

notjustjay

macrumors 603
Sep 19, 2003
6,056
167
Canada, eh?
Nice find for new Mini owners, but I wish Apple would allow the burner to be used on other Macs, or even any PC.

The burner in my Macbook Pro died last fall, and I researched the Apple drive briefly before buying a no-name external USB burner.

If the Apple burner could work on any USB-equipped PC, I'm sure sales would go up -- it's a nice, slim, sleek looking drive. Slot-loaders are extremely rare in the PC world.
 

gctwnl

macrumors regular
Jan 4, 2005
219
139
The Netherlands
Only Mac mni 2009 models and macbook air.

Those are the only models in apples line up that have High powered USB ports ;)
It has nothing to do with just power, but with hardware extensions on both sides. It does have to do with being able to boot from USB.
 

jg900ss

macrumors newbie
Nov 28, 2009
26
0
Europe, and Florida
I was unable to use the Air drive with MiniSLS.

I purchased the MacMini with SLS option, no optical (two HDs). On the site, Apple positioned the Air drive as a valid accessory. I bought it. I was UNABLE to make it work. I kept getting messages on the screen that a USB port was underpowered and unable to access the device correctly. It did cause problems as I was attempting to reconfigure the 2 HDs in RAID 0. So I called Apple about it, looking perhaps to return it, and the support rep who came on said I was correct and that it was NOT supported, and apologized for the mistaken idea that I might have had. I returned it. I ended up using an external LG portable optical, with two USB cables for the power, and it worked a treat. The Air drive would have been a nice aesthetic addition to the Mini configuration, but for now, its not on the list until Apple is clearer about its compatibility. BTW, the MiniSLS is great stuff. Works well now, and I was able to reconfigure to RAID 0 (just an experiment). There is a whole thread in the Mini hardware topic about this RAID work if you need to try it yourself.
 

Vikz

macrumors regular
Nov 13, 2007
134
2
San Juan, Puerto Rico
It has nothing to do with just power, but with hardware extensions on both sides. It does have to do with being able to boot from USB.

It maybe because of that too but, at least the apple support articles for technicians state the words I said in a case a costumer asks us.
 

agaskew

macrumors 6502
Dec 3, 2009
416
253
It maybe because of that too but, at least the apple support articles for technicians state the words I said in a case a costumer asks us.

- could you please post a link to this article? Thanks!
 

mrichmon

macrumors 6502a
Jun 17, 2003
873
3
I have it plugged directly into the 2009 Mini usb port and it works like a charm!

Is that an early 2009 or late 2009 Mac Mini?

Answered earlier in the thread that this works with the early 2009 mini. Also known to work with the late 2009 mini based on Apple support documents.
 

PubGuy

macrumors member
Jan 7, 2002
73
3
hitekalex, you're not very polite, are you?

You're not too bright, are you? My post was over a month ago, and yes eBay auctions expire.. can you believe it. But here's the link to the relisted item, just for you:

Problem with your logic is that the eBay listed item of $74.99 also adds a standard flat rate shipping of $19.99 putting the total at $94.98.

I'd rather go to a local Apple store and pay the $99.00 for a brand-name product -- but that's just me. :rolleyes:
 

MacModMachine

macrumors 68020
Apr 3, 2009
2,476
393
Canada
hitekalex, you're not very polite, are you?



Problem with your logic is that the eBay listed item of $74.99 also adds a standard flat rate shipping of $19.99 putting the total at $94.98.

I'd rather go to a local Apple store and pay the $99.00 for a brand-name product -- but that's just me. :rolleyes:

whats the difference....still made in china......
 

hitekalex

macrumors 68000
Feb 4, 2008
1,624
0
Chicago, USA
hitekalex, you're not very polite, are you?

Problem with your logic is that the eBay listed item of $74.99 also adds a standard flat rate shipping of $19.99 putting the total at $94.98.

I'd rather go to a local Apple store and pay the $99.00 for a brand-name product -- but that's just me. :rolleyes:

Well, my mama said rolling eyes isn't very polite either ;)

Brand name product? LOL! Most of these drives are made by the same OEMs (typically Matshita or Hitachi). These are the same drives Apple uses in their "SuperDrives".

You can go ahead and pay Apple tax for a DVD drive, while I enjoy my BluRay drive for lower price.
 

Scottsdale

Suspended
Sep 19, 2008
4,473
283
U.S.A.
I would have to agree that I think people are much better off going out and buying a Blu Ray external drive than an MBA SuperDrive. Not only will the Blu Ray drive work backwards with DVD/CD, it will also always be available if Apple ever grants Blu Ray support within OS X. I have bought two MBA SuperDrives; while they are "pretty" the cable is crap and the thing is problematic when introducing USB hubs and non-Apple products. I would prefer the same $100 work with the better tech, other products, and USB hubs... so the Blu Ray drive seems the way to go for me. Plus, Blu Ray would work within Windows 7 via BootCamp.
 

macchiato2009

macrumors 65816
Aug 14, 2009
1,258
1
the SD working with Mac Mini is a very good news for me.

Indeed i'm thinking of selling my 13" uMBP to get a Mac mini + ACD 24"

then replacing internal storage with a SSD, maybe using the optical bay...

and use an external SD...


great ! thx
 
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