One of Apple’s longest-selling products, the 2008 USB SuperDrive disc reader, appears to have been discontinued. It’s no longer available on Apple’s web store and is slowly selling out at third-party retailers.
This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. TheUSB SuperDriveis an outdated, overpriced optical disc reader—a $79 beauty that’s been unchanged since 2008. It can’t play Blu-ray discs, its permanently-attached USB-A cable doesn’t fit into modern Macs, and most USB dongles are unable to power the SuperDrive.
Still, the USB SuperDrive shall be remembered fondly. It’s an incredibly modern-looking device that marked the transition away from optical media. And, more notably, the USB SuperDrive is one of Apple’s longest-selling devices. It’s in the same league as the Apple II computer, which also sold for 16 years, and the30-pin to USB Cable, which recently celebrated its 21st birthday and still sells for a ridiculous $20.
Also, SuperDrive isn’t just a standalone product—it’s a 35-year-oldproduct brandthat originated in the floppy disk era. You could argue that SuperDrive is the longest-lasting product brand in Apple’s history, as the Macintosh brand (which predates SuperDrive by four years) actually hasn’t been used since 1999. To be fair, Macintosh and Mac are technically the same product brand, so it’s really a matter of semantics.
Apple collectors can pick from the remaining stock of SuperDrives atAmazonorBest Buy. I also suggest checking bargain retailers, as I saw SuperDrives on sale atWootfor about $30 a few weeks ago.
If you’re in the market for a modern USB optical disc drive, I suggest anLG Blu-ray driveor aDell DVD drive(yes, the Blu-ray drive can handle DVDs and CDs). And if you specifically want torip the contentsof Blu-ray discs for a Plex server or some other home media project, get anLG WH16NS40drive and an appropriateUSB enclosure.
LG Electronics BP60NB10 Blu-ray Drive
Play or burn Blu-ray discs, DVDs, CDs, and M-Disc media with this ultra-slim LG USB optical disc drive.
