Everything you need in an optical drive.
Whether you’re at the office or on the road, you can play and burn both CDs and DVDs with the Apple USB SuperDrive. It’s perfect when you want to watch a DVD movie, install software, create backup discs, and more.
Take it anywhere.
Only slightly bigger than a CD case, the Apple USB SuperDrive slips easily into your travel bag when you hit the road and takes up little space on your desk or tray table when you’re working.
The essence of simplicity.
You’ll never have to worry about lost cables with the Apple USB SuperDrive. It connects to your MacBook Pro with Retina display*, MacBook Air, iMac, or Mac mini with a single USB Type-A cable that’s built into the SuperDrive. There’s no separate power adapter, and it works whether your Mac is plugged in or running on battery power.
Apple USB SuperDrive with attached USB Type-A Connector cable
5.47 in./139mm
0.74 lb/335g
Connections
Compatible with the following computers:
MacBook Air with Retina display*
MacBook Air
Mac mini (late 2009) and later
* MacBook, MacBook Air with Retina display, and MacBook Pro models with Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports require a USB-C to USB Adapter (sold separately) to use Apple USB SuperDrive.
Mac Models
- MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015 - 2017)
- MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018 and later)
- MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015 - 2017)
- MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2015)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012 - 2015)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2012 - 2015)
- iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017)
- iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015)
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017)
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014 - 2015)
- Mac mini (Late 2014)
- 2 out of 5 stars
Number of stars Percentage Number of reviews 5 Stars(Read all reviews) 62reviews 4 Stars(Read all reviews) 22reviews 3 Stars(Read all reviews) 6reviews 2 Stars(Read all reviews) 12reviews 1 Star(Read all reviews) 120reviews Piece of Scat!
I probably should have known better than to buy this product about a year ago, after reading the substantial number of really bad reviews. But, as a long time I probably should have known better than to buy this product about a year ago, after reading the substantial number of really bad reviews. But, as a long time fan of Apple products, I convinced myself that mine would not be a lemon. For about 50 uses (mostly importing music CDs into my iTunes library), it worked flawlessly, and I thought those reviews were incorrect. Now, every time I import a CD the music skips forward in high speed zzzzts. So, I'm in the market for another drive and will not be buying another version of this from Apple. Sad that after all the bad reviews there is no (apparent?) response from the company. If anyone knows of a reliable drive, from another company, please post here.
2232 of 2302 people found this useful
- 1.0 out of 5 stars
Love Apple, Hate the SuperDrive
This is by far the worst designed apple product. The drive is designed with a slit opening to feed in disk and no mechanical way to eject. This would be ok if t This is by far the worst designed apple product. The drive is designed with a slit opening to feed in disk and no mechanical way to eject. This would be ok if the drive function correctly but that is rare. Frequently the drive becomes obsessed with trying to process a disk and prevents the disk from ejecting, forcing you to wait 5, 10, or 15 minutes for it to decide its done with the disk. Biggest waste of money I've ever spent. I love all my other apple product, but this one I'm considering running it over with a tractor.
1780 of 1836 people found this useful
- 1.0 out of 5 stars
awful
How many blank discs does it take to burn just ONE? Well, if you're using the Apple USB Superdrive, the answer is six, apparently. I've had this drive on two How many blank discs does it take to burn just ONE? Well, if you're using the Apple USB Superdrive, the answer is six, apparently. I've had this drive on two computers, a Mac Pro at work and another at home and it never goes smoothly. Either it can't read the disc, or says it can't get information fast enough or the drive doesn't show up. I am beyond frustrated at Mac's ongoing attempt to dictate to its users what it feels is best for them. I have to be able to burn discs for work, and with the latest driveless Mac Pros and the USB Superdrive, it's an exercise in futility. Maybe I'll find a six-for-one sale on blank discs. Ridiculous.
1533 of 1584 people found this useful
Another one bites the dust.
One Apple Hard Drive died. 2 Time Capsules died. 1 iMac 27' fusion drive died. None of them recoverable. The SuperDrive. Used a few times, always One Apple Hard Drive died. 2 Time Capsules died. 1 iMac 27' fusion drive died. None of them recoverable. The SuperDrive. Used a few times, always put it back in the box after use so that dust would not find its way in. And still, it died with absolute minimal use. Truly disgusted with the lack of quality from Tim Cook's version of Apple. Now I need to find another vendor that I can rely on with regards to a CD/ DVD drive, sorry, still have tons of storage on old discs, not like Tim Cook says begone SuperDrive and all my data is accessible elsewhere.
36 of 42 people found this useful
- 5.0 out of 5 stars
LOVE IT
This is a good product to watch DVDs on your Mac.
9 of 17 people found this useful
- 5.0 out of 5 stars
6 of 20 people found this useful
- can it read/play NTSC formatted DVDs
- Asked by Helena L from London
- on Apr 21, 2019
Answer
It plays dvds which have commercially available movies printed on them. I have hundreds of movies a It plays dvds which have commercially available movies printed on them. I have hundreds of movies as well as season series. All NTSC format. I also print my own movies in NTSC format.
However, it doesn’t seem to read a dual layer disk. So a very long movie may only play the first layer. If the movie is on two disks. You’re fine. It’s rare movies are so long to require a dual layer disk- Answered by Stephen T from Kalispell
- on May 4, 2019
- Can I hook it up to my iPad Pro?
- Asked by David H from Puyallup
- on May 19, 2017
Answer
Yes, but not until iPadOS 13 arrives. :-)
- Answered by Graham B from Battery Point
- on Jun 4, 2019
- DVD Drive connection to iPad
- Asked by Kathy C from San Antonio
- on Feb 10, 2019
- Will this work with all other MacBook (2011) and MacBook AIr (2011).When I bought SuperDrive last year, it only work for MBA but not MBP or any others
- Asked by Leonard O from Portland
- on Jun 11, 2012
Answer
All of the Apple USB SuperDrives only work with Macs which do not have a built in SuperDrive.
- Answered by Mark G from MOBILE
- on Jun 20, 2012
1 Answer(Will this work with all other MacBook (2011) and MacBook AIr (2011).When I bought SuperDrive last year, it only work for MBA but not MBP or any others) - Will this work on the new 13' Mac Book Pro? The text specifies a 'Mac Book Pro with Retina Display'. The new 13' MacBook Pro does not have Retina.
- Asked by Karl S from newcastle upon tyne
- on Jun 11, 2012
Best Answer:
Like the previous USB SuperDrive this one is only designed to work with computers that do not have o Like the previous USB SuperDrive this one is only designed to work with computers that do not have one built in. It only works with Mac mini, Macbook Air and Macbook Pro with Retina.
- Answered by Steve B from FILEY
- on Jun 13, 2012
11 Answers(Will this work on the new 13' Mac Book Pro? The text specifies a 'Mac Book Pro with Retina Display'. The new 13' MacBook Pro does not have Retina.) - Got old CDs with photos I'd like to store in iCloud.
Can I do this using iPad?- Asked by Robert P from Huntsville
- on Dec 16, 2018
1 Answer(Got old CDs with photos I'd like to store in iCloud.
Can I do this using iPad?)
Shop for CD/DVD Drives in Blank Media. Buy products such as EXT USB SLIM DVD/RW OPTICAL DRIVE 429-AAUX at Walmart and save. Essentially, yes, the superdrive will work on a windows 8 (or 7, or 8.1, or XP, etc.) pc on a powered USB port, just the same as it will work on a mac running bootcamp and windows 8. All you need to do is to the relevant install the drivers. External CD Drive, BEVA USB 3.0 Portable CD DVD Reader DVD Drive External CD DVD Player Burner RW Writer, Copier for Laptop, Desktop, Mac, Support Windows 7/8/ 10/ XP/Mac OS Posture Corrector for Women Back Corrector for Men Effective and Comfortable Adjustable Posture Corrector Belt Invisible Upper Clavicle Straightener (Posture Corrector-M(25.
SuperDrive is a trademark used by Apple Inc. for two different storage drives: from 1988 to 1999 to refer to a high-density floppy disk drive capable of reading all major 3.5″ disk formats; and from 2001 onwards to refer to a CD/DVD reader/writer.
The terms DVD Multi, Super AllWrite and Super Multi are used to describe optical disc drives from non-Apple manufacturers.
- 1Apple SuperDrive
Apple SuperDrive[edit]
Floppy disk drive[edit]
The term was first used by Apple Computer in 1988 to refer to their 1.44 MB 3.5 inch floppy drive. This replaced the older 800 KB floppy drive that had been standard in the Macintosh up to then, but remained compatible in that it could continue to read and write both 800 KB (double-sided) and 400 KB (single-sided) floppy disks, as well as the then-new high-density floppies.
This drive was also capable of reading and writing MS-DOS formatted disks and FAT12 file formats, using PC Exchange or other software, unlike the 400 KB and 800 KB drives. This was made possible as the SuperDrive now utilitized the same MFM (Modified Frequency Modulation) encoding scheme used by the IBM PC, yet still retained backward compatibility with Apple's variable-speed zoned CAV scheme and Group Coded Recording encoding format, so it could continue to read Macintosh MFS, HFS and Apple IIProDOS formats on 400/800 KB disks.
Introduced in 1988 under the Trademark name FDHD (Floppy Disk High Density), the subsequently renamed SuperDrive was known primarily as an internally mounted floppy drive that was part of the Macintosh computer; however, an external version of the drive was manufactured that came in a Snow White-styled plastic case.
While the external drive worked on both Apple's product lines, it was mainly intended for use on the Apple II series, for which Apple introduced in 1991 a slot-based interface called the Apple II 3.5 Disk Controller Card for Apple IIe and IIGS computers so they too could use 1.40 MB storage and read/write MS-DOS. The controller card as well as the external Superdrive were discontinued in June 1994.
The SuperDrive cannot be used with the original four Mac models (Macintosh 128K through Macintosh Plus), as their disk controller (IWM) doesn't support high density. The next two models to be released (Macintosh II & Macintosh SE (1987)) also shipped with that controller; a SuperDrive connected to them will behave as an 800 KB drive. These two models can be upgraded via the M0244 upgrade kit (which replaces the IWM disk controller with the SWIM) and gain full use of the SuperDrive. All later models shipped with the SWIM.
The first Macintosh model to include a SuperDrive floppy drive was the Macintosh IIx (1988). Every Macintosh and PowerBook introduced from 1988–97 (with the exception of the PowerBook 100, PowerBook Duo series, and PowerBook 2400c, which offered a proprietary external floppy drive as an option), had a built-in SuperDrive floppy drive. The last model to include one was the beige Power Macintosh G3 series, which was manufactured until January 1999.
The PowerBook G3 1998 model (a.k.a. Wallstreet) had an optional floppy drive module. The PowerBook 190 series, PowerBook 5300 Series, PowerBook 3400c, and original PowerBook G3 shared the same interchangeable floppy drive module as a standard feature. The drive as mounted on PowerBooks lacked the auto-inject feature of Apple's initial desktop SuperDrive implementation, requiring the user to manually insert the disk all the way into the drive. The feature was dropped throughout the lineup during 1993–94.
The PowerBook 1400 series also had a floppy drive module, but was incompatible with the other PowerBooks. The end of the SuperDrive coincides with the demise of Old World ROM Macs; with the advent of the New World ROM machines, Apple stopped offering internal floppy drives on all models. The SuperDrive is not supported in Mac OS X, not even on the few Old World ROM machines that can officially run OS X.
Internal CD and DVD drive[edit]
Once the use of floppy disks started declining, Apple reused the trademark to refer to the optical drives built into its Macintosh models, which could read and write both DVDs and CDs. The early 2001 release of the Power Mac G4 was the first Macintosh to include a SuperDrive.[1] SuperDrives featured 6–24x write speeds[2] and supported the DVD±R, DVD±R DL, DVD±RW, CD-R, and CD-RW formats along with all normal read-only media. DVD-RAM support, notably, is absent though it can be unofficially enabled on some drive models. Apple never offered a Blu-Ray drive or supported playback of the format.
Unlike tray-style disc holders which have an inner guide ring, slot-style drives will not work with MiniCD or MiniDVD discs (8cm diameter instead of 12cm) unless an 8 cm optical disc adapter is used[3] and extraction of the disc is difficult, requiring tweezers, use of a card with double-sided sticky tape, or complete disassembly of it.
The MacBook Air, released in 2008, was the first Macintosh to not include a SuperDrive after it became standard across the line. Apple began phasing SuperDrives out across the Macintosh line beginning in 2011. The updated second generation 13-inch MacBook Pro, released in 2012 and discontinued in 2016, was the last Macintosh to include a SuperDrive.[4]
External CD and DVD drive[edit]
Apple still sells a USB-connected external SuperDrive as an accessory.[4] The drive has faced criticism and mixed customer reviews, with 410 reviews averaging two and a half stars. Criticism includes the lack of support for Blu-ray or mini optical discs and malfunctions that make the drive inoperable, with no way to eject a stuck disc.[5][6]
DVD Multi and Super Multi[edit]
DVD Multi is a specification for optical media drives. The specification was approved by the DVD Forum and was claimed to enable disc compatibility for virtually all formats officially created by the DVD Forum.[7] However, DVD+R/RW is not included because it is not 'officially' from the DVD Forum. LiteOn uses the term Super AllWrite instead, which essentially has the same meaning.
Drives with DVD Multi logo can read and write DVD-R/RW and DVD-RAM discs, and read DVD-Video and DVD-ROM. Some may also play DVD-Audio and/or DVD+R/RW discs. Version 1.1 is the current version (as of September 2009).
Super Multi or Super AllWrite refers to a drive that reads and writes CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW and DVD-RAM. They usually do not support LightScribe, HD-BURN or GigaRec either. Overburning may or may not be possible.
See also[edit]
- SuperDisk – a format designed by Imation as a successor to the floppy disk.
- Combo drive – an optical drive that can read and write CDs and reads DVDs
- MacBook Air – a laptop made by Apple that utilizes Apple's first external USB SuperDrive
Cd Drive Usb Mac
References[edit]
Portable Cd Reader For Laptop
- ^'Apple Ships Industry's First SuperDrive'. Apple. February 19, 2001.
- ^'Apple Macbook Tech Specs'. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ^Apple patents 8cm to 12cm disk adapters
- ^ abApple No Longer Sells a Mac With a CD Drive
- ^'Customer Reviews: Apple USB SuperDrive'. Apple. January 5, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
- ^'Customer Reviews: Apple USB SuperDrive (CA)'. Apple. January 5, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
- ^'What is DVD'. www.dvdforum.org. Retrieved October 29, 2017.