Apple brand Blu-ray a "not-great" format, will never make it to an iMac
Disappointed to see optical disk drives get the boot from Apple’s 2012 iMac line-up? If you’re still keeping your fingers crossed for a later model to arrive sporting a Blu-ray disc-drive, don’t hold your breath: Apple aren’t fans.
Apple’s marketing head honcho spoke to Time, explaining the decision to overlook the HD physical format once again, and the decision to remove the disc drive in the super-slim iMacs altogether.
Schiller stated that rotating discs and optical disk drives “have inherent issues – they’re mechanical and sometimes break, they use power and are large. We can create products that are smaller, lighter and consume less power.
“These old technologies are holding us back,” he adds.
“They’re anchors on where we want to go.”
As well as offering more technical leeway when making super-slim products, a more cynical view may be to look at the way Blu-ray would affect other aspects of Apple’s business model, namely HD movie sales. Whether it’s a DVD or Blu-ray you’re planning to watch, Apple would much rather you got your films and TV shows through their iTunes platform, skimming some cream off the money pie for themselves in the process. Watch a disc through your computer and Apple’s coffers won’t bulge quite so profoundly.
For the time being, an external Blu-ray player will be the only alternative. Other than buying a cheaper Windows-based PC with a Blu-ray drive, of course.
Via: CNET
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