How to forcibly eject a CD/DVD from a MacBook Air USB SuperDrive
blog.jgc.org
blog.jgc.org
Because the batteries and hard drives are so crazily expensive I see them making the decision that it's cheaper to buy a new PC (possibly even a nice light netbook) then replace the battery / hard drive on their Apple.
Before they'd made the jump I'd encourage them to switch because they hadn't yet "experienced" Apple. Now that they're making an informed decision I can't argue with their reasoning for switching back.
Apple's upfront premium pricing is defensible and sensible but their aftersales costs are doing everyone including them a lot of damage.
There's actually very little about a MBP that is difficult to take apart. The part where you have to remove the screen isn't even that hard.
They're never hard to take apart. It's putting them back together that is the hard part. ;^)
The last MacBook Pro that was hard to take apart and put together again was sold in 2008. I have one from 2007 and it was pretty easy to replace the (non-defective but slow) HDD with an SSD. That’s, as I said, a MacBook Pro that still had the hard to replace HDD. The newer ones make the process much easier.
I’m very annoyed that the battery in newer MacBook Pros isn’t user replaceable. It’s not that the battery is hard to access and replace – certainly no harder than the HDD. I’m guessing there is some sort of legal requirement – probably? Maybe batteries have to be sold with a hard shell, the MacBook Pro battery doesn’t have that in order to save space. Since they can’t sell it on its own (only as part of the device) they can’t make it user-replaceable.
At least it’s priced appropriately (relatively): The replacement will cost you €180 (parts and work), that’s not all that much more compared to the old user-replaceable batteries which cost €140.
But yeah, except for the battery the MacBook Pros are very accessible.
" Maybe batteries have to be sold with a hard shell, the MacBook Pro battery doesn’t have that in order to save space"
And the saved space can either be used for more battery, or to reduce the size of the computer. They save the thickness of the battery case, and the thickness of any internal walls in the battery compartment with which a removable battery would mate. I'd think those walls might need to be somewhat substantial, to keep the battery in and prevent flexing and loose connections.
I suppose in theory they could also use irregularly-shaped batteries, that would let them fill every bit of space with battery.
Pretty much any technically capable person with the requisite torx drivers can install RAM or disk in a Macbook. They are user-installable, so any PC repair type person ought to be able to do it, not just the Apple store.
I hope I don't get downvoted too much for this comment that adds little: look up "Elder Sign" on Wikipedia if you don't know what it is. I haven't read Lovecraft and simply thought that Elder Sign was a curious brand name.
Torx drivers cost $2. Or: About as much as any other driver. It’s easy to replace both the HDD and RAM and you don’t need to buy Apple’s parts.
EDIT: I've missed the torx screws on the actual drive. See child comment.
This (12 page!!) link shows that first generation MBPs are actually pretty tricky to change the hard drive; but that all 3 generations need a torx driver for the HD.
(http://www.extremetech.com/computing/58220-upgrade-your-macb...)
by the way, for power cables, i have, finally, found a solution: use silicone sealant (the stuff you use around the bath) to make a cable strain relief. it doesn't look that great, but it works. splodge sealant on the cable where it leaves the plug and smooth it out along the cable. the sealant should join the end of the plug and taper out over a few inches of cable.
This helps with strain relief and helps the power adapter stay perfectly in shape longer. I've had my MacBook Pro for 5 years now, same power adapter, haven't had to replace it yet.
If you choose the Apple experience (or a high-class PC laptop for that matter), that will be at least $1000/five years. If you choose a Gateway laptop that will be $400/five years.
From mine and my friend's experiences I would not say that a more expensive laptop will last longer than a cheaper laptop. Most of my friends who are Apple users have had their laptops replaced at least once due to hardware failure. They had AppleCare and usually ended up with a new laptop for free. After seeing their rate of replacement I would never own an Apple laptop without AppleCare because the difference between being stuck with a brick and having Apple replace it with a newer model free of charge is worth the money.
Yeah, but for me the difference between not having to use a PC is worth even more money.
If you're casual about computing, buy whatever, but if you are professional buy what fits your work needs best, be it Mac or PC, not what is cheaper. If $1000 or $2000 / 5 years seem a lot to you as a professional, then you are in the wrong business.
The comparison is between a $1000 Apple laptop and an $800-$1000 Lenovo T-series or X-series Thinkpad (or, as I call them, the "real" Thinkpads).
For something that I use for hours every single day, an overly-heavy and shoddily built piece of junk is not an acceptable option. Apple isn't the only manufacturer that makes quality hardware, but the quality non-Apple machines cost much closer to the Apples than the junky Gateway does.
PS I have the W500 and I'm curious why you do not include it among the real thinkpads.
But you're right, those big W-series machines maintain the Thinkpad build quality.
I just bought a Thinkpad E325, one of the "edge" thinkpads. Its build quality is exceptional for a £350, and I'd say mostly on-par with what I could get from apple nowadays.
Well, Macs are IBM PC compatible too nowadays, but you get my main distinction.
Though Apple continues to use 'PC' in their marketing, it's an obsolete term. Macs are running on the same hardware these days, and you can run Mac OS on 'PC' hardware. You can run Linux on Apple hardware, and Windows on Apple hardware. So, it's a bit muddled.
I assume by 'PC' you mean 'anything besides OSX on Apple hardware'. Okay. Personally I also run Linux on my MBP... not sure where that fits in.
I really don't want to start a Mac v. Windows argument as I despise those but it's something I've just noticed as I've replaced my machines over the last 10 or so years. My real point is that in my experience I get my money's worth to the very end with the Macs I've owned.
However when I had a Mac I remember dealing with fink and ports and ending up with things half-working and just as crufty. I guess that's what I get for going "under the hood", but I needed that software to get the job done and OS X had no better solution for me at the time.
Sometimes people are willing to pay more for reasons that have not much to do with durability or specs.
If they're using MacBook Airs the disks are expensive because they're flash, not because of Apple.
Uh, not so much anymore.
Apple: http://www.apple.com/ie/macbookpro/specs-compare.html €1800 Asus: http://komplett.ie/Komplett/product/ZKB_02PC/02_NOTEBOO/21_1... - €900
Not entirely comparable, the mbp has a potientially better graphics card (its definitely faster, but having a quarter of the graphics RAM does limit its future proofing), the asus has a higher resolution screen, more RAM, more storage space etc.
On balance, they probably balance out technically. This is pretty clear premium pricing. Whether you consider it worth the premium or not is another matter.
As to the usual claim that this is because Apple products are better built and more durable, Apple are big on planned obselence, so let's say that mbp has a 5 year lifespan. It'll work for five years, probably, but you will want to replace it then.
The Asus is more likely to fail before its obselete, but by the wonders of consumer protection law (n/a for US people, unfortunately), the minimum time before hardware failure forces you to buy a new one is two years. Put your €900 you saved in the bank and buy another one in when it fails (which more realistically is in 3-4 years). It'll be much better than either of these laptops are now.
I was setting up someone's iPad for them last night. Installed a couple of apps, then did a jailbreak. Started testing the apps, and found that there was no sound. Battled for a few minutes and thought it had to do with the jailbreak. After some Googling I realised that the side switch was in mute-mode, rather than rotation lock mode.
Why did I have to set someone elses iPad up in the first place? Because in a bandwidth-constrained country, downloading iTunes is a difficult problem - the stupid iTunes switch-on requirement has sunk many people (I've had to set up 3 iPads for other people because of it).
As a South African, I'm forced to create a Kenya iTunes account to buy games, since Apple hasn't bothered, like most other manufacturers have, to get a simple clearance from our Home Affairs department to self-rate games. At least creating a Kenya account is easier than the other "workaround": creating a US account with a fake address, and then buying iTunes vouchers. Of course, there is the risk that Apple will deactivate my account and screw me out of the apps I paid for.
Talking about having a Kenya account, I made the mistake of creating a South Africa account first - ever tried updating apps when you have multiple iTunes accounts? It's a nightmare.
This is done on a game-by-game basis by a government agency in South Africa, and requires an additional fee, but, based on what I've read, other manufacturers have gotten their internal rating systems approved, so this fee is not applicable. Apple hasn't bothered. They just don't let South Africans buy games.
Apple is like the bitchy beauty queen who gets a pass due to her looks. Everything's peaches-and-cream until you hit a bump. Then the claws come out.
Personally, I prefer Betty to Veronica.
These mostly sound more like issues with South Africa than Apple.
Not really. People in countries like Australia can buy games, even through they have a similar classifications regime. Based on what I've read, Apple hasn't even bothered to approach the South African Film and Publications Board to apply for self-rating:
http://www.thyon.com/blog-entry/items/apples-lack-of-games-m...
I have 2 iTunes accounts, one for free apps and one for paid apps (it seemed like a good idea at the time to not expose credit card info unnecessarily). In iTunes I have to log in separately to update my paid and free apps, it's a nuisance but hardly the stuff of nightmares.
Also, I don't buy the iTunes thing. Downloading apps on the iPad, using it on the net, and updating iOS isn't a problem but downloading the 80mb iTunes is a killer? I just don't get it. If downloading iTunes really is that brutal, seems like the experience on an iPad would be very disappointing in general. Either way, no company should be catering their core experience towards a situation where downloading an 80mb file is a big hassle. The problem is infrastructure, not iTunes.
It must be hell to set up a printer in South Africa. I grumble about a 300mb download from HP here but if 80mb is so brutal I'm surprised anyone in South Africa even owns a printer.
Finally in regards to games, IMO this is SA's fault. Plenty of countries have ridiculous gaming laws. It's not Bethesda's fault that there are no nukes in the Japanese Fallout 3, it's not Valve's fault that L4D2 is neutered in Australia, and it's not Apple's fault that they have to go out of their way to get a special exemption to rate games themselves in South Africa. Blame your ridiculous laws, every other country manages it with no problem.
Because it makes the cable look nicer. Seriously.
You want to make it look nice and it breaks quicker? FINE. Just don't complain when I bulk it up with gobs of putty to make sure I get my money's worth out of it.
But really sugru is for everything! There’s a product I’m a fan of.
Assuming you have a working Mac which can power the external Superdrive (all MacBook Airs, I believe most of the recent MacBook Pros and MacBooks, and possibly recent iMacs as well) then you can eject media simply by booting the machine and holding down the trackpad or main USB mouse button. This is triggered by the Mac's firmware and thus will work even if you OS is hosed.
Searching for "eject stuck dvd" on support.apple.com has a knowledge base article covering this tip as its first hit.
Even the first google hit (for me)[1] covers this as a part of its how to guide.
Of course, if for some reason none of your Macs will even POST or you happen to be Mac-less, and you're nowhere within driving distance of someone with a working Mac or an Apple Store the, yes, disassembling the drive is probably a reasonable option.
[1] http://www.macyourself.com/2009/05/01/the-ultimate-guide-to-...
You forget the part about the damaged cable like what can be seen on a few pictures. If the link between the MacBook and the drive is severed, there is no way a firmware on the laptop could cause the disk to eject. And with no forcible eject trigger you're left with the 'cracking the case open' solution.
Shouldn't happen more than once per drive though, so I guess this is why Apple couldn't be bothered with an actual forcible reject button.
EDIT : he seems to claim that the reboot trick does work, so apparently the cable is still at least partially functional in his case.
Looks like this one does it with two usb ports.
They come with those dual-headed connectors, but I've never encountered any situation where you had to use both.
Also, the Air's USB ports put out the higher current that the iPad needs to charge faster, hence are even more likely to be able to handle this.
They also sell another model with USB power only separately, but it's pricey: http://www.shopping.hp.com/store/product/product_detail/VV82...
[1] Country without official Apple stores, that's what you get.
This is because Apple cables miss the so called "strain relief".
http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/hvuhg/apple_why/c1yuah...
it is a design choice.
http://www.zalman.com/eng/product/Product_Read.asp?idx=431
I bought one a few months ago, then got rid of all my CD drives except for one big 5.25" internal CD/DVD drive with USB adaptor that I take out of the closet whenever I get a new CD that I may need in future. I convert the CD to an ISO, load the ISO onto the Zalman, then put the drive and CD in the closet.
So I was poking around the machine (website looked okay), and decided to try out the video playback. I slipped a DVD in, watched whatever the heck it was, and then spent the next thirty minutes trying to figure out how to eject the damned thing since there was no eject button.
If memory serves, there was a paperclip slot for emergency eject. Which is what I ended up doing. Later, the owner came by and showed me the drag to trash thing. I thought (and still do) that not having a physical eject button is a horrible design.
That said, I agree. I think the Apple designers could come up with a cool way to include an eject button.
Side note, no Mac (as far as I know) has ever had an eject button. Even the original floppy drives were electronic eject (which was really awesome back in the 80's.)
I understand the dislike of physical buttons, but I don't understand why Apple doesn't at least put a capacitance button on there (like the 360 has).
My MacBook Pro and most MacBooks have an eject button on the keyboard right next to F12
It's always done that in Mac OS X, but not in Mac OS 9 or older
The gray oval in the center of the drive door cover is the load of a class 3 lever that pushes the eject button on a relatively commodity optical drive. It was eliminated once the Quicksilver generation came out.
Those early G4s could also be purchased with a ZIP drive, the coverplate to which infuriatingly had a thin section of plastic covering the ZIP eject button, such that you could see the LED in it but not push it. Now that's just mean.
That said, yeah, stupid to not expose access to the eject button on the DVD mechanism.
I think it's pretty clear someone dropped the ball when they decided that "drag the disk to the trash" was the best metaphor. Even if it reassures you that you know what you're doing at the last second as you hold the disc over the trash can.
I always thought the keyboard eject was pretty obvious. There's also the eject icon next to the disc in the Finder. And then the File menu.
I think people make too big a deal over the eject button. If youre used to something else you might bitch a little (especially if you're one of those who always likes to compare Windows and Mac) but generally its not like it happens all the time and the fix is easily available with a quick Google if you haven't heard of it before. I've had discs get stuck in my iMac before. Oh well, it happens on a rare occasion. I try the different methods and move on. Did they really drop the ball or is this just a petty excuse to imply another OS is better? What else could they do? There's like 5 ways to do it by mouse that I can think of, 3 on the keyboard, and on some Macs, the paper clip slot. Everyone needs to chill. It's not like people are ripping apart their computers on a wide scale to remove stuck discs. The whole post came off as a kind of smarmy way to say "oh, look at this bad thing that happened once to my Mac. Looks like Apple sucks now and other options are better because they have a physical eject button ". Really? Come off it.
If you've got to take apart a SuperDrive t get it out then I really feel for you and I can understand the complaint.
I think I got part way through pulling apart and gave up in disgust. :)