Mac mini BTO SuperDrive Cut Back to 4X [UPDATE]
Mac mini BTO SuperDrive Cut Back to 4X [UPDATE]
by , 2:40 PM EST, January 26th, 2005
On Tuesday, we noted that Apple had cut pricing for some Mac mini BTO options, and that the SuperDrive option had been boosted from 4x to 8x speed. Today, the Apple Store cut the BTO SuperDrive back to 4x, as first noted by MacCentral, but the company is now saying that the 8x option was merely a typo, and that a 4x SuperDrive has always been the only BTO option for Mac minis.
At the same time, a MacNN report noted that the SuperDrive included with the Mac mini reads at 8x speed, which may have been the source of the original mixup at the Apple Store.
Curiously, Apple includes an 8x SuperDrive on the eMac, a model aimed mainly at the education market, while the consumer iMac G5 -- a model aimed at people who want to do things like make and burn their own movies -- has a 4x SuperDrive like the Mac mini.
You can find more information on the Mac mini at Apple's Web site, and you can see the BTO pricing by selecting a Mac mini model at the Apple Store.
[Update: This story was updated to reflect additional information on the Mac mini BTO option.]
Observer Comments
Wed Jan 26, 2005 5:09 pm Subject: Not so curious...slot-loading.
QuoteBlueDjinn wrote:
eMac = standard tray-loading drive = 8x.
iMac/Mac mini = slot-loading drive = 4x max.
I presume that they haven't come out with 8x *slot-loading* DVD burners yet, that's all.
Another factor is that the iMac drive has to operate vertically (rather than horizontally like most drives) and I've heard that the Mac mini is also designed to be able to work on it's side. I remember when I had my 20th Anniversary Mac, it had a slower than normal (for the time) CD-ROM drive that Apple explained was because it had to operate vertically and there weren't a lot of suppliers that made drives that could (or at least they were a generation behind).
Comments are currently closed. Please email the author instead.
Recent Headlines - Updated July 9th
- Thu, 4:29 PM
- News - SEC Investigating Jobs Health Disclosures
- 3:50 PM
- Ted Landau's User Friendly Blog - User Interface Blues
- 3:42 PM
- Reports - Chrome OS Complicates Apple & Google Boards of Directors
- 1:08 PM
- Deal Brothers - Life ‘09 Software Drops to $59.99 Delivered
- 11:06 AM
- News - TechRestore Posts Stop-motion iPhone 3GS Breakdown
- 10:17 AM
- Hot Forum Topic - Parallels versus Fusion: Reader Favorites
- 9:32 AM
- Product News - LaCie Unveils LaCinema Rugged HD Multimedia Hard Drive
- 8:54 AM
- Product News - CheckUp 2.5 Adds Snow Leopard, New Mac Support
- 8:37 AM
- News - Latest Microsoft Ad Hits at MacBook Price Again
- 8:06 AM
- TMO Appearances - TMO’s Jeff Gamet Dives into Social Media at CoMUG
- 7:30 AM
- The Back Page - Looking Ahead at the App Store’s Future
- Wed, 6:48 PM
- Games - Pipe Mania Puzzle Game Released for Mac, iPhone
The Mac Observer Reader Specials
- Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com
Other World Computing: Big Deals on Big LCDs: 23" 'TrueHD' up to 2048x1152 + USB2 Hub & WebCam $279.99. Specials on 20" to 30" from $167.99. Freight from only $3.95!
If you're using a Mac, then you've gotta check out Full Tilt Poker for Mac. This Full Tilt Poker bonus code does the unthinkable, it actually rewards!
RamJet Memory: MacBook and MacBook Pro 4GB kits for $57.99! Mac Pro 4GB Kits $99.99! iMac and Mac mini 4GB Kits for $57.99! 1TB SATA Hard Drives for $109.99! Click hereFor the latest Apple products use Ciao, a price comparison website, to find laptops like MacBook Air. Then find the best prices on MP3 players and use our comparison tool to evaluate mobile phones like the Apple iPhone.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

