OS X 10.3 To Add DVD+RW Support For Data Backup

Appleis upcoming 10.3 release of OS X will include support for burning data using the DVD+RW format, according to an article at ZDNet. Apple had previously supported only the competing, more compatible DVD-RW format, but is adding DVD+RW support at the request of users. Applications like iDVD will still support only DVD-RW drives (such as Appleis SuperDrive), but DVD+RW drive owners will be able to use their drives to burn data from the Finder. From ZDNet:

Although they are both formats for recording DVDs that can be played on PCs and in many consumer DVD players, DVD+RW drives cannot write to DVD-R or DVD-RW media, just as DVD-RW drives canit write to DVD+R or DVD+RW media. Increasingly popular are drives that are capable of writing both formats.

Nonetheless, the move is a strategic shift for Apple, which until now has supported only the -R standard, contending it was used by more DVD players. The company has shipped some machines with Sony-made drives that can write to both the +R and -R standards, but in those cases it turned off the +R capabilities.

An Apple representative said that the move came at the request of customers, many of whom own third-party DVD burners. Apple did not say whether it would add DVD+R support into future versions of its iApps, such as iDVD.

You can read the full article at ZDNetis Web site.