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| Apple Macbook Air SuperDrive (MB397G/A) | 
 enlarge | Brand: Apple
Category: CE
List Price: $99.99
Buy New: $99.00
You Save: $0.99 (1%)
New (3) Used (3) from $74.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 1169
Media: Electronics
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 7.8 x 2.5
Warranty: 1 year warranty
MPN: MB397G/A
Model: MB397G/A
UPC: 885909213092
EAN: 0885909213092
ASIN: B000WHZ0NS
Release Date: January 24, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-9 of 9 | | « PREV | | |
Not unique, but very nice design at a good price March 15, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Quote: "But if you want to install Boot Camp or play DVDs, it's pretty much the only game in town right now."
Actually, pretty much any external portable DVD drive should work with the MacBook Air.
I have an external Targus DVD drive and a no-name brand; both work with the Airbook.
Most external, portable DVD drives have two USB cables, one for data and power, the second for extra power alone. The reason is that USB is limited to 2.5 Watts, but DVD drives tend to use more than that (same is true for most external 2.5" hard drives). Apple is boosting the power in its USB port by providing extra amps; this is why the MacBook Air SuperDrive needs only one cable.
So, any external, portable DVD drive should work by plugging in a single USB cable. The converse is not true: the Air SuperDrive will only work in extra powered, non-standard USB ports, ie. virtually no others.
Still, this is a beautifully designed drive for a very good price (being a minimalist, I'd like to see a version that is a little lighter, but I haven't found one that is smaller and lighter than the Air SuperDrive yet).
Cheers,
Godo, author of "The Carbon Buster's Home Energy Handbook"
PS: you may want to consider using a bluetooth mouse and keyboard if you find the single USB port too limiting.
Does the job March 6, 2008
I bought the Superdrive along with my Macbook Air because I didn't want to deal with the hassle of using another computer's drive to install software. It works just fine for that function. It's light, quiet and easily packs away in my bag when I don't need it. I might also use it occasionally to watch a DVD but so far I've only watched programs I bought from Itunes.
The only negative is that it provides an additional drain on the battery if you're away from an AC source, maybe more-so than a built in drive. I guess the lack of a USB port is also a negative although in my case I don't see when I would need this. Given the price of the computer itself - I got the SSD version- getting this was a no-brainer.
UPDATE: I've used the drive for watching DVD's several time now and the drain on the battery isn't too bad. Would be nice to have a replaceable battery in the MBA but you can't have everything.
 not so unique February 28, 2008
2 out of 25 found this review helpful
The MacBook Air is very thin, but I don't think it's the only notebook with a special USB port for something like the SuperDrive.
IBM/Lenovo has a similar Super Multi-Burner Drive that works from a single USB port on ThinkPad X40/X41, X Series Tablet, and X60 Series notebooks. Will this drive work on the MacBook Air? Or, can the MacBook Air SuperDrive work on these Thinkpads?
Furthermore, Samsung makes a DVD-RW Dual Layer Drive for the Q1 Ultra UMPC (ultra-mobile PC). Once again, this drive will work from a single USB port on the Q1 Ultra UMPC (the one with the split keyboard on the front). Once again, can the MacBook Air SuperDrive work on these UMPCs?
So, is the USB port on the MacBook Air so unique?
http://mdjosephkim.blogspot.com/
Light and compact, but doesn't share well February 10, 2008
26 out of 30 found this review helpful
The MacBook Air SuperDrive is light and compact as advertised. It slides into a bag pocket and hardly adds any weight or bulk. And it performs as advertised, quickly and quietly.
But, it consumes the MacBook Air's only USB port and works only with that one port -- it does not work with USB hubs! With no downstream ports of its own, you can't use your SuperDrive and any other USB device at the same time. Like a keyboard or mouse, or your iPhone or iPod, or a USB printer.
This is a remarkable oversight. But if you want to install Boot Camp or play DVDs, you'll need this -- or something like it.
(In my original review on 2/10/2008, I wrote "it's pretty much the only game in town right now." But since then, some commenters noted that generic USB optical drives will work, such as the LG GSA-E50L. Thanks to C. Ross and PenPal for chiming in! I haven't tested the LG or any other USB DVD drive sold on Amazon with the MacBook Air, so I can't attest to how well they do or don't work with MacBook Air.)
*updated 7/27/2008*
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