The last Apple USB SuperDrive sitting in the company’s warehouse in the U.S. has left the building. According to the online U.S. (and Canadian and Australian) Apple Store, the Apple USB SuperDrive is “Sold Out” and while Apple hasn’t officially made an announcement, we don’t expect the company to replenish its stock. After all, the days of optical media have come and gone.
Apple introduced the SuperDrive in 2008, to go along with a wedge-shaped laptop that fits in a manila envelope called the MacBook Air. Back then, Apple didn’t think you should even bother with the SuperDrive, stating in the MacBook Air press release that, “Many MacBook Air users will not find a need for an optical drive now that they can wirelessly rent movies from the iTunes Store, wirelessly backup files with Time Capsule and access the optical drives on remote PCs or Macs to wirelessly install software applications on MacBook Air.” But the SuperDrive managed to stay in Apple’s product lineup for 16 years.
The $79 USB SuperDrive was an external USB-A version of the built-in SuperDrive that was introduced with the PowerMac G4 in 2001. Optical drives were such a big deal at the time–Apple even released a press release highlighting the “Industry’s First SuperDrive.” The SuperDrive worked with CD and DVD media but was never upgraded for Blu-ray compatibility when that format became popular.
In our review of the SuperDrive, we said, “The Apple USB SuperDrive is a utilitarian device that serves one purpose, but its simple, clean design is quintessential Apple.”
Where can you buy an Apple USB SuperDrive?
The Apple USB SuperDrive is still available in the online U.K. Apple Store for £79. If you’re in the U.K., you might want to pick one up before they’re gone.
In the U.S., you’ll have to turn to a third-party retailer. Here are a few places where the Apple USB SuperDrive can be found:
Author: Roman Loyola, Senior Editor, Macworld
Roman is a Macworld Senior Editor with over 30 years of experience covering the tech industry, focusing on the Mac and other products in the Apple ecosystem. He is also the host of the Macworld Podcast. His career started at MacUser, where he received Apple certification as a repair technician (when Apple did that kind of thing). He's also worked for MacAddict, MacLife, and TechTV.