What is Digg?145 Comments
- KAMiKAZOW, on 11/29/2007, -0/+105Apple should buy a bunch of disk drives from Nintendo (or Panasonic or whoever manufactures disk drives for Nintendo), because the Wii can slot-load small GameCube discs with no problem.
- cave, on 11/29/2007, -3/+56Exactly what I was gonna say. Wiis can load any size of disk without an adapter, and without a hitch. I have no idea how it works, it just does. Normally the kind of thing you'd associate with Apple in the first place.
- jads, on 11/29/2007, -3/+342 things...
1. This isn't the MD format, it's a patent for mini-disc, not a MiniDisc.
2. Rather than go through all this, why not just use the same drive the Wii uses? It's a slot loader but it works with both sizes (GameCube games were on smaller discs). - WiseWeasel, on 11/29/2007, -0/+25Except that having to carry an adapter around and put discs in it is a really ***** solution.
- robbh66, on 11/29/2007, -1/+26No, but everything you said points to the Sony MD format, which is not the same as the miniCD/DVD discs
- KAMiKAZOW, on 11/29/2007, -4/+28It's not about the Sony MiniDisk format, but small CDs/DVDs.
- hadak, on 11/29/2007, -0/+22Oooh, I see. Not Sony's minidisc. I got thrown off by the title :)
- AwesomeAndy, on 11/30/2007, -1/+21The Wii is not exactly a large machine.
- hove, on 11/30/2007, -0/+17not large but far thicker than a laptop.
- nickj6282, on 11/30/2007, -1/+17Not only that but the article claims you have to line the discs up properly when inserting the GC discs into the Wii. I haven't found this to be true with our Wii at all. You can insert the GC disc at any place in the Wii's slot and it accepts it just fine and plays.
- vrillco, on 11/30/2007, -2/+15Hello stupid: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-SBC3580-8CM-Single ...
These things have existed for a loooooooong time. Apple's only "innovation" is that theirs are foldable. This is such a non-event! - toetagger, on 11/29/2007, -0/+13Apple could pay to use that technology or they can create their own and sell the product.
- lnfiniteLoop, on 11/29/2007, -3/+13They cant just use the one that is in the wii because then all the software they ship in the mini disc format would only work on the new computers, not the existing ones that don't have the wii-type drive.
- robbh66, on 11/29/2007, -3/+12The problem isn't the capability in doing such a drive- it's doing it in an extremely small space. I've disassembled my Wii and the parts that make it accept the small DVDs are somewhat large.
- Zarokima, on 11/29/2007, -0/+9The best plan would be to do both: slot-load everything for new computers and sell adaptors for older models.
- robbh66, on 11/30/2007, -0/+7Wow, you just have everything figured out.
Why aren't you the CEO?
/sarcasm - typo180, on 11/30/2007, -0/+7Yeah, I was really confused when I read the headline. MiniDiscs are these: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiniDisc
- MagicCake, on 11/30/2007, -0/+6Ahhh, so THIS is why digg users hate the PS3. They've never used one!
- CrimsonBlur, on 11/30/2007, -0/+5The PS3 has a slot-loading disc drive just like the Wii, not a disc tray.
- fkr3, on 11/30/2007, -1/+6Everyone with non-slot loading drives has this functionality already with the 'inner circle' on the tray but I've only been given one disc in as long as I can remember that actually used the miniature discs. Is it really worth the effort to make something nobody is using compatible? If they want a 'smaller' distribution media why don't they just use a usb stick or memory card?
- mrgulabull, on 11/30/2007, -0/+5Oh man, I can't wait to put some mini disc with paper tacked on into my $500 Bluray player! Hey, if it's going to save big corporations a couple cents, it's a risk I'm willing to take.
- griz, on 11/30/2007, -0/+5Good point. Just the same way the floppy went by the wayside, so will the CD or DVD. It will all be digital delivery. Perhaps not in 2-3 years though. I'd say 8-10.
- robbh66, on 11/29/2007, -0/+4"the adapter will allow for the use of smaller BR disc for personal storage and sharing where the full capacity of BR is not needed and expensive."
Have you looked at the prices for mini DVD-Rs lately? They're more expensive than same-brand full size ones. - elmimmo, on 11/30/2007, -0/+4The thing is that Apple did use these drives on the iMac G3, on the ones that first used slot-loading DVD drives. I remember pretty clearly reading in Apple's Knowledge Base a description of valid optical media, and they did say standard-compliant (i.e. no fancy non-circular shapes) 8cm and 12cm were supported (and were indeed, since I do still own such an iMac and it swallows and spits 8cm discs just fine).
- smrekar, on 11/30/2007, -0/+4how can you compare a price slash with a feature upgrade? That is like saying people sure were upset when the PS2 Slim came out and they bought their PS2 on opening day. what?!?!?
- Nar1117, on 11/30/2007, -0/+4Everyone should be reminded that a patent filing does not, in any way, guarantee a product in the near (or far) future. Apple files patents for things that they *might* use, and quite often such patents do not come to the market in any way, shape, or form.
So the title is a tad misleading, basically, a patent doesn't mean a thing. - MacParrot, on 11/30/2007, -0/+4Only on the other side of the equator. Unfortunately that means those poor few souls that actually live on the equator can't use a GameCube as the disc just sits there.
(on a side note: Apparently whatever the problem was with digg and comments in Safari is now gone! Yea!! - inactive, on 11/29/2007, -1/+5Well since Apple backs Bluray, they can get drives from Sony since PS3 can also load the mini 8cm discs
- MagicCake, on 11/30/2007, -0/+4The PS3 can do it as well. It doesn't seem to be unique at all.
- da5id, on 11/29/2007, -0/+4Cool, like a standard DVD.
- robbh66, on 11/30/2007, -0/+4the size- now the drive has to be less than an inch thick.
- MaxPayne3476, on 11/30/2007, -0/+4Sorry I couldn't hear you over the sound of a MBP being fastest Vista laptop.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136649-page,3-c, ...
I own four other laptops (2 Toshibas, a Compaq and an IBM ThinkPad - nothing I've EVER used holds a candle to my MBP) :) - vagarach, on 11/30/2007, -1/+5It's what apple does.
- rgodfrey, on 11/30/2007, -1/+5This is mostly moot technology since in 2-3 years Apple will ship computers that don't accept optical media anyway.
- dougmwpsu, on 11/30/2007, -0/+3ok.. so it's a patent for a little sleeve you can put around a mini-dvd so it can fit in normally incompatible slot loading drives. How is this even remotely interesting? on occasion apple patents can hint at the direction of their product development, but this is just... lame.
- chrisbarr, on 11/30/2007, -1/+4wow read the article. it even has pictures.
- maexus, on 11/30/2007, -0/+3Read the article? This is Digg, Most people only read the title and description before posting or digging.
- insomniac8400, on 11/29/2007, -3/+6I feel sorry for you.
- maexus, on 11/30/2007, -0/+3I thought the article was about an adaptor, which would allow current slot drives to read small cds/dvds because it's an adaptor.
- Assezdefromage, on 11/30/2007, -0/+2So what's changed?
- inactive, on 11/30/2007, -0/+2Or seen one.
- harlowsmonkeys, on 11/30/2007, -0/+2Because they want something that works with people who already have laptops. Unless they can get access to the tattoo on Fry's ass, using Wii drives won't help with the existing user base.
- Neorio, on 11/30/2007, -0/+2Noooo! Not the apple CD caddy again!
- 1randomnumber, on 11/30/2007, -0/+2they don't spin backwards, they read from outside to inside (i.e. the data begins at the outside edge, with all the basic encoding data and whatnot). If you pop open the gamecube cover when it's playing, it spins the same way as say a portable CD player.
- rgodfrey, on 11/30/2007, -0/+2Sure, but why bother with a space-intensive optical drive when everyone will have the equivalent of a USB thumb (or a phone) that will hold 100GB or so?
- zdiggler, on 11/30/2007, -0/+2there are already products like the market for Car CD player, just like the picture, it clip on the small CD inside regular.
why reinvent the wheel? - bedouin, on 11/30/2007, -0/+2I've been told these do not work in slot-loading drives. Maybe someone else can confirm. This issue came up in a thread on MacOSXHints.com, where I suggested one of these adapters that I remembered from the early 90s. A number of people chimed in and told me they did not work.
- inactive, on 11/30/2007, -0/+2Yes CD/DVD is becoming obsolete. But they are being replaced by Bluray not flash.
Flash has prohibitively large manufacturing costs, thus defeating the point. - Spamcan, on 11/30/2007, -0/+2I'm guessing the adapter is being developed for current Mac owners whose slot loading drives wont read the smaller discs and preparing to include updated drives in all future models. It makes sense if they're planning on releasing software on the smaller discs, because the only other options are to release two separate disc formats or require all current users to download the software instead of buy it in store.
- zdiggler, on 11/30/2007, -0/+2how about those squareish mini business card CD's?
http://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Adapter-Drives-Player ... -
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