In the year I've had my current MacBook, I've used the optical drive maybe 10 times:
-I've started burning CDs again because I just bought a car from 2003, too new for a tape adapter and too old for aux input.
-Occasional DVDs, but most video comes over the web.
-Occasional software installation, but I get most software via the web these days.
Burning CDs full of data is already an idea long gone with the advent of various flash devices. Practically no one burns CDs of music anymore since CD players are pretty much gone. Even DVDs are fading; Apple has a vested interest in this happening faster since they sell media online in any case.
With high-speed I/O, an external drive would work just fine for folks who need to read or burn disks only occasionally. These days, that's most people.
Burning CDs full of data is already an idea long gone with the advent of various flash devices. Practically no one burns CDs of music anymore since CD players are pretty much gone. Even DVDs are fading; Apple has a vested interest in this happening faster since they sell media online in any case.
With high-speed I/O, an external drive would work just fine for folks who need to read or burn disks only occasionally. These days, that's most people.