Apple quietly discontinues a much-used Mac accessory – the end of an era

It's the end of an era for the Apple USB SuperDrive. In case you haven't heard of it, it's the CD and DVD player/burner that launched way back in 2008 when Steve Jobs first introduced the MacBook Air from the famous Manilla envelope. The original MacBook Air was the first Mac to be introduced with no CD drive and so the SuperDrive accessory was designed for those that still wanted to play CDs and DVDs through their Mac.

Apple describes the USB SuperDrive on its website as: "Whether you’re at the office or on the road, you can play and burn both CDs and DVDs with the Apple USB SuperDrive. It’s perfect when you want to watch a DVD movie, install software, create backup discs, and more."

Connecting to a Mac via USB (most definitely not USB-C), the Apple USB SuperDrive has continued to be sold for 15 years, and a decade after Apple phased out CD drives in its Macs. 

I actually have one that I dug out especially for you for a quick picture. I used to use it for playing Grey's Anatomy DVDs on my old MacBook Air back in the day so I got my money's worth back then. That said, I haven't used it for over 10 years and I wouldn't buy another if I lost it.

It's likely I am not the only person in that boat either, so the fact that the Apple USB SuperDrive was recently spotted as "Sold Out" on Apple US by a 9to5Mac reader, is not all that surprising.

It's probably very unlikely it will be coming back into stock neither, though it is worth mentioning that for those in the UK, the Apple USB SuperDrive is still available to buy through Apple, as well on Amazon too.

There are also third-party alternatives available, so if you really feel like you need a CD and DVD drive for your Mac, then you'll be alright, all is not lost.

The third-party options connect via USB-C too and they are compatible with Blu-ray discs, which the Apple USB SuperDrive is not. If you still want the official Apple USB SuperDrive however, it will cost you £79 / $79 / A$119 if you can find it.