Apple's Old-School SuperDrive Is Out of Stock and Unlikely to Return

Earlier this year, Apple added the last MacBook Pro with a CD/DVD drive to its obsolete products list, and now it looks like Apple's aging external USB SuperDrive might not be all that far behind.

8 Old SuperDrives
As noted by 9to5Mac, it's no longer possible to buy a USB SuperDrive online via the official Apple Store in the US. The product listing for the $79 device says that it's "Sold Out," rather than "Currently Unavailable." Apple's Canada online store also lists the device as sold out, and given that it was introduced alongside the original MacBook Air in 2008, Apple is unlikely to make additional units to play what many Mac users would consider to be legacy optical media.

Stock remains available on some of Apple's regional stores, such as the UK, and the USB SuperDrive can still be found elsewhere online at merchants like Amazon, but bear in mind that you'll need a USB-A to USB-C adapter to use it with a modern MacBook. Also, it doesn't play Blu-ray discs. Here's how Apple describes the product:

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, install software, create backup discs and more.

Only slightly bigger than a CD case, the Apple USB SuperDrive slips easily into your travel bag when you hit the road, and takes up little space on your desk or tray table when you’re working.

While the majority of Apple's product lineup has been updated over the past few years, there are still a handful of devices and accessories that are quite old and still available on the Apple store.

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Top Rated Comments

WarmWinterHat Avatar
12 months ago

Good. Just a warning for anyone who wanted one of these, you can’t even use them with an Apple Silicon Mac.
They just don’t work.
Yes they do.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iMac The Knife Avatar
12 months ago
I still use my SuperDrive to this day, from time to time. While I've purchased maybe 75 digital movies, the vast majority of my collection is on DVD/4K Blu-Ray. I've abandoned buying digital media because the companies selling it can and will take these movies and TV shows from you whenever they please, or if they go bankrupt. I have enough movies and TV shows on DVD/4K Blu-Ray to last a lifetime. I rip them to Plex and then I can stream them from anywhere I have an internet connection.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Populus Avatar
12 months ago
Oh, SuperDrive, you trusty old mate,
Spinning those discs at a steady rate.
You were the hero of the digital age,
Now you’re retired, out of the tech stage.

Remember the days of burning CDs?
Mixing up tracks with such ease?
You were the DJ, the maestro of tunes,
Now we’ve got playlists and streaming boons.

Installing software? You had our back,
We’d feed you a disc, you’d get right on track.
No Wi-Fi? No problem! You saved the day,
Like a techy knight, in your silver display.

Your hum was a comfort, a nerdy delight,
Though your speed was slower than dial-up at night.
We’d sit and we’d wait, and sometimes curse,
But in the end, you always came through.

You held our memories, backups galore,
With a whir and a click, you’d open the door.
Sure, you were bulky, and let’s not forget,
You’d chomp on our discs like a hungry pet.

Now you’re a relic, a bygone dream,
Replaced by the cloud and the endless stream.
But let’s not forget the fun we had,
Even if sometimes you drove us mad.

Farewell, SuperDrive, you did us proud,
In the hall of fame, you stand tall and loud.
Here’s to the laughs, the spins, and the burns,
Your legacy lives as the tech world turns.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B4U Avatar
12 months ago
Legacy media?
Perhaps because it does not support Blu-ray?
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WarmWinterHat Avatar
12 months ago
It's fine...There is really no reason to have a superdrive specifically anymore. I still do some burning (mainly m-disc)/reading occasionally, and just use a 3rd party external blu-ray drive. It even has USB-C without needing an adapter.

Any brand drive you buy will work fine with any Mac, including Apple Silicon.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bustycat Avatar
12 months ago
Third-party external SuperDrive-like devices are much cheaper.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)