Superdrives

[exncite]

OK, so here is another issue. I have an Apple Superdrive that I bought for my 2015 iMac. It, of course, ran on the Intel processor and worked just fine in Monterey. Granted I don't use it much but when I tried to connect it to the new 24" iMac, it is not recognized. It's been told to me on Apple sites that it should work (and works for others) on the M1 chip. I even had the Genius Bar in the store try it. They say it is not compatible as Apple is doing away with accessories like this and are encouraging the Cloud. Well that isn't an option because the Cloud won't play my CDs or my DVD movies.

I have two questions.
1. If the drive itself is bad (can't imagine why) how can I tell if the computer won't even show it? BTW, I no longer have the 2015 iMac to try it on. It is 2500 miles away.
2. if this drive won't work, is there another 3rd party drive that will. I can't find any that specifically states it is compatible with the silicon based chip.

What really confuses me (mind you that's not hard to do), is why then does the Superdrive, as advertised by Apple, work with the new Mini and MacBooks but not the iMac. Same chip and OS.

Thanks all.

 

[MacInWin]

The drive mechanism won't be recognized, but if you put a CD or DVD in, it will mount. If it doesn't, then just about ANY drive will work.

 

[exncite]

Thanks. When I put anything into the drive, it doesn’t pull itself in. I’m beginning to think the drive itself is bad.

 

[MacInWin]

Thanks. When I put anything into the drive, it doesn’t pull itself in. I’m beginning to think the drive itself is bad.

Sounds like it. Try getting a new one. They do work, I know. I have a Samsung that works well.

 

[Jimmysb]

I have just bought a Liteon for my Mini, and though it does not show when "just" plugged in, when I put a disk in it works fine.

 

[krs]

I have just bought a Liteon for my Mini, and though it does not show when "just" plugged in, when I put a disk in it works fine.

That is true for all external CD/DVD drives with the Mac and has caused quite a bit of confusion over the years.

 

[Rod]

Yep, it does not appear on your desktop or Finder unless it has a disk mounted. This is normal behavior. I have a Sony which does the same thing.

 

[exncite]

Just sent it to my daughter who has my old iMac. If it works on that, then it is true that the Superdrives are not compatible with the New iMacs. If it doesn't work, then the drive itself has died. We'll find out soon enough.

 

[Rod]

The Apple Community page here; Is SuperDrive compatible with M1? - Apple Community says they do work.

 

[ferrarr]

then it is true that the Superdrives are not compatible with the New iMacs

No, that statement does not work.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

Apple still sells the SuperDrive and the listing has no qualifiers on compatibility other than Mac models from 2008 and later... that "don't" have a built-in optical drive (which is really silly). If they didn't work with the Apple Silicon platform, I'm quite confident that they would have updated this page by now to reflect that.

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If your drive is indeed dead, I wouldn't recommend the SuperDrive going forward. It's still using a USB-A cable, which means an adapter is needed for USB-C. May as well just get one with USB-C already. Pioneer makes a couple models, which come in various color options also.

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[krs]

Apple still sells the SuperDrive and the listing has no qualifiers on compatibility other than Mac models from 2008 and later... that "don't" have a built-in optical drive (which is really silly).

I think you read this wrong.
On the Apple website it says:

Compatible with the following computers:​

*The Apple USB SuperDrive is compatible with Mac models from 2008 and later that don't have a built-in optical drive.

In other words, the SuperDrive is incompatible with Macs that "do" have a built-in optical drive.

Still "silly" and has come up a few times in this forum.
Perfectly good Mac, internal drive fails, can't use an external SuoerDrive as an alternative on those Macs.

 

[MacInWin]

I think you read this wrong.
On the Apple website it says:

In other words, the SuperDrive is incompatible with Macs that "do" have a built-in optical drive.

Still "silly" and has come up a few times in this forum.
Perfectly good Mac, internal drive fails, can't use an external SuoerDrive as an alternative on those Macs.

I think you read LIAB's comment wrong. He said exactly what the article says, and that you said. If it's after 2008 and doesn't have an internal drive, it's compatible. If it HAS an internal drive, it isn't. As for "silly," well, that was Apple's choice.

 

[Groovetube]

I have an apple SuperDrive and it works fine on my new M1max MacBook Pro 16

 

[exncite]

Not sure what to say. Different opinions from all over the place. Still of the opinion that my Superdrive decided to retire itself. Bottom line is I got an OWC Mercury Pro and it works fine. Back in business. Thanks all for your help.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

Not sure what to say. Different opinions from all over the place. Still of the opinion that my Superdrive decided to retire itself. Bottom line is I got an OWC Mercury Pro and it works fine. Back in business. Thanks all for your help.

You said you sent it to your daughter. What was her finding?

Looking at one of your earlier posts, you said it wouldn't "grab" the disc. Either the drive had died or it wasn't getting power, or not "enough" power. You could have simply had a defective cable. Or actually... I did some quick reading and you would have needed an adapter, right? You may have needed a specific one from Apple.

How to run an Apple SuperDrive on a new M… - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

And another article to read... this was especially enlightening. Were you trying to use it through a hub, by chance?

How to connect an Apple USB SuperDrive to a newer Mac

Some docks and adapters allow the SuperDrive to work, but it might be cheaper to just buy an up-to-date CD/DVD drive.

www.macworld.com