Rip Mac Optical Drives Rumor Suggests Apple To Drop Last Non Retina Macbook Pro This Year

DigiTimes is claiming that Apple will cease production of the non-Retina version of the 13-inch MacBook Pro this year as it prepares to launch refreshed Retina models toward the end of the year.

DigiTimes doesn’t have the best of track records, to put it politely, but this particular rumor doesn’t seem too unlikely: Apple discontinued the 15-inch version of the classic MBP last October, and there is only $100 difference between the Retina and non-Retina 13-inch models, making the decision an easy one for most people.

While there are definitely those who will miss the upgradability and repairability of the classic MacBook Pros (me among them), most people opt for the higher-res screen and thinner form factor.

If the rumor is correct, it will also be the end of the optical drive, which for most people has been superseded by a combination of USB keys and cloud services like Dropbox.

Apple obviously still offers the USB Superdrive for those in need of a last optical fix.