Reader question: Can you use the MBA Superdrive with other Macs?

If it won’t work, here is a beautiful slim usb-powered writer by LG, the GSA-E50L.

Same specs, no slot-loading though, but lightscribe.

"the drive is designed for the MacBook Air and supports the MacBook Air"
It'd be nice if it did work but that's one thing that annoys me about Apple. An Apple update buggered my Superdrive. I hounded them about it. They said there was no fix, nor was there going to be as they helpfully reassured me my iMac would work with Apple branded media. The Apple Store in Ireland don't sell Apple Branded Media. Buggered!

I wonder if I can rip out that Super Drive and install that in my one year old MBP Core Duo? Haha. The spare parts that I can find on the net are over 150 dollars. If this is only 100 dollars over at the Apple Store, then why not?

One of the most irritating lost opportunities ever is for USB to have an even *slightly* higher max power draw specification.

It would be nice if the "Air's" USB drive would work with other computers, but in my experience thats not how Apple tech tends to be. Usually when you install OS X there are model specific drivers that are installed in the background to add functionality to said given hardware. I am certain this will be the case with the Macbook Air's Superdrive.

LaCie makes a very slim USB DVD burner that is bus-powered. It's less expensive than the Apple version, should work with any computer you connect it to, and offers LightScribe.

I have a removable hard drive that powers off USB. It works on one, but has a split cable in case you need to use two USB ports to get enough juice. It doesn't seem like it would be too difficult to get a split cord and ride off two USB ports for device power (unless it needs more than that, which is unlikely).

Represents one of those very curious ambiguities about USB specification that FW doesn't have to deal with. See discussion about the asymmetrical power consumption of the MBP ports:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=6261491

Even though they are rated the same, the right port is able to utilize more power than the left. I suspect that my MP's ports can power these, and possibly the right USB port on the MBP and NOT the left (unless I happen to have a cable that ... oh, nevermind. you get the picture).

well, if I remember correctly, the new aluminium keyboard supports being used as a powered USB-Hub, so powerfull enough to connect with your iPod, when connected to a new iMac. This is because the iMac has some kind of newer or more powerfull kind of USB2.0 port. My guess is that the MacBook Air uses the same port, so you won't be able to use the MBA superdrive with, say, a MacBook Pro or a Mac Mini, but it should work with the aluminium iMac.....

"pretty awful," vista looks better