A combo drive reads and writes multiple types of optical discs, often referring to CD and DVD. They became less common in the 21st century as drives that could read and write both CDs and DVDs became popular. Apple Inc. produced the most popular brand of combo drives, which saved space and were cheaper. Combo drives became obsolete by 2010 as computer manufacturers included drives with read and write capabilities for both CD and DVD, or stopped including optical disc media altogether.
A combo drive is an optical disc drive that can read and write multiple types of optical discs. The term most often refers to a drive that combines the ability to read and write compact discs (CDs) with the ability to read a digital video disc (DVD). This type of drive became less common in the early 21st century as drives that could read and write both CDs and DVDs became popular. The term “combo drive” has also been used to refer to a drive that can read and write DVDs and CDs but can only read Blu-Ray discs and high definition digital video discs (HD-DVDs), and sometimes the term refers to a drive capable of reading two types of high-definition discs. Combo drives of any type help customers avoid the need to purchase a drive for each format of disc that needs to be read.
While many manufacturers have produced combo drives that can read and write CDs and read DVDs, the most popular brand of this type of drive was manufactured by Apple Inc. for use in its desktop and laptop computers. This type of combo unit was introduced in the late 1990s and continued in use throughout the next decade. The main advantage of these combined units has been the saving of space. Also, because the drives weren’t capable of burning DVDs, they were also cheaper. DVD burning technology was still in its infancy when combo drives were introduced, so the omission of the DVD write functionality resulted in huge cost savings and allowed the combo drive to appeal to consumers who wanted portable computers. a lower price.
Combo drives were a cutting-edge technology when they were introduced, but had started to become obsolete by 2010. Computer manufacturers no longer included combo drives as part of a standard computer installation, but instead included drives with read and write capabilities for both CD and DVD. Some manufacturers even stopped including optical disc media altogether, with the anticipation that optical disc drives would disappear as the digital download market grew.
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