Apple SuperDrive
Learned that I am better off with a SuperDrive
One of the downsides of the new iMacs is that they don't have a DVD drive. This makes it challenging when you want to access old files or create DVD movies for events.
New External Drive
I thought DVD drives were all the same, so when it came time for me to get one I went cheap and purchased a $30 drive. What's nice is the drive had both USB 2 and USB-C ports. I was excited because I could connect this to the USB-C port and not take up any other standard USB port.
Going cheap was a big mistake.
When I started burning DVDs I got a lot of failures. Only about 1 out of 4 disks were good. This happened using the USB3 port and the ISB-C port.
I also had this problem using different computers. So the issue was with the drive. The thing is that it works fine some of the time.
Apple SuperDrive
I got a SuperDrive for my birthday and what a difference it makes.
I have burned 20 DVDs and they were all successful. I didn't encounter and toasted disks.
I have also access old DVDs without a problem. The drive seems much quieter than other external drives I have had in the past.
The morale of the story is to not be cheap when it comes to storage devices. Stick with brands you know.
Couple of complaints
The cable is too short. Basically, the device sits underneath the iMac monitor. Sure I can get a USB extension but that may impact the quality of data going to the drive. Come On Apple, make longer cords.
There is only one cable type - USB 3. It would be nice to have different cable options.