This is not the first time they've decided there are elements that don't need to be part of the base machine. Each time there were outcries but they were proven right in the end. When's the last time you needed an optical drive for example? And did you see the mention under Thunderbolt 2 of "add a PCI expansion chassis" - that's their answer for those who really really need expansion.

This appears to be a lot like the Cube. Some thought it was ahead of its time then. Looks to me like Apple is giving it another try.

> When's the last time you needed an optical drive for example?

About a dozen times each month.

And is an external unit adequate for your needs?

I understand that an internal unit might have been more convenient for you, but Apple tends to optimize for the more common needs.

I do in fact use an external unit, but only because the internal units on every Mac I have owned have failed due to Apple using very low quality, poorly designed Chinese sourced hardware components. This same low quality internal "SuperDrive" unit is in the add on Apple external optical disc.

The external third unit is pretty noisy, has a large wall wart, and takes up desk space which contributes two cables, power and USB, as well as taking up one of the small number of USB ports on the Mac. This is an exceptionally poor design compared to the experience of using a PC which reasonable comes with an optical drive, something that I use very frequently, as do most computer users.

External optical drive is a viable substitution. External GPU is not, at least at the moment.

Apparently Apple believes that Thunderbolt 2 changes that equation.

It looks to me like they've tried hard to make sure that the included GPUs are adequate for 90% of their users, at least for today. As for tomorrow their philosophy has always preferred replacing the machine rather than upgrading it piece by piece.

Yeah, that seems to be their solution. Actually, it seems like their solution is to pick a GPU that is adequate for 99% of their users at launch time. Which is not ideal, since everyone who buys a Mac Pro is going to be paying for super-premium graphics, even if they are buying the machine for the Xeons.