@IanDSmith
I'm not seeing how they made CDs and DVDs harder to use. You shove them into a drive, same as always.

Nobody forced you to subscribe to a streaming service. All of my music is still on local storage. A copy of everything sits on a USB stick plugged into my car radio, a copy sits on microSD in my phone.

Nobody made you give up phones with removable storage - you stopped buying them.

Don't blame industry for selling you what you asked for.

@hyc @IanDSmith what drive? Laptops don't have them as standard anymore. Most cars don't (happily ours does). People rarely add them to desktop builds.
They aren't a default inclusion now and most people lack access.

And who is 'you'? Ffs.

@noodlemaz @IanDSmith It really doesn't matter that they're not built into laptop or desktop PCs any more. USB DVD drives are dirt cheap and you can move them freely between laptop and desktop. https://www.amazon.co.uk/External-CD-Drive-Portable-Optical/dp/B0F9KF47H2

Using optical discs in cars just gets them scratched. Far better to copy the discs to a USB flash drive, that's impervious to shock or vibration.

External CD DVD Drive for Laptop USB 3.0 Type-C Slim Portable Player CD DVD RW Writer Reader Burner, Low Noise Optical External Disk Drive for Desktop, PC, Mac OS,Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/2003/Vista/Linux : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Shop External CD DVD Drive for Laptop USB 3.0 Type-C Slim Portable Player CD DVD RW Writer Reader Burner, Low Noise Optical External Disk Drive for Desktop, PC, Mac OS,Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/2003/Vista/Linux. Free delivery and returns on eligible orders.

@hyc @IanDSmith any you'd recommend not on amazon? I am in the market for this one as I'm looking to put CDs on an SD.
@noodlemaz @IanDSmith these days I'm sure they're all good enough, but review sites like this might help you https://www.guru99.com/best-external-dvd-drive.html
6 BEST External DVD Drive (Blu-ray) in 2026

Explore top-rated external DVD drives. Ideal for laptops and desktops, our list prioritizes performance, value, and sleek design for optimal use.

Guru99
@hyc @IanDSmith so many of them are AI slop these days, which is why I ask people for personal recs. If you don't have one, that's fine!