why do so many pc builds skip optical drives now

seriously, is it really that hard to include one? i get that most stuff is digital now but sometimes you just need to pop in a dvd or burn something onto a disc. honestly yeah yeah i know about external drives but its not the same. and dont even get me started on how people act like its some ancient tech from the 90s like, cmon, its not that bulky and it barely costs anything to add one … ok rant over. anyone else feel this way or am i just old-fashioned?

yeah i get it, external drives are a pain. but honestly, most people don’t need optical drives anymore game installs, software, even movies are all digital now. even windows installs are usb-first. it’s not about being ancient tech, it’s just that the use case dropped off a cliff if you need one for something niche like ripping cds or old backups, external is fine ngl otherwise it’s just wasted space in a build. dont see the point of adding hardware thats gathering dust 99% of the time

yeah i get it, external drives are a pain. but honestly, most people don’t need optical drives anymore game installs, software, even movies are all digital now. even windows installs are usb-first. it’s not about being ancient tech, it’s just that the use case dropped off a cliff if you need one for something niche like ripping cds or old backups, external is fine ngl otherwise it’s just wasted space in a build. dont see the point of adding hardware thats gathering dust 99% of the time

I remember installing windows using my CDs. I had to use a separate CD for installing windows and a different CD in order to install drivers. The fact remains that many computers use USB now when it comes to installing windows. Technology is indeed evolving.