The Apple MacBook Air SuperDrive (USB SuperDrive) is an external CD & DVD drive that was designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple from 2008 to the present day. The SuperDrive has been introduced on January 15, 2008, alongside MacBook Air and its price started at $99.
The product on June 11, 2012, has been renamed USB SuperDrive and is still on the market for $79.
MacBook Air SuperDrive / USB SuperDrive is a slot-loading external CD & DVD drive that could read and burn CD / CD-R / CD-RW / DVD / DVD±R DL / DVD±RW discs through a USB connection with a supported Mac.
Today MacBook Air SuperDrive is 16 years old!

MacBook Air SuperDrive Release Date and Original Price
Introduced | January 15, 2008 (MacBook Air SuperDrive) June 11, 2012 (USB SuperDrive) |
Discontinued | June 11, 2012 (MacBook Air SuperDrive) |
Model Identifier | Unknown |
Model Number | A1270 (MacBook Air SuperDrive) A1379 (USB SuperDrive) |
EMC | Unknown |
Order Number | MB397G/A (MacBook Air SuperDrive) MC684ZM/A (MacBook Air SuperDrive) MD564LL/A (USB SuperDrive) |
Original Price | $99 (MacBook Air SuperDrive) $79 (USB SuperDrive) |
Colors | Aluminum |
Weight | 11 oz. 311 Grams |
Dimensions | 0.67” H x 5.47” W x 5.47” D 1.7 cm H x 13.9 cm W x 13.9 cm D |
System Requirements
- MacBook Air or Mac mini Server (MacBook Air SuperDrive)
- Mac models from 2008 and later that don’t have a built-in optical drive (USB SuperDrive)
Storage
Type | Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) |
Capacity | 650 – 700 MB (CD / CD-R / CD-RW) 4.7 GB (DVD / DVD±R / DVD±RW) 8.5 GB (DVD±R DL) |
Data Transfer Rate | 24x (CD / CD-R) 16x (CD-RW) 8x (DVD / DVD±R / DVD+RW) 6x (DVD-RW / DVD±R DL) |
Connections
Connection | USB 2.0 |
Ports | None |
Power
Power | USB |