[schrototo]

Aside from the fact that no Apple product will ever have a Blu-ray drive (Jobs: "a bag of hurt"), it wouldn't make sense to phase out optical media on their computers but give the displays built-in drives. The future is digital distribution and I'm certain Apple is 100% committed to that.

(If you need to use "legacy" media for the time being, Apple will be happy to sell you an add-on drive.)

[freakwit]

some more context from http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/14/steve-jobs-calls-blu-ray-...

"Blu-ray is just a bag of hurt. It's great to watch the movies, but the licensing of the tech is so complex, we're waiting till things settle down and Blu-ray takes off in the marketplace."

I wouldn't take that as apple never supporting blu-ray. Although given the quote is three years old, I wouldn't say it's likely either.

[saturdaysaint]

I have a very hard time believing that licensing blu-ray would be anywhere near as complex as the content and patent negotiations that Apple is involved with on a daily basis.

[gamble]

I suspect that the real sticking points are the DRM certification process the movie studios demand to ensure that Bluray-compatible PCs can't rip the video stream, and the need to develop a new, considerably more complex version of DVD Player capable of playing BD 2.0.

[w1ntermute]

Well, without a Blu-ray drive (or a TV to watch movies with a regular Blu-ray player) and a deep-seated loathing of streaming, that leaves me up shit creek with piracy as the only option when it comes to watching HD movies. Maybe I'll just stick to DVDs.

[r00fus]

Perhaps you should consider a non-Apple product? Blue-ray appliances and PCs are not exactly hard to find or expensive.

[joshuacc]

There are also HD rentals/purchases available in the iTunes store. I've been using that quite a bit when working out.