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It's very much the same problem with the PC. They do make laptops smaller and lighter, and removing them makes them cheaper (DVD/bluray players include the cost of licensing fees), but online distribution of software often provides similar benefits to Apple and Microsoft. They get to push more ads and gain more control when you have to use their marketplaces to get software.

Optical drives in computers can also be a nightmare for consumers. Try playing 4k bluray content on your PC for example. It wouldn't be unreasonable for people to complain to Dell that they bought a computer with an optical drive but can't play the media they own without jumping through hoops due to DRM like this: https://www.pcworld.com/article/606652/4k-blu-ray-support-is... so Dell saves themselves a lot of problems by removing those drives.