I would love a MBP that doesn't include an optical drive, but it isn't going to happen for a while. The problem is DRM on DVDs. I'm perfectly capable of ripping

I would love a MBP that doesn't include an optical drive, but it isn't going to happen for a while. The problem is DRM on DVDs. I'm perfectly capable of ripping my movies, but without access to a DVD ripper that's as easy to use (and included for free with the OS) as iTunes, the average person hasn't figured out how to rip DVDs and still needs an optical drive to watch movies. The Air is going to be stuck in a niche for a while, unfortunately.