( CNN ) -- Could the phrase `` burn a disc '' soon be interred in the computing graveyard , resting peacefully alongside 8-bit graphics and the chirping , buzzing hum of a dial-up modem ? Some technology analysts , along with some of the most influential computer makers in the world , say yes . Optical disc drives take up precious space in our ever-shrinking gadgets , and the ability to stream music or movies on demand has made CDs and DVDs less essential . The disc drive 's spin into obscurity may have started swirling faster last week . Apple 's new iMac , its flagship desktop computer , was released Friday . For the first time , it has no disc drive . This marks a trend that has already begun on some laptops , like Apple 's MacBook Airs , and of course with mobile devices like smartphones and tablets . `` Over time , an optical disc will be as much of an historical curiosity as a floppy disk , '' said Michael Gartenberg , a tech-industry analyst with research firm Gartner Inc . According to Apple , where sleeker , thinner designs are always en vogue , dumping the disc drive was a no-brainer . `` These old technologies are holding us back , '' Phil Schiller , Apple 's head of marketing , told CNN sister publication Time . `` They 're anchors on where we want to go . We find the things that have outlived their useful purpose -- our competitors are afraid to remove them . We try to find better solutions -- our customers have given us a lot of trust . '' If the company 's track record on such things holds , the optical drive may be doomed . The original Mac dumped the 5-inch disk for a 3.5-inch floppy , and the first iMac was one of the first desktops without a floppy disk drive . `` It 's clearly a long-term trend , but Apple 's always been aggressive about making moves like this sooner as opposed to later , '' Gartenberg said . The company 's tiny Mac Mini , for the record , has been disc drive-free since last year . Sony has already announced that it will stop making optical drives itself . And the release of Microsoft 's Windows 8 , an operating system that works on disc-free smartphones and tablets as well as laptops and PCs , suggests that computing giant would be well positioned for such a move as well . For some users , Web habits have already begun trending away from actions that require external media . CDs ? There 's music streaming or digital downloads . DVDs ? Netflix , Amazon or a host of other online movie sites . Video games ? There 's digital distribution like Steam and , increasingly , downloads from the major console and game makers . `` As personal cloud services become ubiquitous and broadband speeds increase , there 's very little reason for many consumers to use an optical drive on their computer going forward , '' Gartenberg said . There are always USB ports available on the occasion that an external device is needed ( Apple , for what it 's worth , offers an external optical disc drive for $ 79 ) . Much as Google has with its Google Drive service , Apple has embraced cloud computing with its iCloud offering , which lets users store documents , photos , music and movies on Web-based servers . A move to the cloud could mean internal storage is less of a concern for users going forward . Combined with advances in `` solid state '' internal storage and quicker broadband speeds that make downloads and streaming less painful , a post-DVD era could grease the skids for Apple and its competitors to make increasingly thin , light and inexpensive computers . Witness the new Chromebooks , laptops that run Google 's Chrome system , that rely almost exclusively on the cloud and sell for around $ 250 . To be sure , the transition may be rough on some users . `` For those who still own DVDs and want to watch them on their computers , the iMac is n't the ideal solution , '' Fortune 's JP Mangalindan wrote in a review of the new iMac . `` Sure , there 's a $ 79 external SuperDrive that connects via USB cable , but that means shelling out extra for -- let 's face it -- a feature that still comes standard on most PCs . It also means messing with the iMac 's minimal-looking setup . '' But like it or not , folks who still pop in a disc may not have long to keep doing so . `` While it may be too early to say for certain that the optical drive is absolutely dead , '' wrote Chris Pirillo , founder of blogging network Lockergnome , `` it is certainly showing all the early warning signs of a technology that is past its prime . ''
New innovations could spell beginning of the end for DVD drives . Apple 's new iMac shipped last week with no optical drive . Cloud storage , streaming and faster downloads paved the way . Apple was first to can the 5-inch disk and floppy disk .