There’s a new Slim MacBook rumor now that initially sounded at best, fake and at worst, like a really bad idea, but after reading a bit more into and thinking about it, I’m intrigued: what if Apple ditches the DVD drive in their new laptops?

Your initial reaction will probably be (as mine was) well how would I install any new software? But a compelling case can be made now for all but the biggest software being able to easily be distributed online. And for those? Well, you could simply have a USB external drive – and maybe as 9to5 Mac is suggesting, it could even come bundled with the computer.

With memory sticks getting so cheap and being much simpler to use than even burning a DVD, the USB/Flash memory interaction could eventually replace the need for a DVD burner. But for now while we still have CD players in our cars, and the need to manually back up large bits of data, an external DVD burner would be perfect.

Think about how often you use your DVD drive on your laptop? More to the point: how often do you use it when it’s not on a desk plugged in (where your external DVD drive would reside)? If you’re anything like me, probably not a whole lot. If Apple could cut this out and drastically reduce the slimness of the MacBook while at the same time greatly improving battery life, I’d be one happy camper.

For the past few months I thought I’ve been waiting for Apple to release a new MacBook with a Blu-ray drive, but really I’d much prefer the no-drive option and have the thing be 3 pounds, super-slim, with a 6 hour regular-use battery life.