Honestly, I don't see the 2011 MacBook Pro refresh having optical drives anymore. Make way for even more battery space. Besides, if you really really really want to be stubborn about it you can also opt for one of their external drives. For the 2 times per year you may need one. Of course, even though I do tend to rip a lot of music CDs I buy, I'd still prefer just an external optical drive. The benefits of more battery in a MBP or maybe a second SSD/HD would be lovely.