Right now it’s somewhat of a chore getting a Blu-ray-equipped notebook. That might change in 2010 though according to a report at Digitime. The report suggests something most of us already know that once the price drops on the slim Blu-ray drive – which will happen in the second half of 2010 – we will start seeing the option become standard.
Right now a slim notebook Blu-ray drive cost manufacturers about $100 while a notebook DVD drive costs $20. Look at Dell. A Blu-ray drive costs $125 to add the option to an Inspiron 14, which causes the price to jump from $749 to $879. Not even its Alienware line has a Blu-ray drive standard. It costs $150 to add one to those models.
Obviously times are tough and notebook makers need to keep prices low and squeeze out some profit at the same time. A lot of mid-tier notebooks have an optional Blu-ray drive but until the OEM part drop in price, or manufacturers sales numbers dramatically improve, it will not become standard equipment.