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Apple clears up an important issue: The difference between discs and disks
What is a disc?
Discs are optical media such as an audio CD, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM (or RAM), or a DVD-video disc. Discs also include recordable media, such as CD-R and DVD-R. All discs are removable, meaning they eject from your
Mac.
What is a disk?
Disks are magnetic media, like your built-in hard disk. Disks also refer to external hard drives and are always rewritable, unless otherwise protected with software. Disks can be partitioned into smaller sections and be given different functions.
So, the next time you are having an issue with a DVD that is not playing, you will be able to tell the Genius at the Apple Store that your d-i-s-c is not playing properly. Or, if your internal hard drive is acting up, you can tell AppleCare that you seem to be having a d-i-s-k problem. Obviously, this is primarily useful when writing about your issues, so when you log on to the Apple Support Discussions forums or the CNET Mac Forums to describe your problems to other Mac users, be sure to use the proper terms!
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Slow news day?
The diff between disc and disk is the first thing you learn
when you buy/use a computer.
dont you have anything better to write?
Like a review/test for the new released iMacs ect.
It is hardly an insult to intelligence and more of a reminder. Please recall that not everyone that uses a Mac is an expert computer user. In fact, many are novices, which is why the Mac is so great for them. Note the first comment.
So, despite what Apple says, "A disk by any other color, is still a disk." Or something like that... 8-)
Now, MrAppletosh, I hope the rest of your WHOLE week is less stressful and more joyful. ;-)
I wasn't confused before, but I am now, Joe. Let's just stick with the dictionary definition that "disc" is just an alternative spelling of "disk". Kind of like "****" is an alternative spelling of "****". It really doesn't matter which one you use, as long as you are looking at it when you say it.
For those of us who are more informed about the proper terms, it's sometimes just annoying to see how words like 'disk' and 'disc' are bandied about..
Saying one thing and meaning another is just too damned annoying. I'm a long time participant in shooting sports so I know quite a bit about the terminology of firearms. One thing gets me growling and that is the all-too common use of the words "bullet" and "bullets" when what is meant are: cartridge and ammunition. Grrrr! I notice particularly this is a common mistake of journalists, wether they be of the print or television kind. "Police recovered a closet full of bullets from the street gang's lair." -- Geez!!!
A closet full of jacketed lead bullets would weigh a couple of tons but would be "inert" and harmless.
In reality, I imagine that would still be referred to as a "Disc", since it's representing a removable drive.
Disc describes a physical object which is circular in nature and is flat. This has been common for over a hundred years.
Disk has been used in the computer field since disks were used for electromagnetic storage of data.
I'm a former employee of Seagate Software. As the folklore goes:
Al Shugart, founder of Seagate Technology, claims to have 'coined' the term "Disc" as a Seagate-proprietary term for THEIR magnetic storage drives. When the CD-ROM folks came around and started using the term, he didn't do anything to stop it. But when you looked at all the old Seagate sales literature, they used the term "disc" exclusively. It was actually kind of funny, and sad.
Seagate Software was bought-up by Veritas, who was bought by Symantec, and I'm not sure what happened to the hard-drive part of seagate, are they still making drives? I think they were bought, Shugart was forced out, and the brand name is still being used by some other company. All ancient history now. I have a friend who is a linguistic anthropologist. She'd find this stuff interesting. I don't see why the rest of us would.
Optical media are referred to as "discs" because that was the spelling used for the first CD patent application.
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by JWKessler
October 24, 2009 6:50 PM PDT
- Being a bit dyslectic, there is another often confused term that I always have to think about - the difference between Mb and MB. People tend to use them interchangeably but they are very different.
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(22 Comments)And for those like me who need help it's Mega-bit versus Mega-Byte.