As the first quarter of 2011 rolls along, optical drive prices are expected to remain low and could get even cheaper as drive makers aggressively battle for market share, DigiTimes reports.

According to un-named sources, global optical drive shipments could reach 340 million units in 2011, a increase of around 7 percent from 2010. The number of shipments will continue to grow at least until 2015, sources say.

But a price war? If we ignore the cost of Blu-ray drives, it's not as though optical drives command a premium. You can already find several CD/DVD burners selling for around $20 shipped, and if a price war erupts, drive makers could end up shooting themselves in the foot rather than each other.