“Apple Inc. customers, unhappy that the company dropped FireWire from its newest notebooks, are venting their frustrations on the company’s support forum in several hundred messages,” Gregg Keizer reports for Computerworld. “Within minutes of Apple CEO Steve Jobs wrapping up a launch event in Cupertino, Calif., users started several threads on the company’s support forum blasting the omission of a FireWire port on the new MacBook laptop.”
“‘Apple really screwed up with no FireWire port,’ said Russ Tolman, who inaugurated a thread that by Thursday had collected more than 200 messages and been viewed over 5,000 times,” Keizer reports. “Ironically, Apple has been one of the biggest boosters of the spec and was one of the primary drivers of the technology when it began development in the late 1980s.”
“Although the upper-end MacBook Pro — which Apple also revamped and relaunched Tuesday — includes a FireWire 800 port, users,” Keizer reports. “Others pointed out that the previous-generation MacBook, which Apple is still selling at a reduced price of $999, includes a FireWire port.”
“Apple has ditched technologies before, most notably when it was one of the first computer makers to abandon the 3.5-in. floppy drive in favor of an internal CD-ROM drive,” Keizer reports.
Full article here.
As we wrote yesterday, in a paragraph some seem to have missed (we suspect temporary rage-induced blindness):
“We’re still trying to figure out how Apple, among other concerns, plans to resolve the dichotomy between MacBooks that ship with iMovie and the lack of a FireWire port for DV cameras; the few relatively expensive solutions we’ve found so far (USB to FireWire DV Adapter) are all Windows-only. Surely Apple doesn’t expect hundreds of thousands of potential MacBook buyers who also own cameras equipped with FireWire to go buy new USB 2 cameras, right? Some other solution must exist or be in the works, right, Apple?”
To say nothing of existing FireWire drives and other peripherals.
Hello, Apple?
For me, the only issue is that I cannot use the new Macbook with a Firewire drive containing Pro Tools audio session data. Digidesign certifies FW and not USB for this application, and USB drives generally cause read / write errors due to how they process realtime streams. Without FW, there is no obvious workaround on the Macbook (e.g. adapter cable won’t work) which will require me to carry the larger Macbook Pro if I want to edit on the road.
That’s the only issue – not a show stopper but a shame because the new Macbook is such a nice portable package.
One alternative to explore is how well the 128GB solid state drive option will work for editing audio. This is plenty of space for storing one or two active projects alongside system and apps. If it works, then the Firewire omission may be no big deal.
Sky
@ oh no my shorts
You said “For many of you, the lack of Firewire is a non-issue. But for anyone who’s involved in pro audio, digital video, or IT work, the Firewire port is essential.”
Then you buy the MacBook PRO. You said anyone involved in PRO audio. PRO. MacBooks have always been created as entry level for the NON PRO. Geeez!! All the Pro’s I know have a MacBook PRO. And they have MacPro’s NOT Mac Mini’s.
@MacRaven,
LOL, I can also haul my iMac around in a transportable case. But the point is, I’m going to buy one laptop to carry everywhere and occasionally do audio, and smaller is better.
I agree with you that pro users should buy a pro Mac. We’re just talking about the pros who miss the discontinued 12″ MBP and see how close the new MB came to filling this need. If the inclusion of a FW port would have ruined an otherwise brilliant design, then I can certainly understand and accept that.
Firewire is awesome.
Apple dumping it for 13″ machines is lame.
I now dub this thread the LAMEST I have ever encountered here at MDN.
I cannot believe the deliberate and stubbornly consistent ignorance posted here over and over and over ad nauseam.
How many times has it been said here? At least 7 times by me:
If you want a MacBook with Firewire, buy the WHITE MacBook. It’s CHEAPER than the aluminum MacBook too! Pay less, get Firewire. Shocking. $999. It’s not going away. Wipe away your tears.
But you’re determined to be clueless. Shame on you all. Go on. Flame me! But I’m right! And you’re wrong! And I can prove it! All anyone has to do is go to this web address!
http://www.apple.com/macbook/white/
And the lameness shall continue. Just watch…
“I cannot believe the deliberate and stubbornly consistent ignorance posted here over and over and over ad nauseam.”
LOL, and Derek keeps on reading! I rather enjoy this thread, Derek’s comments included. It’s not about caving in and buying last year’s model; it’s about media pros and others being invested enough in Apple to debate what direction the company is going.
@derekcurrie:
You know, I used to really enjoy & respect your comments, but I believe that you’re way, way, way off base here.
While I agree that technically, I can go buy the <u>not-yet-discontinued</u> White MacBook, if I believed that the White MacBook was a solid enough product, I would have bought it a year ago when it first came out.
Please also understand that for me, its <u>not</u> about cost: I paid $1800 for my 12″ PB years ago and I’m willing to pay the “MBP” price now, but only if it kept its features while also hitting the smaller form factor/weight.
Now you (or anyone else) can go “boo hoo” about how the 15″ MBP “Not all that much heavier, but that’s being apologetic and disregarding other customers’ needs.
For example, I injured my back several years ago and it still acts up occasionally, so not traveling light isn’t a particularly good option. FWIW, I did consider the MB Air for quite awhile, and in light of the MacBook not having FW, I still am. The question is … not cost … but if it will be able to do the job that I want for it to do, given its I/O performance limitations.
Amongst other options, I very well might go drop another $1000 to upgrade/replace my two Hyperdrive HD80’s…they’re a better alternative because of their weight and that they provide very fast card transfers in the field. Not coincidentally, they’re able to do that because they also don’t use USB2 for that.
-hh