“Oxford Semiconductor is to benefit from Intel’s decision to design a FireWire high speed comms interface into its motherboards. ‘Intel has eventually seen the light and designed 1394b [FireWire 800] into their motherboard. They’re already starting to be manufactured in Taiwan,’ Jalil Oraee, founder and CTO of Oxford Semiconductor, told Electronics Weekly… Oraee sees Intel’s move as a positive one for Oxford Semiconductor: ‘Intel’s move is causing a lot of semiconductor companies to re-evaluate 1394b. It means the market is going somewhere,’ said Oraee,” David Manners reports for Electronics Weekly.
Full article here.
The 1394 digital link standard was conceived in 1986 by technologists at Apple Computer, who chose the trademark ‘FireWire’, in reference to its speeds of operation. The first specification for this link was completed in 1987. It was adopted in 1995 as the IEEE 1394 standard. Apple’s FireWire technology was honored by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, receiving a 2001 Primetime Emmy Engineering Award for FireWire’s impact on the television industry.
More info about FireWire here.
MacDailyNews Note: The Intel Desktop Board D955XBK product description does indeed mention 1394a (FireWire 400) and 1394b (FireWire 800) as features. More info here. Now about those FireWire cables that Apple stopped shipping with the latest iPods…
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Apple should include a combo FireWire and USB 2.0 cable in every iPod box – February 24, 2005
Apple disrespects its own Mac users with iPod’s FireWire fiasco – February 24, 2005
Griffin debuts Dock400 FireWire cable for Apple iPods – February 24, 2005
Petition to Apple for iPod FireWire support posted online – February 23, 2005
Apple knifing its own FireWire baby by pushing USB 2.0 as iPod’s primary connectivity option – February 23, 2005