“An upcoming version of the 1394 specification–which everyone in the world except for Microsoft refers to as Firewire–will provide for transfer rates between PCs and devices at speeds of up to 3.2 GB per second, far faster than the current speeds of 400 and 800 Mbps that today’s Firewire devices obtain. But while Microsoft plans to support the new spec, dubbed 1394b, it will not do so until after Windows Vista ships. Microsoft says it may add 1394b support to Windows via a Vista service pack or in a future version of Windows,” Paul Thurrott reports for WinInfo.
Full article (short takes weekly review) here.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple debuted FireWire 800 (1394b) on January 7, 2003 in the 17-inch PowerBook. January 7, 2003. Proposed slogan for massive Windows Vista campaign that’s sure to pollute the world – maybe even in this decade: Microsoft. Innovating yesterday’s technology in the far distant future.
MacDailyNews Note: 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 (1394a or FireWire 400). 1394b delivers speeds starting at 800 megabits/second, scalable to 1.6 Gigabits/second, then to 3.2 Gigabits/second. More info here. By our estimate, manufacturers should have hit the 1.6 Gigabits/second mark at least two years ago. We have no idea if that will ever come to pass. We won’t even bother discussing when 3.2 Gigabits/second will become a reality.
[UPDATE: 10:37am EDT: Modified MDN Take and Note with additional info.]
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>Microsoft to support FireWire (IEEE 1394b) later, via service pack after Windows Vista debut>
Yeah, waaay after the de–butt.
re: Sorry Dude
You’re right, I was just joking around, and then it became a flamefest. Oh well, some people.
Herd mentality in spades this morning.
Everybody had to slam bill with their version of sarcasim? How about just answering the question in the future and stop being a bunch of shit heads?
Flame away assholes.
I hope VISTA still allows me to load CP/M from my 8″ Floppy Disks and compile my assembly code for my Altair.
Because this is all mission-critical stuff for my company.
“So, I guess Apple hasn’t kept up, either, huh?
I mean, we “only” see FireWire 800 (or more commonly IEE 1394b) right now. Where’s the multi-gigabit version from Apple?
More importantly – where are the devices that would use it?”
Apple has kept up. FW800 is the fastest that’s available right now. The newer version that Thurrott is talking about isn’t available anymore than Vista is.
Where are the devices that use it? That’s a very good question for FW800. I’d really like to know why it is that FW hasn’t caught on more. It’s far superior to USB, but then again, we all know that superior products don’t always win
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But I’d really like to know why in the FW case.
As for why not everyone refers to it as FireWire, I believe I recall reading a story a few years ago that Apple was charging a licensing fee for the name, and others balked at paying it. If that’s true, I think it was a mistake. It’s much more important to have it become a standard – both in usage and name – than the pittance they would get from licensing.
I am so tired of people complaining about the so called lack of firewire on the new iPods.
You can still get a firewire connector from Apple. I just looked. It’s still there. It’s not going anywhere. If it’s that important to you, fork over the extra cash.
I do believe that Apple and Sony and generally others also agreed a year or two ago to unite in calling it Firewire to prevent confusion. I do believe that the license fee had been a factor in this not being the case before this.
I hope VISTA still allows me to load CP/M from my 8″ Floppy Disks and compile my assembly code for my Altair.
Because this is all mission-critical stuff for my company.
Funniest thing I’ve read all day. Needed that on an overly mission-critical Friday.
: )
“I am so tired of people complaining about the so called lack of firewire on the new iPods. You can still get a firewire connector from Apple. I just looked. It’s still there. It’s not going anywhere. If it’s that important to you, fork over the extra cash.”
In my ignorance, I did not know that. Why, because it is not that important to me, as you cited. It’s just a freakin’ iPod, sheesh. It was just an observation. Sorry I made you “so tired”.
Some of these folks need therapy.
>>”I am so tired of people complaining about the so called lack of firewire on the new iPods. You can still get a firewire connector from Apple. I just looked. It’s still there. It’s not going anywhere. If it’s that important to you, fork over the extra cash.”<<
Umm before you get tired of people complaining, be sure you know what you’re talking about — please read the iPod spec page —
http://www.apple.com/ipod/specs.html try to fing Firewire there under ‘connectivity’ … you wont.
Firewire is not supported on new iPods – only USB.
You can charge the battery with a Firewire cable but cannot use it to transmit data. They make the cable available for last gen iPods.
Please tell me they are not going to come out with a third FireWire connection for the new standard. (I’m assuming that will not be the case.)
BTW – You can still make use of your FireWire 800 port with the use of a 800/400 cable that cost less than a 800/800 cable. I’m getting a lot more use out of the FW 800 port on my laptop now. FW 800 also seems to be a better connection. And I also use a FW 800 hard drive.
“The new Mac mini does [have one FireWire 400 port*], you could have checked that by simply going to the apple website, clicking on the store link and looking at the minis.”
<—– I stand corrected. The new Mini does have a FireWire port. It’s location was moved, but its there.
Here’s a pic from apples website:
ndelc,
My initial post really was a tongue-in-cheeck jab at MDN tilting at windmills in this case. Pardon, my sarcasm wasn’t made more clear the first time.
We’ve got Thurott with his usual disjointed complaint, and then MDN kicking up the sand. When all is said and done, the multi-gigabit FireWire doesn’t exist for anyone, really. So what if MS won’t support it until Vista? And, Apple doesn’t even support it. It’s complete non-news let alone Apple news.
As for the FW800 devices, it would be nice if there were more.
Cheers!
Sorry Zupchuck, I hadn’t had my full regimen of coffee yet!
I agree, this is one instance where condemning MS for not adopting a technology is unwarranted. Even Bizarro-Thurrott (you know, the one that loves Apple and hates MS) should have known better on this one!
How many times do I have to repeat myself.
Vista is vapor-ware. M$ are experts at hyping vapor-ware. They ran OS/2 out of the market with this B.S. marketing tactic many years ago by anouncing NT (not delivering it, announcing it). In the announcements NT users could work better than with OS/2, and cure cancer, and walk on water too. The first NT ended up being a big brown steaming loaf.
We need to only compare available consumer OS’s. Apple has the best consumer grade OS available to consumers. It can be argued that Linux is better but, not everyone has the time to google every Linux problem for technical support from other nerds. So Linux is not in the same class of OS as Windoze or OS X b/c of customer support. not b/c of quality though.
DON’T FALL FOR THE M$ VAPOR WARE MACHINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!