“The absence of FireWire ports is certainly an inconvenience for some users. But it shouldn’t be considered a deal-breaker for most of us, anyway,” Peter Cohen writes for Macworld.
“FireWire has long been the preferred interface for some Mac users who want to hook up an external hard disk drive. It also caught on with camcorder makers, and that’s really why most people are upset. A lot of standard-definition (SD) video cameras have relied on FireWire for the past few years… FireWire also comes in handy if you’re transferring large amounts of data between machines,” Cohen writes. “A special operating mode called Target Disk Mode (TDM) lets you reboot your laptop (or other FireWire-equipped Mac) to appear to the host machine as a storage device.”
“Setting up a new computer? FireWire TDM is good for that, too. Apple’s Migration Assistant makes it a lead pipe cinch to transfer your user account information, data and applications to a computer connected using TDM,” Cohen writes. “But Migration Assistant also works computer-to-computer if you have an Ethernet cable, which is more readily available and cheaper than a FireWire cable. And new MacBooks—as well as most Macs that have been shipping for the past several years—have Gigabit Ethernet ports on them.”
“Connecting a camcorder is, admittedly, a bit trickier. And this is certainly a sticking point for the many Mac users who want to edit their own video [but] it may be an opportunity for you to upgrade your camcorder,” Cohen suggests.
Cohen writes, “FireWire’s absence is certainly disappointing and will surely be felt for a while by Mac users who had invested in peripherals that use the interface, but I suspect most people will make the transition, and will ultimately find that they’re not missing much by making the switch.”
Much more in the full article here.
@MobiWan
There is at least one FW800 interface the RME Fireface 800 (http://www.rme-audio.com/english/firewire/ff800.htm). One of the best in its categorie. THat also means that you can daisy-chain FW800 drives to it and have absolute great performance.
I can understand the lack of FW on low(er)-cost Macs, but the new MBs are more expensive than the previous ones!!!
Apple as turned a nice “swiss army knife” into another “luxury” item. I think that’s sad.
MDN Magic word = money, just what Apple is after.
Wow all these people have all this money to spend on Mixers, Midi devices software that cost many thousands and then bitch when they can’t the one item that holds it all together for cheap. Grow up people and spend a little on your computer.
$5000 for a new camcorder and bitching about a $1799 computer. If you can haul around a camera that big I think that a 15in laptop will be just fine.
What nobody in this forum is going to bitch about the glossy screen??????
@Masa
I know there are adapters, but the deal is when you are dealing with a connection where stability of the connection and timing are important, you want to avoid adapters or cable switches as much as possible. Even though I could daisy chain other firewire devices on the same link as my audio interface, I don’t. That link is kept dedicated.
@mjteix
Thanks! Actually hadn’t come across that one yet. I’ll check that out. Maybe because of Apple’s decision the audio manufacturers are going to start moving towards 800. That is unless they are worried Apple is going to drop FireWire all together.
@Old school
Hey, you know your PS/2 keyboard came with a USB converter.
Don’t give me that.
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Sign the Firewire petition…. 2300 signatures and growing. With this amount of signatures in one day, this will be picked up by the media.
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/MB1394/petition.html
I am really tired of all these so called professionals – Musicians, Video editors, photographers, bitching about an ability of a CONSUMER machine. They call them MacBook PRO for a reason.
@Mr. Reeee
If you own MBP, then why are you complaining?
If you decide to upgrade, you will most likely get another MBP, right? Well, MBP does have a FW, so quit whining.
What like it hasn’t been picked up by the media?
Everyone once thought AAPL was crazy for dropping the 4-inch floppy disk slot, too. Firewire is so 20th century.
It should be considered a deal breaker and it is a deal breaker. I’m not buying another MacBook until they put it back and I will recommend others hold off as well. Considering the fact that I was one of the first people to start recommending Macs since about 2002, that’s going to lose Apple a lot of sales.
Grrrilla “I think what Apple is trying to say to those who want Firewire and can’t afford a MacBook Pro is: “You aren’t the customers we are looking for”.”
I think you hit the nail on the head.
bizlaw “However, this may spur some peripheral makers to develop a FW to USB2 adapter.”
USB cannot handle the same bandwidth as FW. So this is not a solution. There exists fairly expensive Windows only USB to FW solutions but they don’t work very well and would not allow you to run a FW signal through them fast enough to function the same way as a true FW connection would. They don’t even work as fast as the much slower USB 2 signal runs, let alone FW.
This is an unnecessary problem created totally by Apple to either save a few pennies in manufacturing costs, to force customers to pay 700 more for a laptop for a connector, or for pure aesthetic reasons.
USB 3 might be better than FW400 but it’s not here yet, this was a bad decision and clearly premature. Leaving existing customers with no adequate solutions other than buying end of life technology, or buying PC hardware.
the solution to your problems is simple. get an HP or a Dell. thankyou very much and good day.
What like it hasn’t been picked up by the media?
————-
The petition hasn’t…. yet…
Firewire is SO useful. And you can’t daisy chain USB drives.
Apple blew it!!
For $999 you get Firewire, but for $1,299 you don’t.
Weak!!
msr “It should be considered a deal breaker and it is a deal breaker. ….going to lose Apple a lot of sales”
I didn’t like when they took the FireWire out of the iPods, but this is far worse. The lack of FireWire was bad enough on the MBAir, but the MB is unacceptable.
There’s clearly room to have the port, and it’s already there on previous models.
“Everyone once thought AAPL was crazy for dropping the 4-inch floppy disk slot, too. Firewire is so 20th century.”
You couldn’t be more wrong if you tried. FW400 is faster and more capable than USB 2, USB 3 is not here yet, and there are tons of uses for FW where USB is not a solution at all. This bad decision will cost Apple sales, period.
All they had to do was include a tiny 1″ port and they would have sold more 1300 laptops, but they apparently don’t want that extra money or those customers.
Nation of whiners, man.
@whiners
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if your so ‘poor’ why not just buy the $999 old macbook, doesn’t that still have firewire? Am I wrong, or are some people just being hard to please? The fact that you’d even buy a Macbook for $1300, when you could buy a refurb, Apple warranteed Macbook Pro for $1349 means you’re probably out of your mind anyway, or is it me?
I personally believe the whiners aren’t considering their options.
Daisy chain or plug them all in a hub….Hmmm not really a good argument.
Hell my epson scanner has both Firewire and USB but there wasn’t an OS-X driver that works with Firewire so I have to use USB.
Actually, it was a deal breaker for my daughter. She was thinking about a new MacBook, and when told about the no FW, she decided to hold on to her old one until it dies.
And about those glossy screens…
I’m thinking about getting another of the last matte screen MacBook Pros, and ride it out until the boneheads in Cupertino figure out they were wrong on the no matte screen option.
ipod Boy “They call them MacBook PRO for a reason.”
Because they cost more money.
Are you seriously trying to justify that everyone that wants to hook up devices to a 1″ connector should pay 700 dollars more for that “privilege” that or use end of life technology?
I’m as much of a flavor-aid drinking fanboy as the next person but this was a sorry weak ass decision by Apple without a good explanation. This is not progress this is a serious step backwards.
The biggest argument against all you whiners is that you aren’t even listening to those that are trying to explain things to you. MobiWan can’t even spell my name right!
If you read these comments, and some from previous articles on this site and on all the main Apple forums and sites you will see for every ten or twenty whiners, there is someone like me who points out (logically) how you are basically wrong on most everything you are saying.
You will also be hard pressed to come up with a single logical, *reasonable* voice arguing for your side, which is why I am now calling you all “whiners” at this point.
For the record, I am in favour of FireWire, always have been and I wish it was still around. Most everyone trying to make you whiners see how stupid you look is as well. I am however a REASONABLE and ADULT human being (unlike you guys).
It seems to me that if you don’t “get it” by now you never will, so I am through baby-sitting for the time being.
Have a nice time crying in your beer.
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I guarantee the majority of people who will buy the new MacBooks will never have the need for Firewire. STOP THE WHINING.
Hell I have already seen people using the new machines out and about only 2 days after they were available – that is the fastest yet.
First Floppy Discs then Cathode Ray Tubes and now FireWire 400.
What the hell is next? Hard Disc drives?
Oh! Yes, I guess that is next, isn’t it?
If only Apple was more like Microsoft and didn’t leave obsolete technology and legacy ports in the dust so quickly. I really miss booting OS 4 off that second 800 kb floppy drive and seeing it on that black and white 9 inch screen.
Good times.
USB 2.0 provides lower performance than FW400 and no isochronous service.
Apple is providing less for more! And some people seem to like it!
People seem to forget why Apple put FireWire in to begin with. I remember the Keynote “Digital editing is the future” Hell the mac even shipped with a FireWire cable to hook to your camera. Now that all of the consumer cameras do NOT have FireWire there is no need for it in a CONSUMER device. Get over it people It is a CONSUMER device for a reason. If you are a PRO you shouldn’t be buying these just like any PRO on the PC side would never buy a $399 laptop.