Comments on: In Defense of Non-Firewire MacBooks

By: Todd

Todd — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:26:53 +0000

Appears Job concedes his arguments in the form of action – the New 13″ MacBook (now also called a MacBook Pro) has a conspicuous FW (800) port. Glad that it’s back, sorry I bought two 13″ MacBooks when I did.

By: Tony

Tony — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:11:09 +0000

The problem with Jobs’ argument is that the Pro has FW. If excluding FW was to keep up with current technology then the Pro shouldn’t have had FW either.

By: westin

westin — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:57:56 +0000

I am sitting (enduring) a transfer via ethernet on a new MacBook from a previous generation MacBook as I respond to this. The new MacBooks are fast, gorgeous and sexy, but I am very upset about the loss of FireWire on this unit. Previously you did not require updating the new computer prior to moving your data, the internet has multiple reports of the new Migration Assistant having serious problems if you do not perform the latest Software Updates prior to transferring. To do this you need to go through the new computer registration procedure, set up a temporary account (something other than an existing account that will be transferred) and then download almost a gig of system updates. There are so many steps involved prior to using the new computer it feels more like a Wintel Mac instead of an Intel Mac.
I use Target Disk Mode constantly, it’s one of the easiest methods of transferring the large video files that my FireWire/USB camcorder produce when I’m travelling. Speaking of said camera, connecting to the computer via FireWire has always been my preference because I can use the USB chain for other items (thumb drives, printers, mice) without carrying a USB hub with me. It also has never been easy to transfer video via USB, I gave up on it a long time ago because of the erratic operation.
The latency in a saturated USB chain is horrible, try printing a high-res photo while you have a large data transfer in progress between two USB drives. In my experience it takes nearly twice as long for the transfer and printing to finish. Three out of the four hard drives I own have FireWire/USB connection but my external RAID does not, I will have to leave it connected to my desktop system and suffer through the data transfer over ethernet (which requires setting up file sharing, etc, etc).
All in all the new MacBook is a beautiful computer, it just seems it isn’t ready for prime time yet.

By: rosenz

rosenz — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:44:24 +0000

RKYOH: You definitely can run Firewire 400 devices off that Firewire 800 port. You will probably need a cable that goes from one to the other, but many are available and pretty cheap.

By: RKYOH

RKYOH — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:02:58 +0000

The issue here is the difference between Firewire 800 and 400. I am writing this on a new MacBook Pro and I do have a Firewire 800 port which works very well, the issue is when I try to use peripherals with Firewire 400 connection.

It’d be great if one could use the 800 connection to run 400 devices. Is there any information on connecting 400-compatible devices to an 800 port?

By: Free

Free — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 02:01:05 +0000

I was quite surprised by your lack of support for Firewire. USB is fine for mice and keyboards and other low performance devices but, USB doesn’t keep up when you need sustained performance. Try switching to Firewire devices for a month and then go back to USB versions, you’ll see why everyone is upset.

Firewire is more than just about consumer video cameras. Professional video and audio equipment, and scientific test and monitoring equipment are probably the largest consumers.

There are also those folks who service and repair Macintosh computers. Have you ever tried to boot from a USB hard drive or thumb drive? Have you ever tried to use your Macintosh as a drive (not sharing as a physical drive) over USB? Have you ever tried networking two Macintosh computers using TCP/IP over USB? Give it a try then try doing it using Firewire.

What I’m trying to say is the Firewire Experience is far and away superior to the USB Experience. We want an experience that matches the Macintosh experience.

Thanks for your time.

By: Topopardo

Topopardo — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:02:07 +0000

Well, I have an old white macbook, and it seems that nobody (neither Apple nor the critics) is caring about the use of Firewire for non-video applications.

All the talk is about camcorders, ports and whether the user is a “pro” or not. But, what about other devices which use the firewire port?

I produce podcasts with a firewire external audio device which connects to a mixer. I chose FW over USB not because speed or whatever, but because the macbook only has two USB ports, which are usually in use with external hard drives (for Time Machine backups, for example) and casual usb-sticks, scanners or printers use. So buying a firewire device leaves an USB port free for other uses.

Now, when I upgrade, I will have to choose between trashing my external audio card or buying the MBP, which is way too expensive for my needs.

I’m not trying to whine here, and I know that Apple has the right to do whatever they want with their products, but dropping an external port leaves most laptops with only two USB drives, which is kind of scarce for many people.

Why didn’t Apple replace the FW with another USB port? Nobody knows, but that would have been the right thing to do. Abandoning firewire isn’t nice, but simply removing a port from the laptop is lazy, for my point of view.

Apple could have been brave and announce beforehand that they would discontinue FW ports, so that vendors and users start moving to USB. They did the same with the PowerPC to Intel transition, and it worked.

That being said, it is true that FW isn’t as popular as USB, and evolution clearly points to new versions of the USB standard, but many firewire users are now pissed off because we have to choose between buying a new device or buying a more expensive laptop. For me, besides that, the MBP isn’t really an option because I travel a lot and need a 13″ machine.

Well, we have a nice debate here. I hope that my audio card breaks before my laptop does.