In the latest email response from Steve Jobs, the Apple CEO responds to one customer's complaint that the new MacBook won't support HD camcorders:
Whether or not you agree with Apple's decision to remove Firewire from its low end laptops, it's clear that Apple is abandoning the feature in their consumer-targeted machines.Actually, all of the new HD camcorders of the past few years use USB 2
Apple helped to develop Firewire in the 1990s and still offers Firewire support in the rest of their Macs at this time, with the notable exception of the new MacBooks.
Article Link