Your best bet, actually would be to sync over wireless if you have an 802.11n network, as you can get faster than USB 2.0 speeds on it (n maxes out at 600Mb/s if you configure your router for a 40MHz channel width). When I synced my iDevices for the first time, I just let them run wirelessly overnight.
Honestly, it's pretty clear that Apple's big play with these devices is to have iCloud and wireless syncing be the primary way to transfer content to and from them, over the long term. With gigabit WiFi on the horizon, I wouldn't be surprised at all if in the next few years, iPhones and iPad don't have a sync port at all, and have perhaps a small charge port (if they don't go with wireless charging outright).
In any case, Firewire was done away with on iPods and iPhones mainly because the majority of users weren't really using it, it was an added expense to include the chip, and also took up a lot of additional space.
Regarding firewire 800: there will be thunderbolt docks that include Firewire 800, USB 3.0 and other ports. So even if Apple chooses to do away with the port on the Macs themselves, third party docks will help you retain compatibility.
Apple is really not looking out for the prosumer at all.
This isn't really the place to argue the point (while the camera is impressive for what it is, I wouldn't call iPhones "prosumer" gear), but it's pretty clear that "Prosumers" would be best suited getting a higher-end iMac. Mac Pros, too have their uses for professional applications. In any case, Apple hasn't said either way what they're going to do about FireWire or about the Mac Pro line, so I think ranting about it is a little premature.
Tim Cook's statements lately have been a bit reassuring though. Apple doesn't seem to be going in the "Desktop is dead" direction that Microsoft seems to be going for.
