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Apple should get rid of iLife on new MacBooks

C

Chaos123x

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jul 8, 2008
1,698
34
Why does Apple include iLife on the new Macbooks if you can't use half the programs anymore?

You need firewire for DV Camcorders and even for brand new HDV Camcorders.

So that kills iMovie and iDVD, unless you use those really crappy USB or flash drive camcorders.

With Garage Band almost all accessories that work with it are firewire based, and the usb 2.0 ones are far to slow for that kind of audio program.

Without a fast external firewire hard drives it really limits other functions of all iLife programs.

I think Apple should remove iLife from the Macbook until firewire is a feature again.

How many phone calls is applecare going to get with people trying to hook their video and sound equipment to their mac to use iLife programs?
 
You make very good and valid points, however, Apple is probably not targeting these segments for Macbook users. The Macbook seems to be geared towards students.

For anything needing power, I switch to my Mac Pro. For stuff on the go, I use my Macbook. And for many others, they may opt for the Macbook Pro for these features.
 
drewx2 said:
You make very good and valid points, however, Apple is probably not targeting these segments for Macbook users. The Macbook seems to be geared towards students.

For anything needing power, I switch to my Mac Pro. For stuff on the go, I use my Macbook. And for many others, they may opt for the Macbook Pro for these features.
Click to expand...

Pros would not use iLife in the first place :confused:
 
some of you guys are so melodramatic

WAH WAH WAH NO FIREWIRE SO MIGHT AS WELL JUST REMOVE EVERYTHING THE COMPUTER IS USELESS NOW!! WAHHHHHHHH!

I used the entire iLife suit except garage band but never even used the firewire port, USB 2.0 is almost as fast as firewire 400 anyways.
 
SUPERSTEVE9219 said:
some of you guys are so melodramatic

WAH WAH WAH NO FIREWIRE SO MIGHT AS WELL JUST REMOVE EVERYTHING THE COMPUTER IS USELESS NOW!! WAHHHHHHHH!

I used the entire iLife suit except garage band but never even used the firewire port, USB 2.0 is almost as fast as firewire 400 anyways.
Click to expand...

Except that you can't capture video with USB 2.0 because it does not have a fast enough sustained transfer rate, and 99% of all DV and HDV cameras use IEEE-1394


Either way I am not crying I never use ilife I use Final Cut Studio 2 on my octo-core Mac Pro....

Just saying if was going to buy my mom or girlfriend a new macbook for x-mas what pain in the ass it would be explaining to them that you can't use any of the features. Most consumers don't know what firewire is, and they will find out they need it after they make the purchase.

I guess Apple will never allow a consumer grade computer that has both firewire and non-intel intergrated graphics. (Ati or Nvidia)
 
Chaos123x said:
Pros would not use iLife in the first place :confused:
Click to expand...

Wow, so so very wrong. Although I am by no means at the top of my game, I am an audio professional and use iLife regularly to jot down quick ideas or capture samples or pretty much everything where I don't need the full horsepower of Logic or Pro Tools. I also use iMovie/iDVD to do a few capture straight to DVD tasks for clients.

To the OP, there are a lot of very good audio interfaces that use USB. I use a Digidesign mBox 2 so I can mix wherever I am and do stereo location recordings. However, as far as I know the DV standard is so totally tied into firewire that EVERY miniDV camera uses firewire to capture to computer. The industry does seems to be moving to solid state/HDD cameras, but the compression being used so far for low-end-pro and consumer doesn't really lend itself to proper editing/grading.
 
how can you not use it? I know what firewire is and I have never had a problem using anything without it, I have had a blackbook for years and used iLife countless times without the need for firewire.

I can't even think of any consumer level cameras that need firewire, all of canons high end consumer level HD cameras support USB, I don't even think any of them support firewire.
 
SUPERSTEVE9219 said:
how can you not use it? I know what firewire is and I have never had a problem using anything without it, I have had a blackbook for years and used iLife countless times without the need for firewire.

I can't even think of any consumer level cameras that need firewire, all of canons high end consumer level HD cameras support USB, I don't even think any of them support firewire.
Click to expand...

ok... if you say so :rolleyes:
 
This is her camera

It's a HDV Sony

518555.jpg
 
ive never used firewire but ive never had a camcorder, instruments or anything that would justify the need for it

i think it is lame that they took it out and to anyone who sides with apple, why?
 
On the plus side, they [the macbooks] are now so freakin' expensive that you may as well get the pro, the pro with firewire.
 
well go cry. If you are this professional that you need a firewire, you would get a macbook pro, with the better graphics card. so stop complaining
 
themightyspitz said:
...Or you could shell out another $30+ for a FireWire-to-Ethernet adapter and stop complaining.
Click to expand...

Except he would need an ethernet-to-firewire adaptor.
You really think it's a) as quick as a real firewire connection, and b) is even supported by the Apple?

Further, you will have to be able to import/export through ethernet in your various applications, otherwise you will run into problems.

This is NOT simply a question of having the right plug. Apple will have to enable firewire over ethernet for starters.

This adaptor, although it looks like what you suggest, is used as a network tester, and as such is not a "real" adaptor:

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.a...52397&Type=PE&Category=Comp&Gad=0&dcaid=15891
 
Yeah the lack of firewire and the added extra graphics card made me go fot the new MBP. I dont use fiewire a lot at the moment but can see myself using it later. Also if you get by paying a fixed sum over 36 months like me its only £5-10 extra for a MBP so I though ill just get that then.

But as said before people using the MB are generally student s and wont really need firewire as much as designers or people using video, and I guess apple did it to keep things simple, most people I know have never used firewire. The only real use for it for the majority of people would be in an external hard drive.
 
Tosser said:
I think you missed the point entirely, completely, and utterly.
Click to expand...

Oh I saw it. I just didn't bother addressing it as it's a pointless debate with no merit. I simply wanted to counter his/her 'exhibit A' as used to show an alleged reason to justify their argument about professional use.
 
SUPERSTEVE9219 said:
how can you not use it? I know what firewire is and I have never had a problem using anything without it, I have had a blackbook for years and used iLife countless times without the need for firewire.

I can't even think of any consumer level cameras that need firewire, all of canons high end consumer level HD cameras support USB, I don't even think any of them support firewire.
Click to expand...

You don't get more wrong. ALL current DV and HDV cameras use firewire to transfer video to a Mac. That is fact.

I have two Panasonic cameras: a PV-GS250 and PV-GS180, both of which could not be considered anything but consumer cameras and both of which are not supported in the new Macbooks.

Also, to those that keep posting that they don't use firewire and never have, we don't care. Many of us are disappointed Apple dropped this feature and did not provide a bridge solution. If you are not, then good for you: the new Macbook is perfect for you and you should buy one.

It is not unreasonable for those of us that enjoy video editing to be disappointed that we can no longer use a Macbook.

And I find it funny that all those that say "get an adapter" never provide a link. Reason being is that no adapter exists.
 
I agree with the OP about how removing FireWire from the MB does impact how iLife is used. One of the selling points for all of the Macs has been that you can just plug in your camcorder (something that few people replace often) using FW and import your video.

By removing that, any person who had the entry level systems will have to replace their cameras, and I am not sure how friendly that is to consumers.
 
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