Yeah, I totally agree with you on this point and new the poll would be very skewed in favor of firewire, but with that in mind it's still pretty impressive that it is about 50/50 on a site like this. I wrote an article on my blog about people making such a big deal about this and linked to this poll for fun (with a disclaimer that the results would probably be skewed in FW's favor) so that was kind of my motivation.
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How many user really want FireWire on new MacBooks?
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Yeah, I totally agree with you on this point and new the poll would be very skewed in favor of firewire, but with that in mind it's still pretty impressive that it is about 50/50 on a site like this. I wrote an article on my blog about people making such a big deal about this and linked to this poll for fun (with a disclaimer that the results would probably be skewed in FW's favor) so that was kind of my motivation.
There has to be a distinction between the lower level notebooks and the higher level notebooks. FireWire is something that is a want not a need and if u want the ability to use FireWire you should ante up for the pro. That's how it is. I know you are a cheap skate but if you want to have speedy connections you have to go pro or use a convertor. Suck it up and stop whining.Wrong. Firewire is a need for many of us, we already have it on a MacBook, and there's no good reason for it not to be. It's not a matter of "Oh, just toss in another $700 and you can have your port back."
The critical point is that it's been removed from an existing line. Every other Mac that had it last week, has it this week, except for the MacBook, which is (IIRC) the #1 selling Mac in the entire lineup. Hell, the iMac has FW400 and 800, and it's essentially an anchored notebook. The Air never had it, so no existing users had their hardware or needs suddenly orphaned.
How about this: I don't use the audio in or out, so they should drop those. I mean, there's already a built-in mic & speakers. If you want those extra ports, just go Pro.
You can buy a convertor no problem. If you want FireWire on a MacBook then that is what you have to do. I have FireWire on my MacBook pro. I have never plugged into it. Ever. That's a first gen 3 year old laptop. You and the rest of the whining FireWire crew need to realize that you are outside the MacBooks target group. The MacBook is an entry level laptop with a lot of great features. The pro model of the MacBook is built more for people wanting to do video editing or deal with other high system demands. This is why pro has FireWire and MacBook doesn't. The only solution to the problem is a convertor or for you guys the get the pro laptop.
You have a pro and you don't use firewire... are you sure that you are a pro at all ?
I work in the video industry, ( I make audio for movies, actually several awarded independent films ). We are semi pro, so at our studio we have , a mac pro with RAID 5 and 4 TB of HD plus 8 GB of ram... that with an HD Sony cam( forgot model ) , that we use via firewire. ( usb can be used to transfer stills ).
We have that workstation, and 2x macbooks white. I use mine to do all the audio editing on the road. I am a computer scientist and do this as a hobby. I use my Motu 828 mk II to do recording when it's needed. ( firewire of course ).
And I use firewire to transfer all the audio ( a lot ) , from my macbook to the MacPro. Via external firewire drives ( we have like 5 TB of Video Footage in External Firewire drives ).
I would say, I do use firewire, this is a hobby for me, not for my friends, but macbook (firewire) , has been the best way to get into it.
I had Firewire on my previous laptop (well ok, current until my new MacBook arrives in a couple days), and used it only a handful of times. I have a backup external hard drive that uses Firewire, but it also uses USB. We purchased that particular drive because it used USB 2, which my husband could use on his Dell, and Firewire which I could use on my iBook G3 700 MHz that didn't have USB 2. Now that I'll have USB 2 on my MacBook, I have no need anymore for Firewire. I have no other peripherals that use it, and no plans to purchase any in the near future.
I can understand why some people really want/need Firewire still, but I'm just not one of them. It makes sense to me to put the rarer need (FW) in the pro line, and leave only the common need (USB) in the consumer line. If you're doing that much video editing that requires a FW camera, you'd probably be better off with the added graphics power of the MBP anyway. And since there's still the option of having FW in the white MB, you still have the cheap option if you just can't afford the Pro. Is it ideal for everyone? Of course not. But it makes sense from Apple's standpoint.
I can understand why some people really want/need Firewire still, but I'm just not one of them. It makes sense to me to put the rarer need (FW) in the pro line, and leave only the common need (USB) in the consumer line. If you're doing that much video editing that requires a FW camera, you'd probably be better off with the added graphics power of the MBP anyway. And since there's still the option of having FW in the white MB, you still have the cheap option if you just can't afford the Pro. Is it ideal for everyone? Of course not. But it makes sense from Apple's standpoint.
I Changed My Idea, Usb 2.0 Is Very Fast On Macs Now!
Hey Folks!
Salute! I read a post on 9to5 forum on which the reader mentioned that USB 2.0 is much faster today than Firewire 400 in some cases. Then I visited the specifications page of the Macbook to check the speed of the USB 2.0 ports, in fact there is a small chart on the left side of the page that says up to 480 Mbits/Sec. http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs.html .
So why to make question of Firewire 400 if the adaptor can help us out in this issue? I believe that because of the performance of USB 2.0 is so good as Firewire 400, it was a reason of cost cut to remove Firewire 400 plug from the Macbook and leave the Firewire 800 option for a more expensive one, the Macbook Pro. However what calls my attention to the Macbook Pro the most is the presence of two great video chips that will help the CPU to work "even" freer.
Hey Folks!
Salute! I read a post on 9to5 forum on which the reader mentioned that USB 2.0 is much faster today than Firewire 400 in some cases. Then I visited the specifications page of the Macbook to check the speed of the USB 2.0 ports, in fact there is a small chart on the left side of the page that says up to 480 Mbits/Sec. http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs.html .
So why to make question of Firewire 400 if the adaptor can help us out in this issue? I believe that because of the performance of USB 2.0 is so good as Firewire 400, it was a reason of cost cut to remove Firewire 400 plug from the Macbook and leave the Firewire 800 option for a more expensive one, the Macbook Pro. However what calls my attention to the Macbook Pro the most is the presence of two great video chips that will help the CPU to work "even" freer.
Lotta average consumers talking out of the side of their necks.
Apple killed off a far superior piece of technology further proving that they will head towards catering to the uber capitalistic, suburban, community that has $1300 to blow on a laptop they will use to surf the web.
USB is garbage and I only use it for thumb drives. Don't even plug my card reader into it. I hope the redesigned 17" MBP doesn't add another useless USB port to it like the current model does, but I know Apple will.
Glossy screens, only two USB ports, crappy keyboard all for $2000-$2500 for a soccer mom. The death of Apple's Pro market came with the iPhone, and once that caught on they got the idea to cater to hype and consumers.
p.s.
USB 2.0 - 480 MBits/sec Initial burst, then ~300 MBits/sec if you are lucky!
FW400 - 400 MBits/sec Sustained
FW800 - 800 MBits/sec Sustained
eSATA - 3.2 GBits/sec needs external power
Vaporware so far....
USB 3.0 - 3.0 GBits/sec (AFAIK)
FW3200 - 3.2 GBits/sec backward compatible, bus powered, sustained.
Apple killed off a far superior piece of technology further proving that they will head towards catering to the uber capitalistic, suburban, community that has $1300 to blow on a laptop they will use to surf the web.
USB is garbage and I only use it for thumb drives. Don't even plug my card reader into it. I hope the redesigned 17" MBP doesn't add another useless USB port to it like the current model does, but I know Apple will.
Glossy screens, only two USB ports, crappy keyboard all for $2000-$2500 for a soccer mom. The death of Apple's Pro market came with the iPhone, and once that caught on they got the idea to cater to hype and consumers.
p.s.
USB 2.0 - 480 MBits/sec Initial burst, then ~300 MBits/sec if you are lucky!
FW400 - 400 MBits/sec Sustained
FW800 - 800 MBits/sec Sustained
eSATA - 3.2 GBits/sec needs external power
Vaporware so far....
USB 3.0 - 3.0 GBits/sec (AFAIK)
FW3200 - 3.2 GBits/sec backward compatible, bus powered, sustained.
I have a good feeling that you haven't looked at USB 2.0 vs. FireWire 400 benchmarks...Hey Foks!
Salute! I read a post on 9to5 forum on which the reader mentioned that USB 2.0 is much faster today than Firewire 400. I visited the specifications page of the Macbook, and there is a small chart on the left side of the page that says up to 480 Mbits/Sec. http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs.html .
So why to make question of Firewire 400 if the adaptor can help us out in this issue? I believe that because of the performance of USB 2.0 is so good as Firewire 400, it was a reason of cost cut to remove Firewire 400 plug from the Macbook and leave the Firewire 800 option for a more expensive one, the Macbook Pro. However what calls my attention to the Macbook Pro the most is the presence of two great video chips that will help the CPU to work freer.
http://www.digit-life.com/articles/usb20vsfirewire/
http://www.barefeats.com/usb2.html
I want it in the MB because it would signify Apple's commitment to it as a product standard. The peripherals I own all have FW.
Hi Eidorian and Tilpots:
Thank you for suggesting the reading of those pages. There is nothing better than real proof. The information that you Eidorian passed to us increases my preference for the Macbook Pro because I wanted to buy it due to the presence of the two video chips. Also I prefer a 15" screen than a 13.3" screen, however it looks more honest in size on the Macbook than on the competitors.
Thank you for helping me to be more confident in my new choice. By the way it will be my first Mac!
Thank you for suggesting the reading of those pages. There is nothing better than real proof. The information that you Eidorian passed to us increases my preference for the Macbook Pro because I wanted to buy it due to the presence of the two video chips. Also I prefer a 15" screen than a 13.3" screen, however it looks more honest in size on the Macbook than on the competitors.
Thank you for helping me to be more confident in my new choice. By the way it will be my first Mac!
People like you
Where was I wrong? I said it was a superior technology in my previous posts. I like and have used firewire. What I did say is that it didn't catch on...believe what you want to, but 140 people on a mac forum doesn't mean that a majority of the apple user base uses firewire. I have had 4 ipods, 2 digital video cameras, one external hard drive, 3 printers and 4 digital still cameras in the past 6 years. Only the photo ipod supported firewire. It is simply not used in the majority of consumer equipment - search apple.com's store for firewire and you will only find 5 actual products that support firewire. If you were a serious video editor, you would not be using a macbook anyway. You just want to complain.
Where was I wrong? I said it was a superior technology in my previous posts. I like and have used firewire. What I did say is that it didn't catch on...believe what you want to, but 140 people on a mac forum doesn't mean that a majority of the apple user base uses firewire. I have had 4 ipods, 2 digital video cameras, one external hard drive, 3 printers and 4 digital still cameras in the past 6 years. Only the photo ipod supported firewire. It is simply not used in the majority of consumer equipment - search apple.com's store for firewire and you will only find 5 actual products that support firewire. If you were a serious video editor, you would not be using a macbook anyway. You just want to complain.
I've seen this before. Now it's going to turn into only "insert demographic" needs "X hardware" or "Why are you using the Macbook if there's a MacBook Pro?"
Lets all save some money and electricity by using netbooks and Celeron procesors since the majority of users just use word processing and browse the internet.
I have an iPod that only charges via firewire.
I have an iPod that can not connect to a computer except by a 6pin to 6pin firewire cable.
I have a camcorder that only transfers via firewire.
I have an external drive that is firewire, or 2 USB cables. and since they're short USB cables, and the USB ports are far apart on my MBP, I can't even use USB if I wanted to (which I don't!).
My two iPods are definitely consumer grade hardware.
My $300 camcorder can't even be called prosumer.
My $20 external drive isn't exactly pro either...
All in all, I'm using hardware targeted towards consumers, but the consumer apple notebook doesn't support it. I hope to hell that Psystar makes a laptop just to spite Apple.
I have an iPod that can not connect to a computer except by a 6pin to 6pin firewire cable.
I have a camcorder that only transfers via firewire.
I have an external drive that is firewire, or 2 USB cables. and since they're short USB cables, and the USB ports are far apart on my MBP, I can't even use USB if I wanted to (which I don't!).
My two iPods are definitely consumer grade hardware.
My $300 camcorder can't even be called prosumer.
My $20 external drive isn't exactly pro either...
All in all, I'm using hardware targeted towards consumers, but the consumer apple notebook doesn't support it. I hope to hell that Psystar makes a laptop just to spite Apple.
Not true. I've seen many professional video guru's using Macbook's, simply because there's no need for a $2000 pro model when they have a $3000 pro machine sitting at home.
and I've also seen numerous students editing film on a macbook, as long as you're not too fussy about color correction there's no reason why a macbook doesn't work.
Also, does anyone find it annoying that the $1000 macbook has it, but the upgraded model doesn't?
Not really because the $999 is just the $1099 - $100 and a superdrive. It's not new and it had it before so why remove it? There just wasn't room with the new design of the macbook to fit it and they didn't feel it was important enough to make room for it.
I had a Dell notebook since 2006, and an HP desktop since... um, I think 2000 or 2001. Both have the Firewire ports. I've used the port on the HP maybe once or twice. The Dell's port, I have never touched.
That said, i think its totally useless (for me, at least) to have a firewire port on a small-sized notebook, but may be convenient to have as a "just in case" for a desktop computer. Like i don't think it should be eliminated on the imac, but for a small laptop like the macbook which I'll buy more for its portability, i really couldn't care less.
That said, i think its totally useless (for me, at least) to have a firewire port on a small-sized notebook, but may be convenient to have as a "just in case" for a desktop computer. Like i don't think it should be eliminated on the imac, but for a small laptop like the macbook which I'll buy more for its portability, i really couldn't care less.
The only time I've used Firewire was with a iPod mini, and I could have used USB just fine.
While I did like having it on my old MacBook, I don't think I'd really use it on my new MacBook.
While I did like having it on my old MacBook, I don't think I'd really use it on my new MacBook.