Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Steve Jobs on Lack of Firewire in MacBooks
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
He has reintroduced things in the past, but he never admits he was wrong, more like pretends it never existed before and then introduces it as a new feature.
"These new MacBooks are state of the art, they have USB built in and, for the first time on a laptop this size, FireWire FOUR HUNDRED"
"These new MacBooks are state of the art, they have USB built in and, for the first time on a laptop this size, FireWire FOUR HUNDRED"
Do you remember any specific case where he did this?
My mind is a blank, but it sounds familiar.
• Powerbook G4 had FW400 and FW800.
• REV A MacBook Pro had FW400 only.
• Jobs later released the second MBP with FW800, didn't say too much about it really.
A few other quiet things have happened too, eg. AFAIK the first intel iMacs having faster DVD burners than the second revision. (Of course the third revision was then faster again.) This was probably more of a quality control or brand change thing but the point is, they certainly won't admit it if a new model has an inferior specification to the old one.
Didn't Apple go from Texas Instruments to Agere FireWire, then switch back again because it was crap? Then now going back to the cheap crappy one again.
I'm sure there's more.
• REV A MacBook Pro had FW400 only.
• Jobs later released the second MBP with FW800, didn't say too much about it really.
A few other quiet things have happened too, eg. AFAIK the first intel iMacs having faster DVD burners than the second revision. (Of course the third revision was then faster again.) This was probably more of a quality control or brand change thing but the point is, they certainly won't admit it if a new model has an inferior specification to the old one.
Didn't Apple go from Texas Instruments to Agere FireWire, then switch back again because it was crap? Then now going back to the cheap crappy one again.
I'm sure there's more.
firewire is full duplex (separate receive and transmit wires)
usb is half duplex (same differential wire pair for both receive and transmit, meaning that handshaking is required - hence the bottleneck)
very lousy that firewire is gone.... what about target disk mode and faster, more reliable external hard disk connections (especially moving large amounts of data around (ie. Final Cut movie edits)?
c'mon steve...
oh, and i don't want a macbook PRO because it's TOO BIG!!!!
You know what's sad? I bought a DVD recorder today (already have PS3 for BluRay, so a $2000 all in one with BD-R recording was not justified). The DVD recorder has a FireWire input. For less than a quarter of the price, you can get a much better home video machine than the new MacBook. 
Yup, they also removed the FW800 on the first MacBook pro (leaving only the FW400 in place), only to reintroduce the port on the next revision. Then, with the latest, they not only removed the fw400 port on the MBP and MB as we know, they went back to that bloody Agere chipset.
In Tiger you were able to receive and send SMS's from your address book (with your hone bluetoothed to your computer, but that feature was removed in Leopard. And then, of course, there are the whole iMovie-thing. The "HD" version is crippled in comparison to the older version.
I believe FW 400 is half-duplex, isn't it? FW 800 is full-duplex (as will USB 3.0 be).
I agree.
Agree!
FIREWIRE and WINDOWS7
Since MacWorld is now over and there is no FIREWIRE in sight for upcoming MacBooks (and Apple took out the extra FW400 port on the new 17"), I'm now seriously considering going the PC/Windows route for my next computer purchase - especially with the promising new Windows 7 about to launch.
I've been a faithful Mac user since the original Macintosh (c.1984). But Apple's "I know what you need and what is good for you" position and attitude towards its customers has quite put me off to Apple Inc.
Since MacWorld is now over and there is no FIREWIRE in sight for upcoming MacBooks (and Apple took out the extra FW400 port on the new 17"), I'm now seriously considering going the PC/Windows route for my next computer purchase - especially with the promising new Windows 7 about to launch.
I've been a faithful Mac user since the original Macintosh (c.1984). But Apple's "I know what you need and what is good for you" position and attitude towards its customers has quite put me off to Apple Inc.
"Promising" how? Simply because it's said not to suck as bad as Vista?
If you want to go the PC route (and you're right - Apple's arrogance in some aspects does encourage one to ponder the idea...), do a Hackintosh. There's no need to submit yourself to the pain of Windows.
The press seem to be falling all over each other in their adulation of Windows 7, which, frankly, impresses me in no way whatsoever (I've been playing with the beta via Fusion). And is nowhere close to shipping.
I suggest you at least wait to see what Snow Leopard brings and see how Windows 7 is actually received. I suspect you might kick yourself if you jump ship beforehand. Yeah Apple can be frustrating at times for some but they do try to pigeon-hole their customers and don't like to have complicated product line-ups which cause high-end customers to migrate downwards. IMHO that is the only reason for removing FW from Macbooks as I've said a few times. Whether it is a good move for the company is yet to be seen. The financial figures are due out in a day or two.
My advice is not to jump ship until you see whether the ship you are jumping into has an engine or not and whether it is made of rubber. As far as I can tell Windows 7 has been brought to market in a bit of a panic so don't expect it to be perfect. It is still based heavily on Vista and uses the same driver model, security model etc.
Good luck if you do jump ship but I think you will regret it.
Hang in there...
I have never used firewire on my pc, it never came up, my parents have like 4 cameras all from different years, except they are all USB. I also have an enclosure and its also usb. Imo it won't make a difference for most ppl? Even my bro has never found any use for the firewire yet..
Let see.
Vista (Longhorn) released to customers in November 2006.
Server 2008 (Longhorn Server) released in February 2008.
Windows 7 (client and server) pre-betas released in October 2008, and first beta in January 2009.
Client beta is currently available as an open download, with millions of downloads expected.
Two years of development until beta release hardly seems like a "panic". Also, letting tens of thousands use the pre-beta and millions of downloads of the beta seems like there's a lot of confidence in the quality.
This is GOOD.
Microsoft hasn't been reworking major pieces of the system - they've been working on performance and improved human factors. They've been listening to the Vista complaints.
There's a reason the reviews on Windows 7 are good. They've addressed most of the issues with Vista, and made some real innovations in the workflow and usability, as well as performance and resource usage.
I agree. Some people seem to think Windows 7 is some kind of complete rewrite. The last thing you would want to get is an OS that has been completely rewritten in two years.
Good luck if you do jump ship but I think you will regret it.
Hang in there...
I have partly jumped ship because I needed small notebooks that had firewire and express card slots - something Apple doesn't offer. And I have no regrets. I have been completely satisfied with Vista on these machines and look forward to Windows 7. I'm still disappointed that I have to make a transition in software too, but since Apple seems to have lost their way when it comes to meeting the needs of the professional/creative community, I had no choice. I couldn't wait for a year to see if Apple possibly comes back with a small notebook with firewire. I'm still a little sad that it went this way, but getting less so every day. Maybe after over twenty years it was time for a change?
Want a cookie?
Those of use who do use it are upset it was left out. So what exactly was the point of your post? That neither you, nor your family use all the capabilities of your computer? Congrats, job well done.
Lol hasn't this been the way this thread has been going for the last ten pages or so?
We all agree that having the option of FW would be nice, then someone comes in saying how with all their intensive useage (you know: email and browsing
) theyve never needed FW. Repeat as necessary.
Lol hasn't this been the way this thread has been going for the last ten pages or so?
We all agree that having the option of FW would be nice, then someone comes in saying how with all their intensive useage (you know: email and browsing
Repeat as necessary.
Thanks for the laugh, I needed one today!Several things wrong with that idea. One, Windows 7 is a glorified new version of Vista that is "promising" only to a bedraggled Redmond trying desperately to salvage Windows' reputation. I could be wrong (hey it had to happen eventually
) but doubtful. Two, removal of FireWire 400 is NOT tantamount to removal of FireWire altogether. FireWire 400 is the older specification, and (at least I thought) is gradually being phased out and replaced by FireWire 800 which has more bandwidth. Tallest Skil?? And yes, I'll say it: what's wrong with a FireWire 400 -> 800 adapter cable? And don't jump on me for that one either, folks...unlike the fabled FireWire to USB adapter, FireWire 400 -> 800 adapters do in fact exist and run about...oh what like 10 bucks?Of course if you really want to take the plunge, go ahead...but I have a feeling your new Windows 7 computer will be a Hackintosh in no time.