We all know the firewire's advantage for targeting market. I think jobs want the "targeting" costumer to buy a pro. And the macbook is a universel edition.
Typos aside, this logic (leaving firewire off the MB to differentiate it), would be absolutely inexcusable, if indeed this is Apple's reasoning. It's almost like taking the headphone socket away from the MB but leaving it on the MBP. I'm sure a lot of people don't use the headphone socket either, and leaving it out would similarly save a few dollars. However, I think we can all agree, this would be a terrible idea.
Removing FW and all the functionality that goes with it, without replacing it, or providing so much as a work around, is an awful way to treat customers, especially the loyal user base. It's been on countless previous versions, and yet we're supposed to accept that, without it, the new model is somehow improved.
And would people please stop likening it to when Apple got rid of floppy drives - totally different. Floppies had become a genuine irrelevance, there was a superior replacement (CDs) and for those who needed it, there was a work around. There's no work around here. Firewire isn't remotely obsolete, in fact is highly thought of in non-mac tech circles.
This is just a bad decision all round. Terrible way to treat customers, terrible strategy for the platform, terribly short-sighted. It also bodes very badly for the future. And for what? To pinch a few pennies from the most loyal customers? It's also pissed off a lot of people. (Me included, in case you hadn't noticed).
