If the classic MBP deals are as phenomenal there as they are stateside, that may be the way to go.
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Steve Jobs on Lack of Firewire in MacBooks
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If the classic MBP deals are as phenomenal there as they are stateside, that may be the way to go.
Well said.
Unfortunately, that gets old at times.
Around my friends, I am the Mac addict extraordinaire. However, I still don't drink all the cool aid that SJ puts out.
A MacBook without FW is just plain dumb on Apple's part.
Why?
FW is so much better than USB.
Shakes head...
Well there are some good MBP deals, but it'll still cost £400 on top of what the MB will cost, and for my flatmates needs the MBP (even on offer) is too much money and too heavy, she needs something that she can commute with.
I have to admit seeing the older MBP at some of the refurb prices I'm nearly tempted, but it'd be surplus to my portable requirements (saving for a new mac pro next year anyway), plus I don't trust the Nvidia GPUs, and lo and behold there are rumours that the new MBP GPUs may have some issues. They should have gone with ATI, or I'm guessing that Mr. Jobs is still pissed about ATI stealing some of his thunder a good few years ago
Clone makers would give us affordable choices. All my and everyone elses audio is FW.
Apple, license out your OS. You've become nothing more than a cell phone/music download company.
Steve Jobs, go away and start a new NEXT, and we all know how well that went. You're a phony (always were) and have outlived your usefullness.
Apple, license out your OS. You've become nothing more than a cell phone/music download company.
Steve Jobs, go away and start a new NEXT, and we all know how well that went. You're a phony (always were) and have outlived your usefullness.
What about refurb MB? Some of them even have upgraded HD and/or memory, saving you a step there (even if it's no cheaper than buying the upgrade yourself)
Or buy from someone here on MR in the marketplace.
These issues have already been discussed ad nauseum in this thread. Numerous posts by people who Firewire for audio recording have cited examples of why Firewire is the preferred format for audio recording vs. USB. There's a wealth of information regarding this, and explaining why Firewire is superior to USB for audio, if anyone would bother to skim through the thread.
Yet, some people still seem to believe that Firewire is "outdated". This is simply not the case. Every major manufacturer of Firewire audio equipment introduced new Firewire equipment during 2008, and most have already announced new Firewire devices for 2009. Most people who know anything about audio just scratch their heads in disbelief regarding Apple's decision to drop Firewire from the MacBook.
The "future promise" of USB 3 is totally meaningless to anyone in the world of today who wishes to produce music today. Even if the new specs do manage to live up to their expectations, it will likely be years before a variety of audio equipment is available for any of us to use. Right now, you'll find many more FW400 audio available than FW800 simply because it works so very well.
Steve Jobs may be able to pick out a "winning" song for his next iPod commercial but he and his lackeys apparently don't have a clue about how most aspiring musicians produce music. Five years from now there will be far fewer "Apple musicians" simply because they couldn't start out learning their craft in their bedroom studios using a MacBook. Instead, they will have purchased a Wintel notebook. Two-thirds of all the notebooks available at Newegg today come equipped with Firewire, with prices starting at about $600.
The MacBook was the nearly perfect audio machine that was a great choice for the aspiring home recording enthusiast or bedroom musicians and perfectly capable of serving the needs of anyone in "pro" audio who needed a smaller than 15" notebook. It was, until they deleted the Firewire port, that is...
Look forward to MacWorld....
Look forward to MacWorld, when toward the end of Lord Jobs' keynote, he says:
Or, maybe that won't happen.
Look forward to MacWorld, when toward the end of Lord Jobs' keynote, he says:
One more thing...
I realize that Apple made a mistake removing FireWire from the "Late 2008" MacBooks - so I'm thrilled to show you the new "Early 2009" MacBooks. We've added both a FW400 port and a FW800 port to these beautiful uni-body aluminium laptops.
And, to show how sorry we are for screwing up like this, Apple will exchange any "Late 2008" MacBook without FireWire for a new "Early 2009" MacBook with FireWire for no charge whatsoever. This offer is good for 60 days, or until Snow Leopard ships - whichever occurs later.
I realize that Apple made a mistake removing FireWire from the "Late 2008" MacBooks - so I'm thrilled to show you the new "Early 2009" MacBooks. We've added both a FW400 port and a FW800 port to these beautiful uni-body aluminium laptops.
And, to show how sorry we are for screwing up like this, Apple will exchange any "Late 2008" MacBook without FireWire for a new "Early 2009" MacBook with FireWire for no charge whatsoever. This offer is good for 60 days, or until Snow Leopard ships - whichever occurs later.
Or, maybe that won't happen.
Wow, you must have access to some pretty good stuff.
Although if SJ really did this, it would definitely be awesome.
Haven't seen any really good refurb MB prices, but as luck would have it my flatmate works in an airport, so she can get a new plastic MB without paying VAT, and get me a iPod touch minus the VAT seeing as after six years of service my 2nd gen iPod has finally given up the ghost and died
FW for New Year's?
Here's hoping that FW will make a comeback to all Macs from the MacBook to the MacBook Air and beyond!
Come on Steve, it's hard to "think different" and be creative when you start cutting out all the options that help us to "think different".
If Apple continues down this path of dictating to consumers what they need, I may just have to "think different" and start looking at VAIO's and ThinkPads.
Here's hoping that FW will make a comeback to all Macs from the MacBook to the MacBook Air and beyond!
Come on Steve, it's hard to "think different" and be creative when you start cutting out all the options that help us to "think different".
If Apple continues down this path of dictating to consumers what they need, I may just have to "think different" and start looking at VAIO's and ThinkPads.
Its hard not to forget that they added FW800 and s-video to the Macbook Pro after its initial release and public outcry of the lack of I/O. Here's hoping history will repeat itself!
Apple may add it back but it would require a motherboard redesign, a re-tooled case, test and burn-in, and revamping the production line. These things take time, and there have been no rumors that any of these are happening now. Apple's already looking ahead to the Core i7 laptops coming in a year or so. That's why I say maybe 2010; if FW comes back, it will be on the next generation of Macbooks, not this one.
Would it be fairly easy to shoehorn in some USB 3, rather than rejig the production line by adding more ports?
Does 1.0 pounds (not sure how many grams that is, sorry) REALLY make a difference in one's commute? I mean, I can tell the difference when holding the two in comparison but I don't believe that 453.59240 grams (did the math!) is actually going to slow her down.
And I've got to agree with you. If people would just try to work harder on speeding up USB and explaining to people that regrettably the FW is going out and USB is coming in, then maybe the music industry will listen. (no pun intended)
No. USB 3 uses a new connector, and requires a bunch of new software to be developed/tested. Besides which, USB 3 isn't even out yet - won't be for probably another year - and there are no USB 3 devices to buy. Even if there were, that wouldn't solve the problem for people who need to support their legacy FW devices.
But it is certainly a possibility that Apple will include USB 3 on their next gen Macbooks, and continue to leave FW off.
Why should anyone (who?) work to improve a lessor standard when a better (and already adequate to the task) standard already exists? It doesn't quite make sense to me.
The music industry is using a tool that has, and continues to work.
Interesting, and something that Apple didn't understand with 1394b:
Wow - compatible.
(You do need USB3 devices/cables/ports to get USB3 speeds, but USB2 cables will connect to the ports (and devices) for USB2 speeds.)
USB 3... and so?
There are no USB 3 peripherals out on the market yet. In the meantime, the music and film industry have been, are, and will continue to heavily depend upon and use the FireWire standard because it works perfectly for them and is not something that is yet to be released.
There are no USB 3 peripherals out on the market yet. In the meantime, the music and film industry have been, are, and will continue to heavily depend upon and use the FireWire standard because it works perfectly for them and is not something that is yet to be released.
I don't think so, because the standard USB-A connector still has to work. But since the USB 3 signals are recessed, as the article says, "USB 3.0 connectors and receptacles will be deeper than the current ones."
Well said! Why exactly are people debating the merits of an interface that is not yet in use when a existing, widely used one does the job?
By this logic, Apple shouldn't bother adding USB 3.0 either, because its inevitable that USB 4.0 will be out some day, and man is it gonna be great!