FWIW, none of the "most popular" HD cameras reviewed over at camcorderinfo.com support firewire. They're USB 2.0 only. It looks like the direction going forward (now that hardly any of the new HD cameras use tape) is that firewire is being dropped from most consumer cameras.
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Steve Job's response to the lack of firewire on the Macbook
- Thread starter NJPitcher
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Caveman is right. At the minimum... this is significantly reducing the connectivity of the device. Thousands of Macbook owners use their machines for iMovie with firewire-only camcorders. Thousands of Macbook owners use superior firewire external HDs. Bottom line... Macbooks from 2 weeks ago could handle thousands more devices than the new ones.
We just lost a TON of capability in these machines, and yet we get people needlessly backing up Jobs and trying to validate the removal of a simple $2 part for simply increasing margins.
Seems bogus to me. At the very least, they should have waited to make this move until they were ready to add eSata or USB 3.0 to the devices as a replacement!!!
Right, because USB 3.0 and/or eSATA would help the apparent millions of people with firewire-only camcorders and G1-3 iPods.At the very least, they should have waited to make this move until they were ready to add eSata or USB 3.0 to the devices as a replacement!!!
Right, because USB 3.0 and/or eSATA would help the apparent millions of people with firewire-only camcorders and G1-3 iPods.
Nice paste job. I never said that.
I plan to buy a MacBook. No Firewire, not really a big deal. Why? I don't plan to make a MacBook my primary computer. Sorry, but I still like having a desktop. I have an iMac with FW800 on it. So I can connect my older DV tapecorder to it, as well as my external drives, which do have Firewire and USB.
I'm happy to buy a Macbook Pro but they're so damn heavy to be considered portable! I had the previous one until a couple of weeks ago I gave it away to a relative. With cash in the bank to buy a new Macbook (because they weigh less) I was fully expecting to connect up my RME Fireface 400 with Logic on the move (audio stuff). I'm just gutted I'm not going to be able to do that now and wish I hadn't given away the old Macbook Pro because it weighs less than the new models. Don't get me started on USB for audio production, i've tried pretty much all of them over the years and they're just not up for it - aside from the extra demands they make on CPU.
Right, because USB 3.0 and/or eSATA would help the apparent millions of people with firewire-only camcorders and G1-3 iPods.
Note the words "at the very LEAST". What I am saying is that they should leave firewire in the devices for now... I don't think eSATA or USB 3.0 are ready to replace firewire yet. This would give people a few more years...
I think its sick that the majority of video cam owners won't even be able to use iMovie on their new Macbook.
I'd like to see the stats too. I see the percentage a lot less. I will say most 'savvy' people specifically go out to find firewire drives, but the average person (the target audience for MB's) will more than likely end up with a 2.0 drive.
You've gotta look outside yourself and not consider your mentality as the "average" user. I've had people I work with ask me "what's firewire, how can I benifit from it" and THAT user will probably end up getting 2.0 and be perfectly content with it. Whereas us more savvy people that know the benifit will want the faster data transfer.
Along those same notes, most will end up (yes I say most) with 2.0 and for their needs that be good enough and the extra cost for a drive with firewire just is not justified.
I agree with SJ.
Even if I upgraded I couldn't get my info to the new mac during the initial start -up as there's no f*&&&ng FireWire for Target Disc Mode.
At the risk of sounding a tad snarky, don't any of you complaining about target disk mode have a home network?
Us poor Windows and Linux users have been dealing with it for years.
I know it's not as convenient, but it'll work for getting data over.
Target Disk Mode is nice for getting data over but it's a miracle worker when it comes to fixing a sick Mac.At the risk of sounding a tad snarky, don't any of you complaining about target disk mode have a home network?
Us poor Windows and Linux users have been dealing with it for years.
I know it's not as convenient, but it'll work for getting data over.
This thread is a bit on the dead side, but reading through some front page posts alerted me to the fact that the new macbooks don't have Target Disk Mode. Unbelievable! Well, I'm glad I have an old one... sad I won't be buying a macbook again. What were they thinking? I don't give a damn about HD camcorders, when all else fails, target disk mode is the easy one-step to recover information, fix an hd etc.
Terrible, terrible news.
Doesn't make you 'savvy', there are some people who would consider not running a 10TB raid setup not being savvy.
While they should have included it, its not a big deal, buy the older model if you absolutely NEED it, if you don't then no point complaining, they likely won't change their decision. What with the new alu body design, they NEED some sort of real differentiation between the consumer and pro lines.
By offering more and better features on the PRO model and not dropping features from the LOWER model.
Which is clearly not their decision, though it would be the more consumer-friendly approach. I would have liked to see the Pros get eSata, not sure what other features they can toss on? As laptops go, they spec out even their lower end line with some nice additions(bluetooth and wireless N usually cost more from Dell and Sony)