New Specs Get IEEE 1394 to 3.2 Gb/s

IEEE 1394, which is very well known under the names of Firewire or i.Link, seems to be getting ready for a speed enhancement by the end of the year. The new IEEE 1394-2008 specification, which will offer support for up to 3.2 Gb/s bandwidth, has been recently approved by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).

The history of Firewire is quite a long one. Initially, IEEE 1394 was developed in the late '80s by Apple, but the completion of the technology took place only in 1995. Firewire managed to gain true popularity in the 2000s. Now, the technology is used as a serial bus interface on Sony and Apple computers, and on a wide range of consumer electronics devices like video cameras.

2003 marked the introduction of S800 (800 Mb/s) with the IEEE 1394b specification. Still, most IEEE 1394 devices continue to use the old S400 (400 Mb/s) specification. The major design difference between the two specifications is a simple connector. Today, there are cables that support connection with both S400 and S800 ports.

IEEE 1394-2008 specification was formally approved, IEEE announced yesterday in a statement. The new technology will come with support for S1600 (1.6 Gb/s) and S3200 (3.2 Gb/s). It will also offer full backward compatibility with S400 and S800. According to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the next step for IEEE 1394 is expected to be the jump to 6.4 Gb/s.

Since USB 3.0 should also bring a speed boost to the 4.8 Gb/s line, there is no doubt that Firewire and i.Link do need the upgrade to remain in the competition.

IEEE says that the new IEEE 1394-2008 spec will start its availability in October. The new USB version is also expected to have its specification published by the end of the year.