14 DAY TRIAL // All-knowing Apple recently decided to drop FireWire as a standard, just like that, upsetting Mac fans. No surveys, no how would you feel if we were to adopt other standards, nothing. But, while frustrated Mac users fill forum threads with complaints, all hope is not lost, some suggest.
Among those supporting the theory of FireWire over Ethernet is Jason D. O'Grady, a resounding voice in the Mac blogosphere. “Since Apple announced the new MacBook last week sans FireWire, there’s been a backlash from the Apple community about the omission,” reads the report. “Mac techs love FireWire because TDM is one of the best ways to diagnose a damaged hard drive (without having to physically remove it from the computer).” A poll carried out by the same source reveals that over 60 percent of respondents felt like Apple took the air right out of their lungs when dropping FireWire support.
"There is hope though," O'Grady reports. "IEEE 1394c is an extension to the FireWire standard (IEEE 1394/a/b) that would provide the ability for FireWire to run at 800Mbps over category 5 unshielded twisted pair cables. It’s still in development and just passed the first ballot." Thus, it is believed that Apple will build it in, once the 1394c standard passes, either onboard or at least by means of an adapter.
And which OS do you think is up for the supporting task? Why, OS X 10.6 aka Snow Leopard, of course. FireWire over Ethernet could see the light of day even before Snow Leopard makes its debut, the same source suggests.
Apple's move in ditching FireWire is somewhat shrouded in mystery. A post on its Developer Connection page reveals the company's former stance on FireWire – “FireWire is one of the fastest peripheral standards ever developed, which makes it great for use with multimedia peripherals such as digital video cameras and other high-speed devices like the latest hard disk drives and printers ... Apple’s FireWire technology was honored by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, receiving a 2001 Primetime Emmy Engineering Award for FireWire’s impact on the television industry.” Apple sure changes its mind fast, isn’t it so?