MacBook Firewire controversy rages on

MacBook Firewire controversy rages on

21 October, 2008 | 11.00AM

• Written by: francispreve
• Filed under: Music News: apple, firewire, macbook

Both the print and web media are turning up the heat on Apple, thanks to Steve Jobs’ recent decision to eliminate Apple’s own Firewire technology from all notebooks, save for their high-end MacBook Pros.

As we noted last week, the creative communities that Apple purportedly supports are up in arms over the decision to jettison Firewire.

In the decade or so since its arrival, the IEEE 1394 standard has become an integral part of the production process for many, perhaps most digital artists.

Personally, we’re inclined to think that it was removed because the consumer-level MacBook was simply getting too powerful since Apple switched to Intel’s formidable Core 2 Duo processors.

So by forcing users to shell out more cash for a Pro model, Apple improves its bottom line for a short while - until it finally kills off the Firewire standard at some unknown future date.

And we’re not the only ones who support this theory.

Wired News has reprinted a purported email from Steve himself on the topic, which despite its brevity, implies that Steve has spoken. Case closed.

The definitive Apple news source, Macworld, covers the controversy in typically neutral terms, but tips their hand with the following comment on the audio and video communities’ reliance on Firewire.

“That’s a harder problem to solve; for now, the obvious solution is to either stick with the polycarbonate-clad MacBook, which remains available alongside its new aluminum brother, or to spend the extra money to get the MacBook Pro.”

Computerworld has some interesting commentary in its assessment of the new ‘books:

“If you need Firewire at the moment, you’ll need to buy Pro… It is really a shame that with all of the SATA, now including the optical drive, on the inside and Firewire looking like it is on the outs, that Apple chose not to give the option for eSATA on the outside.”

Even influential Silicon Valley guru, Robert X. Cringely, proclaimed “I hate the lack of a FireWire port in the MacBook.”

In a final act of desperation tinged with defiance, Thorsten Raasch has posted an online petition begging Apple to reconsider.

Synthtopia reports that the petition has received over 6,000 virtual signatures, which sadly isn’t even enough to get Steve Jobs’ secretary’s attention, but we applaud the effort – and you can too, here.

While the tech community rightfully wrings its collective hands over the now-impending death of Firewire, outlets as massive as Newsweek and UK’s Guardian are simply yawning outright at the latest revisions.

Although Newsweek doesn’t come right out and confront the Firewire issue, they’re equally damning of Apple’s new notebooks, saying that they “aren’t worth the hype.”

The UK’s Guardian simply states, ”Rejigged Apple laptops fail to excite.”

Only Salon’s Machinist tech blog has intimated some sort of acceptance of Firewire’s absence, stating “So yeah, maybe my Firewire-only drive won’t work on the new MacBook that I’ll probably buy next year. But I’m going to trust His Steveness on this one.”

Whether to file that sentiment under “sycophant” or “prescient” remains a matter of personal taste.

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