More people are using Macs as their personal computer of choice these days. Mac has effectively marketed itself as the all-your-bases-are-covered computer brand and are supposed to be powerful and easy to work with.
Well, that whole notion hit a speed bump with their newest line of MacBooks. The mid-range MacBook (as opposed to the MacBook Pro or the white base model) is missing a Firewire port. Firewire, or IEEE 1394, is a faster way to transfer data between computers or peripherals. USB 2.0 does perform most of the same functions at a slightly lower speed than Firewire 400. However, until about two years ago, nearly all consumer level camcorders were Firewire only, and not USB.
As this realization began to sink among consumers, outrage emerged across the blogosphere and among shoestring-budget creatives. For the family wanting to edit their home video, they would now have to decide whether to upgrade to the MacBook Pro, a $700 jump; downgrade to the white 13-inch Macbook, which has less drive space and less upgradability; or buy a new camcorder that has USB 2.0 connectivity, an extra couple hundred dollars out of pocket.
Admittedly, times do change, and technology with it, but this particular shift was neither smooth nor were consumers really prepped for the transition. It just happened, which left Apple fending off complaints left and right.
In the end, Apple CEO Steve Jobs just laid it out there: “Actually, all of the new HD camcorders of the past few years use USB 2.” And some argue that the MacBook is not what should be used to edit video, mix down multi-track audio, and do other niche tasks usually performed by professionals. The MacBook is a consumer model laptop, and the MacBook Pro is just what it says it is: a professional model laptop meant to handle projects that utilize Firewire peripherals.
Understood. I just think consumers and creatives could have been given some advance notice. Better yet, people shouldn’t have to decide if they need to buy a new peripheral because their $1300 MacBook doesn’t support it. And yes, I get that it’s not a MacBook Pro, but I do have a POS Dell & HP laptop that both have firewire and even the cheaper white base model has it. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mac and is why I own a Mac Pro, but I just think everyone should have access to firewire speeds. Who knows, they might fix this and maybe they might start selling iMacs with non glossy super reflective screens again; I’d go buy one tomorrow if that were the case. Until then I’ll just have to be satisfied with my Mac Pro (very) and the new MacBook Pro I plan on buying in the near future (awesome).
Comments
Hi Derek,
I’m very glad I finally found the designer behind most of the Envato sites, I’m a old time fan of yours. Keep it up!
As for the Firewire thing, I don’t understand why Apple hasn’t included it in that particular model either, it got to be deliberate (how would a company that big “forget” it along the whole production line?). Moreover, keeping an efficient production line in mind, I would even assume the slot is there, ready to receive the peripheral.
But one thing I must say: USB 2 is faster than Firewire 400. Firewire is extremely popular among Mac users, since Apple has adopted it from the very start, but Firewire was finally beaten with the advent of USB 2. The difference in speed is minimal, though. USB 2 is currently the most popular peripheral in the market today – if one only sees the numbers but not where/how it’s used. Firewire 800 has arrived, which is faster than USB 2, but USB 3 is already around the corner. I guess this is going to end up like the Blue-Ray thing, it’s just a matter of time…
Cheers!
Wallace
Ahhaaa….so you’re the guy responsible for what I told my Joomla designer was a “new aesthetic” in wordpress design.
“Paul” I said, “you need to see these great envato sites that are popping up..and all of these fanboys on themeforest who are copying the designs..they’re just great…can you do the same on Joomla?…Envato’s got some gun designer out there” I said..and here you are.
Great work Derek, I really love the clean lines of your work and will be following your creations with great interest.
Cheers
Edmund
Well, I’d like to say I did the design part of the Envato sites but that isn’t true. Collis Ta’eed designed the sites, I code and add to them if needed, i.e. plugins and crazy weird requests that Collis throws my way.
That’s not to say that are style of design isn’t similar to begin with, just that the credit for the Photoshop work is all Collis, the rest is me. It’s pretty common that people think I designed them, I did however put in many many hours making sure they work properly.
Thank you for coming to my blog and saying hello anyhow.
Nice! Great post, very interesting! keep it up, Thank you!