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Thursday, February 24, 2005

Apple Moving Away From FireWire
News.com has an interesting piece on Apple's somewhat stealth move away from FireWire (that's IEEE 1394 to you and me) and toward USB 2.0 as its preferred data transfer method for devices like the iPod. The main reasons are not hard to understand: first there's the fact that the latest version of USB can now re-charge devices like the iPod. The other main reason makes even more sense: Apple wants to hold down costs by including only one cable in the box. You can still use FireWire if you want to spring for the extra cable.

From the article: "IDC analyst Susan Kevorkian identified two main reasons for the shift. First, it used to not be possible to recharge the device via USB. "They've been wedded to FireWire for a long time because it allowed them to charge (the iPod)," she said.

The other issue is cost. With the latest round of products, Apple cut its prices. By omitting the FireWire cord, the company can gain back some of the lost profit margins. "It's more cost efficient to ship with one cable rather than two, and USB is more broadly supported on both platforms," Kevorkian said. "FireWire, it ships on some PCs, but not the vast majority."
Source: News.com

Interesting Facts
When the iPod debuted in 2001, it used only FireWire, and even the second crop of iPods--the first to support Windows--lacked USB support entirely. It wasn't until April 2003, with the dock connector-based iPods, that Apple first offered a USB 2.0 option. And then it was USB 2.0, which had to be bought separately as a $19 extra. (news.com)

Here's what cracks me up: Apple users have responded to the news by signing a petition. Don't they have enough FireWire cables already? Is USB such a bad standard? I don't know about you, but I have USB and FireWire cables coming out of my ears. I cannot fault Apple for not wating to have to include both cables just to support a standard.

Then again, maybe Apple should have called it: BYOC (Bring Your Own Cable)and it would have been an instant hit!

# Permalink Posted at 12:51 PM 4 comments Email this Link

Comments on this Item:

Don't they have enough FireWire cables already?That's not the problem. Normal FireWire cables won't work--you need one with a special docking connector at the iPod end. Those are $20 each.

# posted by Avi 2:24 PM

Oh right. Well, if you have a USB cable, then isn't that OK?

# posted by Alice 6:07 PM

Despite being rated 80Mbs slower than USB 2.0, FireWire (IEEE-1394) is actually faster in actual speed because of its design. (1394b will be 2x or so faster still.) The problem with USB is that it requires arbitration and control. Communication between two or more FireWire devices, once started, can basically go on without ever bothering the CPU.

For a company that was a major proponent of FireWire against Intel/MS' USB advocacy, this is a major down turn for Apple.

# posted by Anonymous 6:19 PM

This is a good thing. I don't want to pay for a cable I'm not going to use. Everyone has USB, not everyone has IEEE1394. This seems like a no-brainer to me.

# posted by Justin 7:53 PM

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