Apple not tolerating dissent over FireWire-less MacBook

I still have an old one piece mac in my basement. One mouse click button. It's a masterpiece. Someone left something on the keyboard and it renamed all the files to TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT. funny how there were issues like then back in the day and how truly far everything has advanced. I don't hate macs. Everyones took a bite of the apple.

Tough issue. Make the majority of consumers pay for something they don't use or make a minority pay extra. I see both sides now. But this is a mac sponsored website. Look at the font. You can't hate macs. But I like the five usbs on my Dell Laptop PC. I'm sure you have more on a Dell than I do on a PC. Good argument.

I am a PC

wait a minute...obviously none of you guys that are for the demise of firewire actually do any kind of production audio and or video editing with your computer systems huh? try running final cut pro with a USB hard drive as your capture scratch disk...haha good luck. its a good way for apple to get people to buy the macbook pro, since that's the only laptop they make they still has a firewire 800 port.

Apple needs to find another industry. Everything they make has critical issues and uses inferior electronics packaged to look expensive. It's an illusion to sell things that people think are worth more than they actually are. I won't even go into Itunes. I hope whoever invented Itunes burns in hell while listening to the MP3's I've lost to autoupdating libraries. As far as firewire goes I thought it was used mainly as A way of connecting two computers directly together. As oppossed to a USB to MINI-USB. which most are. I always thought Firewire was for people who monitor computer networks from a laptop. The ends of the cord are the same male connection on both ends. Not sure. Not worth researching.

It seems like a strange move for Apple to delete this from the records. Wouldn't this just motivate customers to by the more expensive MacBook Pro instead?

Apple, like most large corps are fucking evil.

I mean shit, look at who they align themselves with: Pepsi, MacDonalds, Nike....

All companies with deplorable business practices and unapologetic histories of exploitation.

But what's the other choice? Using a PC?

I'd rather kill myself.

Hackintosh will be a great way to split the difference and it is getting more stable every day.

Soon we will beable to build a machine with the specs we require, at a reasonable price and have it work with mac software that lets face it, is the best.

Next Mr Bush will declare Apple part of the 'Axis of Evil' due to their new dictatorship direction.

I won't buy a mac just because of the "social movement" surrounding it. Yeah, they're dependable in some ways, but the the die hards really turn me off to them. It's more of my rebellion against the movement then the actual computer.

Despite how much I love using firewire on my setup right now, I would be willing to sacrifice it for the perks of the new macbook. (even though I would honestly just buy the pro). In the big picture I'll still never buy a pc machine as long as they continue to be plagued with viruses and malfunctions.

The whole reason I began using macs several years ago was their dedication and dependability as machines for multimedia use. As long as I see them keeping those things in their best interest I'll never leave.

Apple is its own Fascist World.

Apple is more than a software company that happens to also make hardware. It is the only commercially available computer that has the hardware and software built specifically for each other. I have used Apple products since the introduction of the Apple II in 1982.

Prior to my disability I was a Commercial Artist then Art Director. In the Macintosh iteration of Apple, I have used virtually all of their machines and operating systems since 1986. In that time, they removed floppy drives, zip drives, SCSI connection for peripheral devices and of course the programmer's key (which I miss a great deal too).

My home network includes 2-1.66 mhz Mac Minis, a 900 mhz G4, a 333mhz (I believe) G3, and I even keep an old 8500 AV running for things I like to do in system 9. I utilize the Time Capsule as a router and system back up with 1 terrabyte storage. The majority of this remains from my days of having my own business.

Let's contrast that with my Mother's computer choices, 3 years ago she bought an HP PC and in that time she has replaced it 3 times due to component failure, while my ancient 8500AV has never failed or had any problem.

Are Jobs and Apple perfect? No. I will also say that in general PC's tend to be better number crunchers, as their stock and trade has always been that, hence IBM standing for International Business Machines. I have used NT units specifically for that very purpose.

I have had my beefs with Apple, but I have to say that all computers evolve over time, floppys got replaced by zips and jaz drives, they got replaced by Cd's, then DVD's.

Firewire is a nice idea but USB 2 outdid it in terms of speed. Firewire was supposed to provide not only connection, but also power, yet all my firewire devices have to be plugged in. Between the speed of USB2, the convenience of Bluetooth connectivity and the networking power of Airport extreme, firewire could end up being a very natural cut. Most of my peripheral devices are both USB2 and firewire.

In many ways I prefer the Motorola chip over the intel, but I do like the ability to run XP on my minis when there is something (mostly games) that I'd like to do that is only PC based.

I don't know that personal attacks at Jobs are really needed any more than jabs at Bill Gates. Apple competes in 2 markets, which neither Bill Gates nor any PC manufacturer does.

I have always viewed Macs as being more of a professionals machine rather than a mass consumption product. Jobs was brilliant in making it more accessible via iMacs and other low cost alternatives to their high powered professional machines. Of course he made Apple a huge mass market player with the iPod and iTunes, which has been great for those with Apple shares.

Getting back to the beginning, I have always felt Apples edge is that the machine and operating system are built specifically for each other, and I can live without a firewire connection on a laptop. First, who carries a bunch of firewire, or USB peripheral devices around with their notebooks anyway?

If you have a firewire device, chances are you already have a machine that supports it. If you bought a firewire device after buying a non firewire macbook, well you only have yourself to blame.

In the end, there will always be parts of computers that get phased out as new technologies replace them. It's just market reality.

I miss all the audio-video connections of the old Av's, but I have moved on. There is always a workaround in the computer world, and this will be no different.

If there is one Microsoft aspect I have always found to be perplexing and frustrating, it is that they time after time release a new operating system long before its ready, then proceed to issue forth patches for the next few years until their next not-ready-for-the-market operating system is released, but I don't hate them or worry about what Bill Gates may have thrown in frustration.

my bad people, stop flooding my email now. I ment the pro has lost its 400, so you can get a 9-pin to 6-pin FireWire 800 to FireWire 400 cable (also known as a Bilingual cable)

anyway for those who uses a edirol midi interface for audio you can get a hard drive hub which has firewire and USB (Lacie Mini max) if not you need a pro anyway upgrade, to pro, macbook are domestic.
there is always a way you can still buy the the old plastic one ... it make sense to take it off, because you can't get too Pro on a entry level mac, can you...
its like putting a big engine in a mini to go shopping....
come on there always a bigger picture and Mac has not let me down for the last 18 years, oh that when my friend introduce me to his mac the classic II, he has a spinal injury and cannot move from the neck down...using a head sensor to move the mouse and blow and suck mouth function for a mouse...
I'm Mac all the way.

The thing is it has a firewire 800 port which mean you can get the 400 to 800 cable if you need it or you can get 800 to eSata even faster, whats the fuss about people..MAC for life, (85 per cent to go) keep mac-king apple

This is too bad, since Macs are universally known as media computers. I know a lot of people that use Macs as a basis for their home studio's - where many of the high quality recording interfaces connect to the computer via firewire.

Steve Jobs eats babies.

I'm an avid computer geek, PC though, not mac. But still... I have NEVER used firewire! After the upgrade of USB 1.1 to USB 2.0, the speeds are comparable and USB is much more widely used.

I say good for Mac, we should phase out FireWire altogether! It's just another useless port on all my computers...

Apple has completely lost its way. I'm a Mac user of 12 years, but not for much longer.

Apple's price for hardware was always made palatable by the fact that it was superior to that of Dell and others.

- Apple's Command-Option-Powerbutton (the first feature to be lost when they took the power key off their keyboards) was hardcoded into PowerPC Mac's ROM. If it locked, that three finger salute reset the main board, it wasn't software-based like Windows.

- FireWire was more to less made standard for all Macs post-2003. FireWire uses Disk Mode, something dating back to the PowerBook 100/140 (SCSI Disk Mode). This was one of the best features of the Apple platform: the ability to access the disk of a laptop on a desktop over the fastest available connection. This is now being removed entirely because Apple won't/can't make it work over ethernet OR USB (Despite Detto's Move2Mac software that uses a USB A to A cable).

- Apple's move to Intel, leaving the PowerPC (done out of spite, simply because IBM agreed to give them 3Ghz G5s in 2 years but instead hoarded them for Microsoft's upcoming gaming console). Intel was willing to have someone like Apple showcase their processor's benchmarks in an environment other than Windows. For science applications (to which my field relates), PowerPC was far better at math and numerical processing than the Intel processor could ever hope to be.

To also notate what Jobs has done in the past, he's thrown a Kodak digital camera during a (I believe) 2005 MacWorld at an assistant because iPhoto wouldn't connect to it (good luck finding video of it). He also had the ATI video cards cut out of iMacs (they did not work) at another Macworld because ATI leaked the new iMacs specs two days before his Keynote and stole his thunder. Apple's working in an 80s business model with an explosive CEO whose health is in question (could that be due to his vegan lifestyle?).

What's next? Removal of the classic Mac Chime (the Boing sound) at startup for the PC beep that every PC still makes (just about)? Why not drop EFI for a BIOS and just show the Apple logo as the splash screen.

Apple is a software company that just so happens to bundle hardware with it's software.

sure lack of fire is a issue but i guess it is what defines the pro from the macbook. But all round the macbook looks grate from a gaming and office use point of view sure they might put a fire wire in if these issues persist. But then again most people who by macbooks go for the pro because the like to feel special or part of a better group users and never use the product to its full potential.