Back in the day before USB 2.0 became the the dominant data transfer standard used by consumers, Apple was pretty big on FireWire. Then Apple removed the transfer protocol from many of its machine. Now with the release of the updated 13-inch Apple laptop, re-branded as part of the Macbook Pro line, we find not only a FireWire port, but an upgraded FireWire 800 port. The only reason I can think of for this move is that Apple suspects that FireWire is going to have some sort of resurgence, even in the face of USB 3.0.
Apple pulled FireWire back when it became clear that the vast majority of users really didn’t care about it. And one would think that trend is bound to continue, especially considering that USB 3.0 is set to come out next year, with massively beefed up speeds. We’re talking 400 megabytes per second of real world transfer rates, which is more than enough for anything a consumer could need. So one must wonder why Apple thinks FireWire has a place anymore, and more to the point, why Apple thinks anything can take on USB 3.0.
