[jane] Apple Deleting MacBook FireWire Complaints from Forums

[JonnyDough]

It isn't just Apple. Lots of companies delete comments. The whole idea of administration privileges over any public forum is censorship. It happens here, and I've seen it happen in online shopping websites, specifically Ewiz.com. It's likely part of the reason they changed their name to EBiz. It's really disappointing that they would delete a review of a bad or overpriced product. The whole idea is that people be allowed to express their opinion of something for the benefit of others. If I don't like something, I should be allowed to say so openly and freely, without being stripped of my voice. I was closed to the idea of online identification practices for a long time due to privacy issues, but I think an international age-related access system for websites really needs to be in place. When I go to Newegg to shop, I want to know that a motherboard is a motherf'n POS and why. I don't need it G-rated. But I don't want my kid going online and going anywhere that isn't. Credit card verification is unsafe for my personal financial security IMO, and it isn't hard for a child to steal mom's card out of her wallet. Heck, I did that once 12 yrs ago to get my folks signed up for dialup because they weren't keeping up with the times. LOL

 

[Guest]

Honestly, everyone is complaining about the lack of firewire in their consumer based laptop line. True i am not happy about it, i like to have the option of using it, but everyone who is complaining is talking about their fast drives, and HD cameras. If you are doing any major Video work, then you really have no place using a macbook. You should be using the pro for its larger screen, its Firewire 800 port and higher processing power. The macbook is geared for the average consumer, the guy or gal who wants to go around check their e-mail, maybe do some light video work, where cameras use usb. And you want fast HDD, you want firewire 800 which was never available on the macbook, only on the MBP.

Really people, realize what each laptop is designed to do. You got your macbooks for the average consumers and you got your MBP for the professionals and rising pros. If you got all of that gear and its your career then spend the money in the right direction.

 

[neptune692]

First of all there IS a FireWire port in the new MacBook Pro, it is a FireWire 800, here are the tech specs at Apple http/www.apple.com/macbookpro/specs.html, second using the word infamous tells me this site is biased and before you make articles like this DO YOUR RESEARCH!!

 

[falchard]

Why no eSata ports? Do they hate superior transfer speeds or something?

 

[Alternator]

[citation][nom]darkbob87[/nom]
... many people who would have been content with a regular MacBook now have to shell out another several hundred dollars just to get a port? Seems a little unfair to me.[/citation]

They don't have to shell out more! They can in fact pay less.
They can still buy the plastic macbook, which is cheaper than the new one.
While I agree that it is a mistake for Apple to drop the port in the new macbook, if people are pleading poverty here get the cheaper one that does have firewire, or alternately wait till the next rev of the macbook and hope that one has firewire... This idea that consumers are without choice over this issue when even limiting yourself to just Apple products is pure rubbish.

 

[Guest]

There really shouldn't be much of a big deal on this. My last PC upgraded didn't include a firewire port, but it didn't bother me really as I still have an older PC with firewire. My next camera will either be Hard Drive or memory card... no more tape or transfers. If apple sells 1 million macbooks in which those people are NOT missing the $4 connector/controller vs 2~5 that would, thats $4million dollars saved.

Just like using firewire was a GREAT step up from transfering A/V over composite cables, it still took 1hr to transfer a 1hr video to a computer. With modern HD/memory cams, that same 1hr video is transfered to the computer in 5~10minutes.

To the guy who called them "appleheads" - Firewire is better than USB 2.0, and has been around before USB 1.0. Its not just an apple thing, SONY and TI got on board and created an I/O standard that has worked very well. (In the real world, Firewire400 is STILL faster than USB 2.0... and we're not including Firewir800. Keep in mind that Apple was first to make USB a standard to add to a personal computer.

 

[Alternator]

[citation][nom]velocityg4[/nom]
Lets see
Macbook pro $700 more for a $6 port plus more weight and bulk
Desktop (I'll just hop on the plan with a Mac Pro http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_Pro and 30" Cinema display)
Previous Macbook (I don't buy a new computer to get previous generation parts plus it does not have the GeForce 9400)[/citation]

actually to be fair for that $700 you get better hardware not just a $6 port (assuming that's the cost involved putting one into the unit?!).

I'm not disagreeing that it is going to be a pain for some people.

But you can't please everyone... My issue is really with how over the top some people are being about this port, when in reality there are so many options to get around it it isn't funny.

Ok maybe it scores slightly less in some benchmarks if you go back to the plastic model, well then suck it up and get the pro. If you can't afford it accept that you will have to make a compromise, or get a Dell.

 

[Guest]

You people don't understand...
All Steve wants, is for you to buy all NEW equipment when ever a new Mac (or iPod) is released.

What's the problem?

 

[PZKER]

Quote " If apple sells 1 million macbooks in which those people are NOT missing the $4 connector/controller vs 2~5 that would, thats $4million dollars saved." End quote

Yes but if there are 50,000 who must have firewire and who don't buy, then the total profit on that 50,000 will be lost, plus some additional loss because unit production and marketing costs rise on the rest because 50,000 less are sold. I have no idea what Apple's profit per Macbook are but let's imagine a hypothetical figure of $150 per unit. $150 times the 50,000 units in lost sales = 7.5 million.
Admittedly, this figure is rather meaningless because it will be partly offset by many of the 50,000 purchasing the white Macbook or Macbook Pro.
We could go around in circles here for nothing. No, I think the real cost involved here is Apple's Goodwill.
The firewire users are almost certainly amongst the Mac users most devoted to the Mac. Their collective enthusiasm has been the main force in spreading a positive image for the Apple Mac over past years. Suddenly, since 10/14, huge numbers of them are screaming, calling the decision "stupid", "dumb". This mass protest on internet sites is bound to be picked up by the media as a "fun story to run with", and it would be astonishing if certain vendors of other computer brands, and many of their users, don't see this as a wonderful opportunity to knock Apple.
The real bottom line to Apple will be the extent to which Apple's image is hurt by this act.


Quote "Just like using firewire was a GREAT step up from transfering A/V over composite cables, it still took 1hr to transfer a 1hr video to a computer. With modern HD/memory cams, that same 1hr video is transfered to the computer in 5~10minutes." unquote

Agreed 100 percent.
But -
A - In that 1 hour transfer time you have the opportunity to watch the video clips going into iMovie and decide then which to keep and which to reject. If you don't see them then you will have to spend that hour later watching the file.
B - Normally, this hour of capture is only a tiny part of the total time necessary to capture, edit, insert titles, convert codecs, and finally toast the whole thing onto a DVD (Or one day a 1920x1080 disk).
C - Recording on tape gives me this cassette as an easily portable and permanent archive at very little cost. (Stable for decades I hope). And for the price of another cassette (1 to 2 dollars) I can also make a copy on a second back-up tape, camera to camera. In addition I keep what I capture to iMovie as further copy or copies on external hard drives (Though as I film more and more I need more and more hard drives, and I have a shelf-full of firewire drives above the computer already).
With a camera recording on SD cards I would only have the copies on hard drives, unless I want to save the originals on 16 to 64 Gb SD cards and these are, at present, hugely more expensive than DV tapes.

 

[Guest]

Why the @#$% would i buy a plastic white one if a i want a 13inch laptop with firewire?why downgrade? As an A/V student and $1000s invested in small home studio I took it as a slap in the face. Firewire is vital A/V market and Education market. Mac OSX is great and the software is awesome. but im not going to do whatever a CEO(who seems to be losing it)wants me to do, downgrade or fork over about $800 more. this "Pro" notion is pure crap that only hipsters(Ipod,Email,coffee shops) would believe, I dont think that a smart chimp would.
If enough consumers who hold out on buying the new Macbook, this should hit Apple's revenue and hopefully make them implement a FW port on their next revision. An online petition has had 17,000+ signatures and more than 3/4 have already expressed their discontent to Apple.

 

[PZKER]

[citation][nom]Fern[/nom]Why the @#$% would i buy a plastic white one if a i want a 13inch laptop with firewire?why downgrade? As an A/V student and $1000s invested in small home studio I took it as a slap in the face. Firewire is vital A/V market and Education market. Mac OSX is great and the software is awesome. but im not going to do whatever a CEO(who seems to be losing it)wants me to do, downgrade or fork over about $800 more. this "Pro" notion is pure crap that only hipsters(Ipod,Email,coffee shops) would believe, I dont think that a smart chimp would.[/citation]

Strong words Fern but much as I used to trust the Apple of the old days, in general I agree with your sentiments.

Dropping firewire, and not mentioning it in the Oct 14th speech looks like trying to put one over on the customers. From my personal point of view it looks like arrogance.

I went into shock. Firewire is what makes a Mac a Mac isn't it?.
A Mac without firewire... ? How would I connect to that ? My computing world fell apart. I felt hurt and betrayed.

Lack of space for firewire cannot be the cause. The ethernet port was left on and is not essential. I run ethernet through a USB port using a 30 dollar non-Apple adaptor, and it runs quicker than my ethernet port does. I don't know of any alternative to lack of firewire except look for another computer that has it.

I could buy the little white Macbook but won't for I have a similar and slightly slower one already.

I could buy the Macbook Pro but won't. Here in Europe the basic model costs 1799 euros. When you add the 3 years after-care insurance to that it comes to almost 2000 euros which is about 2600 US dollars.

So, I have borrowed a Windows PC to try it out. It took about a day to get used to the operating system. I love its connectability and all the applications available. And about 90 percent of the computing world uses them so they can't be that bad.

I'll wait to see what early next year's top of the line Mac Mini offers. If it has Firewire 400 and 800 and maybe a SATA or eSATA port or an expansion slot and enough other attractions I will buy one or two. If not it is time to move on.

I read on the internet yesterday that Apple took on 8000 extra retail staff in 2008. Perhaps this was to sell more music or ipods or iphones.
Or was this to fight the firewire resistance I asked myself ? If so, a better alternative surely would have been to reduce prices and make sure you make computers that are unbeatable.

 

[Guest]

I get the side who are upset over the loss of an important technology on the new 13 inch book from Apple. These are legitimate concerns that should be heard by Apple.

I don't get the side who are outraged over the former's outspoken voice against the omission. To those who wish to squelch the dissent: How does this serve you?