Titanium PowerBook G4 500, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB HD, Mac OS X (10.4.8)
Sorry if I'm missing something but I *do* see a firewire port on my new MacBook Pro. However, my firewire cable does not fit into it. Is there a newer version of firewire??? (I'm trying to hook up my digital camera directly to my MacBook Pro. The cable I have is DV out to firewire.)
It is Firewire 800 and your cables are Firewire 400. You need an adapter.
Allan
Thank you both Allan and Eww! I think I can even borrow a 9-4 pin cable for a bit until I buy one. Much appreciate!
J
Maybe I'm missing something here, but is Firewire able to handle the same in/out data and power that the thunderbolt is capable of? I don't mean the speed, I mean the actual ability. I was not aware that firewire could power a device, on any level.
FireWire does provide power to connected devices, up to a specified limit (though I don't know what the limit is myself). This is why properly designed portable FireWire hard drives are able to be used without external AC power.
FireWire will never be able to move data at Thunderbolt speed.
Up to now, every Mac that has a Thunderbolt port also has a FireWire 800 port, with the exception of the two current MacBook Air models. For people who buy those MBAs and already have FireWire devices, a FireWire-to-TB adapter would be useful. For those with other TB-equipped Macs, not so much.
There is a thunderbolt to firewire adaptor. The bad news It costs $999. The good news, it comes with a 27 inch monitor. The Thunderbolt Monitor is great but since the technology exists it would be nice to have all those ports on the back of the monitor in a little breakout box (without the monitor) at a reasonable price!
Hmm maybe something on the horizon from Belkin, details to follow in late 2011 according to Belkin. This might be good news for the Air users... but it a heck of rig to tote around just so you can hook up a video camera to an MacBook Air!
I'd like to have such an adapter as well. I have 5 firewire drives, and while I know I can dasy chain them, I don't like that arrangement because one malfunctioning drive can take out everything else down the line. My current mac has two ports, but the new ones all have one or none.
Apple's 30" thuderbolt monitor has a firewire to thunderbolt built in, but I don't need such a big monitor.
And it costs $300. And it isn't being released for eight months.
I really should have thought more carefully before buying a Mac with no FireWire port.
Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter - does it exist yet?
