FireWire is still Apple Computer's baby, but the proud parent is cutting the cord.
With the latest crop of iPods, Apple is no longer including a FireWire cable in the box. The music players will still work with FireWire, if a cord is purchased separately, but only a USB 2.0 cable comes with the device. The move is part of a gradual shift on Apple's part to standardize the iPod on USB, which is far more common in the Windows world.
Although Apple's embrace has been gradual over several years, it is still a big shift for a company that helped develop the standard behind FireWire, technically known as IEEE 1394, and has been one of its biggest proponents. 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.
News source: C|Net News.com
