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Hardware & Drivers
FireWire

FireWire is one of the fastest peripheral standards ever developed, which makes it great for use with multimedia peripherals such as digital video cameras and other high-speed devices like the latest hard disk drives and printers.

FireWire is integrated into Power Macs, iMacs, eMacs, MacBooks, MacBook Pros, and the iPod. FireWire ports were also integrated into many other computer products dating back to the Power Macintosh G3 "Blue & White" computers. All these machines include FireWire ports that operate at up to 400 megabits per second and the latest machines include FireWire ports that support 1394b and operate at up to 800 megabits per second.

FireWire is a cross-platform implementation of the high-speed serial data bus -- defined by the IEEE 1394-1995, IEEE 1394a-2000, and IEEE 1394b standards -- that can move large amounts of data between computers and peripheral devices. It features simplified cabling, hot swapping, and transfer speeds of up to 800 megabits per second (on machines that support 1394b).

Major manufacturers of multimedia devices have been adopting the FireWire technology, and for good reason. FireWire speeds up the movement of multimedia data and large files and enables easy connection of digital consumer products -- including digital camcorders, digital video tapes, digital video disks, set-top boxes, and music systems -- directly to a personal computer.

In fact, Apple's FireWire technology was honored by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, receiving a 2001 Primetime Emmy Engineering Award for FireWire's impact on the television industry.

Technical Questions

If you have technical questions about FireWire, its implementation on Mac OS X, need code-level support, or help using the FireWire APIs, you can send email to Developer Technical Support or subscribe to the FireWire mailing list.

Customer Support Questions

If you have a customer support question about FireWire, i.e. "How do I connect my camcorder using FireWire?", please visit the Apple Support website.

FireWire Articles

IP over FireWire

IP over FireWire adds support for using the Internet Protocol - commonly known as TCP/IP - over FireWire.

Related Links

FireWire Reference Platform

Now device manufacturers and developers interested in creating FireWire devices can take advantage of the FireWire Reference Platform 2.0. This stack contains core source and sample code, plus RTL for a 1394b PHY digital core and related testbenches, and is distributed under an evaluation license.

If after evaluation, you'd like to obtain the license to develop or distribute assemblies incorporating the FireWire Reference Platform or modifications, please follow the Implementation License instructions.

Apple Hardware Products

Apple's Hardware page with links to all Apple Hardware Product pages.

FireWire Peripherals

The complete listing of FireWire Peripherals listed in the Macintosh Products Guide.

1394 Trade Association

The 1394 Trade Association supports the development of computer and consumer electronics systems that can be easily connected with each other via IEEE 1394 (FireWire). The 1394TA has also published a number of specifications for FireWire devices that are available to 1394TA members.

Leitch Technology Corporation

Leitch Technology is a global leader in the design, development and distribution of high-performance video systems for the professional television industry.

Pinnacle Systems

Pinnacle Systems provides audio and video hardware and software to create, enhance and share video.