Do we care if the new MacBooks don't have FireWire?

So the new MacBooks lack a FireWire port. The MacBook Pros still have them, but for those of us in Ed Tech (including college students) who will probably be looking at the mainstream MacBooks, is this a big deal?

It's a big deal if you have a media lab with DV camcorders, most of which require a FireWire connection. You can buy a USB to FireWire adapter, but they're pricey. Of course, with the advent of cheap USB camcorders like the Flip and decent video capabilities on digital cameras, there is less and less need for FireWire for what most of our students are doing. Even the latest hard drive-based camcorders use USB rather than FireWire.

Personally, I think FireWire is dying in general, but is largely irrelevant for most educational users specifically. If you're one of the last holdouts, then the new MacBooks are not for you. The MacBook Pros and the MacPros certainly will meet your needs, as will a variety of Windows laptops and desktops. However, if you're looking for easy ways to handle multimedia projects on a reasonable budget, a mainstream digital camera and a MacBook (sans FireWire) will have students creating presentations, websites, and decent quality movies in no time.

Maybe I'm wrong, though...what do you think?

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