Apple and USB2
My new ink jet printer uses USB2, and the digital camera I'm probably going to get, the sony DSC-F717, uses USB2 -- but all of the new Macs uses old USB1.
Is there any chance that Apple will get on the bandwagon and give us USB2 sometime soon, or do you think that they will keep it off their computers for the foreseeable future?
Is there any chance that Apple will get on the bandwagon and give us USB2 sometime soon, or do you think that they will keep it off their computers for the foreseeable future?
Comments
Apple supports FireWire. Keeping FireWire as THE high speed interface on Macs will increase (or result in a slower decrease) FireWire support.
Barto
<img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
I wish that they would have included it some time ago. FW800 and all that.
But if you are someone that really needs USB 2, PowerBook owners and Power Mac owners can buy either a PCMCIA card or PCI card to add 2-4 ports.
I agree though. USB2 Printers and especially Digicams are overkill but good nonetheless because it keeps the whole bus standarized on one speed level.
I don't expect to see Apple move to USB2 until the last moment.
Of course, there's no reason why they couldn't have both. Maybe we will see USB2 once the G5 hits.
Question to tech people: is it true that if you plug a USB1.1 device and a USB2 device on the same bus, the USB2 device will drop to USB1.1 speeds?
Using a USB 1 device on a USB 2 port does indeed drop the speed to USB 1. USB 2 mice anyone?
Nonetheless your printer isn't gonna be any faster or slower using usb1.1 vs 2 same as your camera.
<strong>I understand why people would need usb2 however firewire is superior.
Nonetheless your printer isn't gonna be any faster or slower using usb1.1 vs 2 same as your camera.</strong><hr></blockquote>
The printer makes sense, because the limit is engine speed, but I thought that pictures would download from the camera a lot faster using USB2 instead of USB1.1, am I wrong?
[ 02-06-2003: Message edited by: hamfistedbunvendor ]</p>
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Ed M.
<strong>Apple doesn't even support FW800 correctly so USB2 is a ways off.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Ummm, how do you "correctly" support FW800? You mean on all their systems, or they don't follow the standard.
USB and Firewire should continue to coexist, as both have strenghts and weaknesses. Until you see FW800 on all Macs, you probably won't see USB2. The nice thing is that each are backwards compatible, so it's not like they'll ever be obsolete. Just maybe a little slower.
<strong>
Question to tech people: is it true that if you plug a USB1.1 device and a USB2 device on the same bus, the USB2 device will drop to USB1.1 speeds?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Not exactly, but if drop down the level of performance of the USB 2 device dramatically.
You will notice also that many so called USB 2 printers like the HP 5500 are not really USB 2 : it's called Full speed USB 2 and they have not the bandwitch of an USB 2 device. Lexmark has a real USB 2 printer, at the contrary.
USB 2 is not really in competition with firewire. Some macs have USB 2 connector like my G4 533 (i have a PCI USB 2 card in it : unfortunately mac OS did not support it and recocnize it only at USB 1,1 ).
Firewire is now more popular than ever, and many PC mobo have both USB2 and Firewire connector. It won't kill the standart if Apple use USB 2 for his own mobos.
<strong><a href="http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0302/04.pcmag.php" target="_blank">PC Magazine Compares FireWire400 and USB2</a>
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Ed M.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I agree that firewire is better then usb2, but the problems is that digital camera makers are choosing to use usb2. Even Sony is using usb2 instead of firewire.
After all, you don't want the keyboard, which has two USB ports of its own, slowing everything else down.
<strong>I don't really think you're going to feel a speed hit on a digital camera or printer.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I have a Epson printer sold only in Japan, the PM-970C. It's a 2880x2880 dpi 7-color printer and it prints a photo quality letter sized page in under a minute. It connects by Firewire, USB2, or USB. The printer is noticeably slower when connected by USB. (So obviously I use firewire.) Unfortunately, my 500MHz Beige G3 under Jaguar is not able to render the print images fast enough so the printer has to wait for my computer. Sometimes my computer takes too long that my printer stops the job. I have to go back to OS 9 to complete it.
In conclusion, USB (and my computer) is too slow for modern printers. Epson is the only manufacturer (in my knowledge) that makes firewire printers. Everyone else uses USB2. Apple has to convince more companies to embrace firewire or Apple has to put USB2 ports on their computers.
[ 02-06-2003: Message edited by: BeigeUser ]</p>