Expertise is all the time shifting ahead, which frequently means outdated know-how will get left behind. For instance, NekoMichiUBC on X has found that the macOS Tahoe beta lacks help for FireWire. That signifies that legacy gadgets, such because the authentic and 2nd-generation iPod, storage gadgets. cameras, and extra received’t work with Macs working Tahoe.
It’s truly spectacular that Apple has supported FireWire for thus lengthy, since Apple tends to drop outdated tech in a couple of years. Identified by the usual identify of IEEE 1394 (FireWire is Apple’s branding), Apple led its growth within the late Eighties as an answer for gadgets that wanted high-speed connectivity. Within the 2000s, USB grew to become standard and FireWire ports on Macs have been finally dropped, however help had been stored in macOS till Tahoe.
What to do when you’ve got a FireWire machine you wish to use? Properly, you don’t need to improve to Tahoe; your Mac is simply effective working that older model of macOS. It means, although, you can’t use Tahoe’s options. It additionally signifies that any options that function between iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and Tahoe received’t be accessible to you, resembling Name Screening. In case you have a spare Mac, you may determine not set up Tahoe on it and use it when it’s essential use FireWire gadgets, like an iPod.
In case you rely upon these outdated FireWire gadgets every day, it’s a good suggestion to improve, particularly if it’s a storage machine. That FireWire onerous drive has loads of miles on it, so its probabilities of failure are comparatively excessive and growing each day. You’ll be able to most likely get a quicker drive with much more storage for a cheaper price than what you paid for that FireWire drive (storage was far more costly again then). Get our picks for the finest exterior onerous drives and SSDs. If it’s a digital camera, your iPhone 15 most likely produces higher high quality pictures, although utilizing outdated cameras for stylistic functions is a factor. We get it.
There’s all the time an opportunity Apple might reinstate FireWire help in Tahoe–it’s in beta and modifications all the time occur in the course of the cycle. There doesn’t appear to be any technical consequence to it, however Apple likes to drop outdated tech as a part of its correct housekeeping observe. Chances are high, it’s gone, so take the time to arrange your self earlier than Tahoe is formally launched within the fall. Study extra about macOS Tahoe.
