I still use Firewire to sync my 4G iPod - it's great. Of course, back in the day that iPod was invented, Apple was promoting its own FireWire over USB and Firewire easily trumps USB 1.1.
Brief history
1) USB 1.1 invented and slow by today's standards but faster than anything before it.
2) Firewire invented partly by Apple and much faster.
3) iPod invented so naturally uses Firewire
4) However, most PCs don't have Firewire so Apple has to use USB2.0 for iPod also.
5) Having stubbornly refused to put USB2.0 in its computers because of the threat to Firewire, Apple finally gives in in September 2003, just when I bought my original computer.
6) Gradually, Apple realises it can make more profit per iPod by dropping one of the connectors. But which one?
7) Firewire is obviously better in terms of sustained rate and Apple would obviously prefer to keep it, but most PCs
still don't have it as standard so they drop Firewire off the iPod.
I sometimes wonder if Apple has given up on Firewire, as even now iMovie doesn't require a Firewire camcorder. And I'm sure we'll soon see iChat opened up to USB cameras. And most people now have USB2.0 Macs.
But I still choose Firewire wherever I can - I love my Firewire external HD and, like I said before, I still use it on my iPod b/w...
