Expertise is all the time transferring ahead, which regularly means outdated know-how will get left behind.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 implies that legacy units, similar to the unique and 2nd-generation iPod, storage units. cameras, and extra gained’t work with Macs operating Tahoe.
It’s really spectacular that Apple has supported FireWire for therefore lengthy, since Apple tends to drop outdated tech in just a few years. Recognized by the usual title of IEEE 1394 (FireWire is Apple’s branding), Apple led its improvement within the late Eighties as an answer for units that wanted high-speed connectivity. Within the 2000s, USB turned in style and FireWire ports on Macs had been finally dropped, however help had been saved in macOS till Tahoe.
What to do when you’ve got a FireWire gadget you need to use? Effectively, you don’t need to improve to Tahoe; your Mac is simply superb operating that older model of macOS. It means, although, that you may’t use Tahoe’s options. It additionally implies that any options that function between iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and Tahoe gained’t be obtainable to you, similar to 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 units, like an iPod.
When you rely upon these outdated FireWire units each day, it’s a good suggestion to improve, particularly if it’s a storage gadget. That FireWire arduous drive has a number of miles on it, so its possibilities of failure are comparatively excessive and rising day-after-day. You may most likely get a quicker drive with much more storage for a cheaper price than what you paid for that FireWire drive (storage was rather more costly again then). Get our picks for the perfect exterior arduous drives and SSDs. If it’s a digital camera, your iPhone 15 most likely produces higher high quality photographs, although utilizing outdated cameras for stylistic functions is a factor. We get it.
There’s all the time an opportunity Apple may reinstate FireWire help in Tahoe–it’s in beta and modifications all the time occur throughout 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 There doesn’t appear to be any technical consequence to it, however Apple likes to drop outdated tech as a part of its correct housekeeping follow. Chances are high, it’s gone, so take the time to organize your self earlier than Tahoe is formally launched within the fall. Study extra about macOS Tahoe.
