Firewire support in the near future?

leroydouglas wrote:

for your issue see if any of these adapter still exist

ref: Apple Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter to work with the Apple USB-C to Thunderbolt adapter / USB-C to USB Adapter - Apple

Apple discontinued the Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter some time ago. That adapter is almost impossible to find now. Likewise, although Thunderbolt 3-5 docks could implement FireWire ports, I don't know of any that do.

Even if you find that adapter, it won't do you any good if you

• Are running Tahoe, which reportedly doesn't support FireWire in any way, shape, or form.
• Are running Ventura or later, and trying to use a "plug and play" FireWire audio device that relies on standard FireWire audio device support rather than on its own drivers.

Increasingly, the best solution to keeping old FireWire equipment running may be to keep around a Windows PC (gasp!) or an old Mac.

Jason Cryer wrote:

I have all the adapters, which are a little cumbersome, but it works great. To just disable the feature is a real bummer -- now I need a second computer just to capture footage?

there would be no need for a separate computer. a few years ago, I had some hardware that the vendor ended support for when using anything after Catalina. but since the Mac that I upgraded to Big Sur could run Catalina, I installed an external SSD with Catalina installed. and I just need to boot into said drive when I need that piece of hardware.

so if your Mac can run Sequoia, you cold install sequoia in an external SSD and boot into it when you need to use that hardware.

not ideal, but it works.

Servant of Cats wrote:

I think most FireWire users would be happy if Apple released an updated Thunderbolt to FireWire 800 adapter that plugged directly into a Thunderbolt 3, 4, or 5 port. That would not take up any space inside current Macs. And if Apple restored macOS support for FireWire. However, given that Apple never released such an adapter in all of the years that Thunderbolt 3 was out, I do not expect them to do so now. I am guessing that third party vendors either did not have the expertise to build their own, or did not think they could sell enough units to make building one profitable.

Before MacOS Tahoe, I would connect my MiniDV camera trough a chain consisting of:

• Micro FireWire to FireWire 800 Cable (the camera having a micro FW output)
• Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter (A1463)
• Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) adapter (A1790)

As cumbersome at it might look, it totally worked.. I used FCPX to import my videos, and further edited in DaVinci Resolve as my professional workflow involves shared projects over the Cloud etc...

I have written to Apple Support to request a return of a software support of Fiwewire in MacOS.. The above listed adapters seem indeed to be hard to find, so it would require Apple (or 3rd party manufacturers) to keep making those adapters, or as Servant of Cats suggest , release an updated Thunderbolt to FireWire 800 adapter.

For anyone willing to write to Apple, here is the message I sent them:

"Dear Apple Team,

The decision to remove FireWire support from MacOS Tahoe affects many creatives who still rely on FireWire devices from vintage video cameras, to high-end professional scanners that are still relevant today. Apple built its legacy on creativity and accessibility. You empowered a generation of filmmakers, musicians, and photographers by giving us tools that were revolutionary yet affordable. Restoring FireWire support, even through limited or legacy compatibility layers, would be more than a technical adjustment. It would be a gesture of respect for Apple’s creative roots and for those who continue to rely on the reliability and quality of these older tools.

Please consider reinstating FireWire support in MacOS. "

Orvillerobertson wrote:

Firewire support in the near future?

Is anyone working to add Firewire support through a driver or otherwise?

your kidding right ...(?) 1986; 39 years ago. Firewire has been on the way out for a loooong time.

Apple officially did away with built-in FireWire ports on its computers in 2014.

for your issue see if any of these adapter still exist

ref: Apple Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter to work with the Apple USB-C to Thunderbolt adapter / USB-C to USB Adapter - Apple

you can submit your Apple Feedback here: Product Feedback - Apple

No chance!

Apple sells millions of phones, tablets and computers. They are only concerned with the big picture and catering for the needs of a handful of people would not make commercial sense.

Incidentally I have a mini DV and HDV camera which I sensibly retired in 2011 to be replaced by a 3-chip Panasonic SD800 machine.

I also converted all my old tapes to .mp4 files for posterity and any subsequent re-editing.

Additionally I kept my 2012 Mac mini which has a FW port (belt and braces).

Try to acquire an old working Mac like that.

SCSI is old, but it lives on in the form of things like UASP (USB-attached SCSI Protocol) enclosures for external SSDs. That might explain continued support in the OS.

The depreciation of FireWire support is bad news for people with old MiniDV and Digital8 camcorders, old professional audio gear, and old film scanners. But I don’t expect Apple to change their minds and to start supporting FireWire again.

Superjeanmarc wrote:

For filmmakers that still want to use mini-DV handy cam, this is terrible news.. I can't comprehend why they have the need to discontinue this support when that doesn't bother anyone.. This is planned, unnecessary obsolescence. Very disappointed.

Every port takes up room, not only on the outside of the device but it also requires components inside that take up space. And the system software needs to support it. Maintaining that software support costs resources. Code has to be updated for the new OS. At a certain point, this becomes unprofitable.

Re: “Every port takes up room, not only on the outside of the device but it also requires components inside that take up space. And the system software needs to support it.”

I think most FireWire users would be happy if Apple released an updated Thunderbolt to FireWire 800 adapter that plugged directly into a Thunderbolt 3, 4, or 5 port. That would not take up any space inside current Macs. And if Apple restored macOS support for FireWire.

However, given that Apple never released such an adapter in all of the years that Thunderbolt 3 was out, I do not expect them to do so now. I am guessing that third party vendors either did not have the expertise to build their own, or did not think they could sell enough units to make building one profitable.

carlospedro wrote:

Same case here. FireWire Nikon film scanner. If there's NTFS for macOS as an add on, let's hope it's also possible with FireWire. Otherwise I'll need to keep a Mac on Sequoia.

If I buy an HP, Lenovo or Dell PC today, the internal drive is formatted NTFS...it makes sense that there is a need for support for that in macOS, so 3rd party vendors fill the void. What FireWire peripherals can I buy today?

Ok, so I did find this on eBay:

,,,but I already have one of them. And in a testament to the longevity of Apple products, it still works!

22 years is not a bad service life, I'll have to live with being unable to add more songs to the 15 GB hard drive.

There is no Apple team here to appeal to as no Apple employees participate in these strictly user-supported, public communities. If you want to share with the macOS product team, use the link you were provided above. Otherwise, you are wasting your time (and ours) thinking you are talking to Apple, or that anyone is going to reinstate Firewire support in macOS Tahoe or afterwards.

Those with Firewire devices have had over a decade to upgrade their technology and it is not Apple's fault that they haven't.

Gatonauta wrote:

Hello, Apple, please bring back FireWire support for Tahoe. There are millions of devices that can still work for many years, and millions of users who can continue using them. There's no need to pollute the planet by removing FireWire support. Come on, Apple, you can do better. Thank you.

Products get recycled.

ref: Apple Reuse and Recycling Program - Apple

I do not see backwards compatibility being supported for your Firewire. It had it's day.

USB 2.0 = 12 Mbps

Firewire 400 = 400 Mbps

Hi-speed USB 2.0 = 480 Mbps

Firewire 800 = 800 Mbps

eSATA = 3 Gbps

USB 3.0 = 5 Gbps

Thunderbolt = 10 Gbps

Thunderbolt 2 = 20 Gbps

Thunderbolt 4 (40 Gbps)

Thunderbolt 5 (80 Gbps w/ peak speeds up to 120 Gbps) / October 2024

“We” are users like you and have no power to implement any suggestions. To have Apple consider your feedback, submit it here:

Feedback - macOS - Apple

Orvillerobertson wrote:

Thanks for the Feedback link.

I've been beta testing Tahoe and prior MacOS's and have submitted feedback specific to Firewire.

By the way my Minolta scanner digitized both 35mm and 120 film with a Firewire 800 port, which Apple began supporting about 2000. Unfortunately the protocol never took off unlike USB.

Despite all of this I really love Tahoe, have upgraded to it already, and will scan from my Mac Mini M2 running Sequoia.

Good computing Orvillerobertson ! We certainly appreciate your beta testing efforts.

Glad to hear you have alternative methods to get you by.

I find it a bit ironic to worry about Apple’s “profitability” here … this is a company sitting on roughly USD 55 billion in cash and cash equivalents as of mid-2025. But beyond that, it’s just sad to see how everything gets reduced to money.

Apple’s legacy was built on creativity, on empowering artists, musicians, and filmmakers with revolutionary tools. They were pioneers in making video editing affordable and accessible to everyone. In my own case, part of my career in filmmaking exists thanks to iMovie 2 and Apple’s FireWire :)

Maintaining FireWire support (even just through software), to allow older cameras or devices to connect, would have been a simple gesture of respect for their roots. Instead, the removal feels symbolic of how Apple has drifted away from the community that once defined it.

And about the argument that “ports take up space”: before macOS 26 Tahoe, I could connect my Sony PC101 miniDV camera to the Thunderbolt port of my M1 Mac mini using a FireWire 800 → Thunderbolt adapter. So no, it didn’t require any extra hardware built into the machine, just software support that Apple has now chosen to drop.