FireWire, i.Link, IEEE-1394 -- whatever you like to call it, the high-speed data transfer interface is getting a boost.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) announced Tuesday that it has approved two new FireWire specifications -- S1600 and S3200 -- capable of data-transfer rates of 1.6 Gbps and 3.2Gbps, respectively. To put it more simply, 3.2Gbps translates to an actual transfer rate of about 400 megabytes per second when moving data onto a FireWire S3200 hard drive. By way of comparison, you can move data onto current FireWire 800 hard drives at about 90MB per second.
What's also cool is that both S1600 and S3200 interfaces will be compatible with current FireWire 800 cables, so you won't need to add to your cable clutter.
We'll have to wait and see which manufacturers choose to adopt the new-and-improved FireWire standard when it becomes available October. The upgrade is in direct competition with USB 3.0, which will have a 4.8Gbps transfer rate and be available by end of 2008.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) announced Tuesday that it has approved two new FireWire specifications -- S1600 and S3200 -- capable of data-transfer rates of 1.6 Gbps and 3.2Gbps, respectively. To put it more simply, 3.2Gbps translates to an actual transfer rate of about 400 megabytes per second when moving data onto a FireWire S3200 hard drive. By way of comparison, you can move data onto current FireWire 800 hard drives at about 90MB per second.
What's also cool is that both S1600 and S3200 interfaces will be compatible with current FireWire 800 cables, so you won't need to add to your cable clutter.
We'll have to wait and see which manufacturers choose to adopt the new-and-improved FireWire standard when it becomes available October. The upgrade is in direct competition with USB 3.0, which will have a 4.8Gbps transfer rate and be available by end of 2008.
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