Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 26, 2010. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
There is no end to the Mac trend in sight: whether notebook or desktop PC, more and more users are choosing Apple devices. The successful models are sold in huge numbers, even though Apple has pursued its own connection policy since 2009 and dispenses with the FireWire 400 interface on the current generation of Mac Pro, MacBook Pro, Mac mini and iMac. Sonnet Technologies, a leading provider of professional accessory solutions for users of Macintosh, Windows and Unix systems, offers the appropriate solution with the 6-pin-to-9-pin adapter. Existing FireWire 400 devices such as hard-drive storage or digital cameras can continue to be used without difficulty on the FireWire 800 port of current Macs with the FAD-824. The adapter’s new design also permits connection where slots are closely spaced.
Apple dispenses with the still widespread FireWire 400 interface on the current generation of Mac Pro, MacBook Pro, Mac mini and iMac. As a result, many users cannot use their high-performance FireWire 400 devices, such as hard drives, video cameras or digital cameras, with successful models such as the MacBook Pro. Reason enough for Sonnet to provide a remedy with the FAD-824 adapter: the five-centimetre adapter is simply plugged into the FireWire 800 interface and connected to the cable of the device to be attached. Without purchasing and connecting further cumbersome cables, the MacBook Pro’s sole FireWire connection, and that of the desktop variants, is thereby turned into a FireWire 400 port.
“We responded to customer feedback and are now releasing the FAD-824 in a revised design,” explains Robert Farnsworth, CEO of Sonnet Technologies. “Narrower than its predecessor, users can easily connect the newly designed 6-pin-to-9-pin adapter even when the other slots are fully occupied. Thanks to the newly integrated logo, the correct insertion position can also be recognised at a glance.”
Price and availability
Sonnet’s FAD-824 is available for €9.90 including VAT from IT and Apple specialist retailers and numerous online shops.
