Why is Firewire so much more expensive?

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reznik6044


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I'm in a simliar boat as many others... looking for a good external hard drive for my iMac.

I want to move my entire itunes library (both music and movies) to the external drive and run it direclty from there. So I'm looking for about 2TB.

There are tons of USB2.0/3.0 options for under $100 but the firewire options are all around $200... Double the cost!?!?!

Any ideas why?
 
Dysfunction

Dysfunction


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pricing structure always works out like this.. there are two motivations.

Demand. Higher demand, higher supply means low prices. High supply, low demand means lower prices. Low demand, regardless of supply.. means higher prices.

Most people don't use firewire.

Then the second, which is pricing is structured around what the market will bear.
 
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reznik6044


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Yah, that makes sense, it still sucks.

So any thoughts on using USB 2.0 instead of firewire for iTunes folder location?
 
pigoo3

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reznik6044 said:
I'm in a simliar boat as many others... looking for a good external hard drive for my iMac.

I want to move my entire itunes library (both music and movies) to the external drive and run it direclty from there. So I'm looking for about 2TB.

There are tons of USB2.0/3.0 options for under $100 but the firewire options are all around $200... Double the cost!?!?!

Any ideas why?
Click to expand...

As "Dysfunction" explained...Supply & Demand is one factor for the higher cost of firewire products...another is speed. In real world tests...firewire is still faster than USB 2.0:

FireWire vs. USB: Which Is Faster? — Apple News, Tips and Reviews

So you're paying more $$$ for better performance as well!:)

- Nick
 
JUKE179r

JUKE179r


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IMHO... a USB external HD will be fine for you if you are just using iTunes for music.
For myself, I need/use an external FireWire800 HD for my music. I DJ so I need fast access to many folders with songs for live DJ mixes.
 

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