Why is there still Firewire as opposed to Thunderbolt backs?

[Martin165]

Since the Firewire port on the Mac is never to return why do new/next gneration Phase & Leaf backs come with Firewire as opposed to Thunderbolt ports? It won't belong until we are unable to use older Macs with Firewire.

[Ulf]

HI

Thunderbolt is not a peripheral protocol.
It is an extension to the PCI bus.

Not does all computer carry this connection while all have USB.
USB3 carry more speed then we ever need so this is by far the best approach to accommodate most computers.

[brianmerwin]

As an addendum to Ulf's reply - Thunderbolt cables are essentially fiber optic with some extra circuitry which means they can be extremely fragile, and more than a few feet of cable gets expensive extremely quickly (roughly $5USD/ft).

I'd definitely love the speed, but I would not love having to replace a $90-200 cable every time an assistant, client or art director steps on the tether cable because they aren't paying attention (which literally happens multiple times during every shoot ha).

[Digital Transitions, Doug]

Since the Firewire port on the Mac is never to return why do new/next gneration Phase & Leaf backs come with Firewire as opposed to Thunderbolt ports? It won't belong until we are unable to use older Macs with Firewire.

That's why the IQ1/IQ2/IQ3 and Credo backs all have both USB3 and Firewire. The IQ3 also supports the new BC1.2 protocol which provides enough juice to power the system via usb with a IQ3+XF kit.

Thunderbolt is not suitable for a peripheral device.