Sure we miss FireWire, but do we really need it?

To preface this article, yes it has been several months since Apple gave us the thumbs-down on FireWire by axing it from the latest round of MacBook updates (it survives on the MacBook Pro, but only in the less popular Firewire 800 form). Much has been said, though little has been done—although there is an online petition to bring FireWire back to the MacBook. But a conversation with a client and an Apple Genius at my local Apple store recently brought the issue back for a while, and it is worth sharing.