FireWire Alternatives for New Apple iPod minis and photos

As everyone probably knows by now, Apple dropped FireWire cables from being included wth the new iPods. Mac users without USB 2.0 ports on their Macs, and that's a lot of Mac users, will have to shell out at least $19 for a special FireWire cable to load music on the new iPods and to charge them--Apple's new iPod specs do not include the more common USB 1.1 ports. This is quite controversial because not only has Apple partially eschewed it own technology, FireWire, but it has made iPods more expensive for many Mac users than PC users.

What are some of the alternatives for music loading plus charging?

1. Griffin Technologies announced an $17.95 FireWire 400Dock cable, $1.05 less than Apple's. It will be available in late March.

2. If you already have a regular FireWire cable, there's SendStation's $18.95 PocketDock (FireWire) and it is available at any Apple Store. There you can also get a cool short and thin Apple FireWire cable for $14 or better yet, a Keyspan ZIP-LINQ retractable FireWire cable for $15.95.

3. If you have a Power Mac with a vacant PCI slot, there are USB 2.0 PCI cards like this IOGear model for $17.95 from OWC which will take the USB 2.0 cable that comes with the new iPods.

None of the solutions are significantly different from buying Apple's $19 cable. However, we would recommend getting the PocketDock (FireWire) and the nifty ZIP-LINQ retractable FireWire cable, especially if one is a road warrior. [Bill Fox]