Bootable FireWire Drives Due By Early Next Year

Ever since Apple implemented FireWire into Power Macintosh G3 systems, which were referenced by the code-name Yosemite, high-end users have marveled at the possibility of being able to boot and run off of FireWire hard drives. While this feature has been discussed vaguely off the record for some time, sources recently presented reliable information pertaining to the reality of the situation.

According to AppleInsider sources, Apple has a couple of engineers hard at work on the next version of Apple's FireWire extension set, FireWire 3.0. The release, which is due sometime early next year, is expected to be compatible with Yosemite based systems and up and will delivered to long anticipated bootable functionality.

Since the systems will need to recognize a bootable FireWire device before they can actually boot the Mac OS off of it, there will obviously need to be an alteration to the systems ROM via a Flash-ROM upgrader patch that is also expected to ship as part of the FireWire 3.0 package. Systems that are scheduled to be released after the debut of FireWire 3.0 will already have the necessary functionality implemented into the system ROM file and will not require the patch.

As some may or may not know, the current Sawtooth based Power Macintosh G4 systems contain an Internal FireWire Port (connector). Depending on the progress of the FireWire team, this would allow Apple to ship high-end configurations of Sawtooth's successor, code-named 'Shark,' with an internal FireWire drive if they so choose.

Furthermore, industry sources are reporting that FireWire bootable functionality is actually overdue, according to earlier, off the record statements made by Apple product managers and executives. This leaves open the possibility that we may see the upgrade before the break of next year if Apple is pressured into releasing it at third party demands.