FireWire 800 and Mac OS 9 booting systems

Apple's Mac OS 9 Power Mac models -- running at a top speed of 1.25 GHz and carrying a comparable $100 price premium over Mac OS X-only booting models -- also lack the faster FireWire 800 I/O connectivity and native AirPort Extreme (802.11g) capabilities.

So it seems that for the time being, users who require Mac OS 9 booting will be locked out of these enticing technologies.

We are following up with Initio (a manufacturer of FireWire 800) and other vendors to investigate potential support for Mac OS 9 in PCI expansion and PCMCIA cards.

Also, we're wondering if the Mac OS 9-booting Power Mac G4s include the new low-noise architecture boasted for the new models, or retain the old, fairly loud system.

UPDATE: Eric Wilson from Initio told MacFixIt:

"Our Firewire 800 part (INIC-2430) will be for the target side at this point in time, and will enable HardDisk Drives for high speed storage. We do not have any plans for the Host side."

Feedback on this issue? Drop us a line at late-breakers@macfixit.com.

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