In the mid-1980s, engineers at Apple Computer developed a high-speed method of transferring data to and from the hard drives inside Macintosh desktops while simplifying the internal cabling. They called it FireWire.

The company soon realized that the technology could also connect machines to external peripherals. So Apple brought FireWire to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), hoping to make it a standard for Macintosh- and Windows-based PCs. In December 1995, the IEEE released an official FireWire specification called IEEE 1394, which describes data-transfer speeds of 100 Mbps, 200 Mbps, and 400 Mbps. Unlike USB, FireWire is not used with simple devices like mice and keyboards. Running at speeds of 100 Mbps and above from the very beginning, FireWire was never intended for such peripherals.

Even before the specification was finalized, FireWire took on a life of its own, finding its way into not only computers and peripherals but also consumer electronics devices. Sony built it into digital camcorders and other electronic gear, calling it i.LINK, and the rest of the camcorder industry soon followed suit. During the late 1990s, such camcorders worked with only a handful of computers; few PC manufacturers equipped their machines with FireWire ports.
Not surprisingly, Apple and Sony were the two most prominent companies that made FireWire-compatible devices. But over the past three years, the technology has gained a foothold in desktops and notebooks from a much wider range of manufacturers and found its way into scanners, web cams, external hard drives, and external optical drives. FireWire has also taken off like wildfire in televisions, audio appliances, and gaming consoles. About 60 million devices shipped with FireWire ports in 2002, according to research firm In-Stat/MDR.