the reason USB 2.0 is more common in the marketplace is that it's cheaper than firewire. Firewire, or IEEE1394, requires a license from Apple (this could be jus

the reason USB 2.0 is more common in the marketplace is that it's cheaper than firewire. Firewire, or IEEE1394, requires a license from Apple (this could be just if the company wants to use the term "Firewire"). Each firewire device has its own controller, which relieves the CPU from having to manage transfers, thus a real-world faster transfer time. I routinely do large transfers (4gb) from CF cards and having a firewire card reader is really great. I tried a USB 2.0 reader at a friends house and it was much slower. On-Paper standards are interesting. Real-world performance is more interesting.