> FireWire was developed by Apple and some other companies, as a competitor to USB, and lost out to USB. Firewire existed for years before USB: it was designed

> FireWire was developed by Apple and some other companies, as a competitor to USB, and lost out to USB. Firewire existed for years before USB: it was designed in the late 80's, roughly 10 years before USB. Development was mostly Apple and Sony, but numerous others were involved in the IEEE-hosted process. As USB became more capable (Firewire vs USB1 was no contest), it gradually began to replace it. But ultimately, Thunderbolt was its real replacement.