Intel doesn't need for USB to out-perform firewire -- it's already "good enough" for most applications, and as long as it stays pretty close to FW in speed, I think its position is fairly secure. But Firewire's not going anywhere, and the biggest reason is a niche market the author doesn't mention. It's how you get video out of a digital camcorder.
I live my Macs, but I have no illusions about Apples influence on standards -- Firewire won't go away, but that's due to Sony more than Apple.
All true. In the next couple years the question of whether to go USB, Firewire or eSATA is going to be very specific to the situation.
Personally I like Firewire for high-speed, mainly because it gives enough power to run a big hard drive and it daisy chains.