Apple seem to have put both feet in it with the latest release of Final Cut Pro.
This might not seem that interesting a news story for you if you’re not a Pro editor, but we believe it will have ramifications for the whole Apple product line going forward, and shows some important insights into how they view their most ardent supporters.
The core of the debate is as follows, Apple have released a software update that is a complete overhaul of their hugely successful edit platform Final Cut Studio. Good news, you would think, however it is becoming clear that they may have jumped the shark, in that this is a new version of iMovie, if anything, and lacks Pro functionality.
Final Cut Veteran and respected authority Larry Jordan is one of the evangelists of the Final Cut line, and has been for some time. It is interesting to note that he had some initial concerns when the product was demo-ed at NAB, and then was contacted by Apple engineers, who gave him a look under the hood, (and perhaps some laughing gas!) and he decided that it looked more interesting than it appeared, only to have to rescind and agree that FCP X is a massive fail, as it initially shipped. We’re back in a position of waiting for Apple to respond, and have to hold our collective breath, hoping they will address some of the glaring omissions from the new software.
So what’s all the fuss about? Basically, this software is now available as a download from the iTunes App Store for under $400, as a download. The last version of Final Cut Studio we’ve bought into retailed at around €1,200, and comes on over 6 DVDs, and requires over 50GB of hard disk space to run. Good news for the novice looking to make family holiday videos look cool, bad news for those of us who’ve bought into the system for over 10 years, and have critical broadcast projects sitting on that platform that we can’t open in the new version. Yep, you read that right. Anyhoo, there’s a load of things wrong with it, so we might let some of the videos do the talking.
Get your shit together Apple.
CONAN O BRIEN ON FCP X
FINAL CUT PRO X PARODY AD
FINAL CUT PRO X FIT FOR THE BIN
How Apple plans to resolve these issues, only time will tell, but a lot of people in the professional end of the market have already concluded that this is not a professional package, and competitors Avid and Premiere are now offering 50% discounts to disgruntled FCP users who may be thinking of migrating off the platform altogether. It would be interesting to see how Apple plans to make amends to some of its most loyal and passionate user base, as for now they have remained mysteriously silent, having been forced to issue refunds for the product on the second day of sales, in an unprecedented move for the App Store.
digital slander 