Final Cut !Pro

posted 2012.01.17 at 14:48

Ars Technica : Why the video pros are moving away from Apple. (src = ejp)

The new version of Final Cut Pro was controversial--there were significant changes to the Final Cut interface, a plethora of editing features were taken away, and worst of all, Final Cut Pro X was rendered unable to import projects from previous versions of the software.

"If we are taking the time to retrain people for a brand new software--which is what FCPX is--then we might as well use tools that are more industry standards here in L.A. like Avid and, now, Premiere Pro," Hancock told Ars. "There are too many choices and options for better, more professional options that keep us working and employable here in L.A. What's sad is that Apple was destroying Avid and really cutting into their revenue and market share. Now Avid, by default, is going to revert back the to industry standard."

Final Cut is the new Quark - smugly ignoring the needs of professionals at the cost of market share and possible irrelevance, seemingly over-estimating their own importance and the perceived "loyalty" of their users. Now Apple is throwing out features and ignoring professional requirements and the pros are looking to software developers that don't treat them like crap. Pros aren't "loyal" - we gravitate towards software that Sucks Less, that lets us do our jobs better and faster. We're "loyal" in the sense that familiarity increases productivity. Nevermind the new interface - a new interface can be learned. For many video professionals, FCP X dropping the ability to read older projects means either not upgrading to FCP X or dropping FCP altogether.

11:48 < ejp> I'm really ok with stuff not being backwards compatible. but not being forward compatible? that's pretty insane.

That alone means that even if I did update to FCP X, I'd have to keep a previous version around, or face the possibility of reconstituting older work from scratch with little notice. Adobe, Autodesk and Microsoft know better than to do this with Photoshop, 3d Studio, or Office. Apple has extended their OS development habits (ejecting Classic, ejecting Rosetta, ejecting ADB support, etc) to the professional space (ejecting QuickTime codecs, ejecting FCP features), and those of us that use Apple hardware and software to earn a living are now reconsidering our long-term plans for hardware and software acquisition and training.

Disclaimer : I've been using FCP 7 for years. It does everything I need NLE software to do, I can't afford to upgrade, and after my experience with 10.7 and from what I've read about FCP X, I won't be upgrading. Not to FCP X, anyway. If some future version restores the ability to read my raft of FCP 7 projects, I'll pony up.

Until then, to paraphrase Megadeth - X sells, but who's buying?