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Beating a dead horse
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[Scott Witthaus] “Once a new version is released, any development of older versions should cease. So, you can introduce X and still sell 7 for a while, but make it clear there will be no further investment in the development of 7 after X is released. And in reality, that’s what happened. “
Where did I say anything about continued development of 7? There’s no reason for that (which is why I never suggested or implied that course of action). Apple didn’t continue developing iMovie HD when they introduced ’08. Avid didn’t keep developing Avid 6 or 7 even though they came ‘bundled’ when you bought a perpetual license for MC 8. Adobe doesn’t continue developing the last 4 (5?) versions of their apps even though they are all available to download if you are CC subscriber.
I’ve always said it was a mistake for Apple to immediately pull 7 when they launched X. Keeping it available for sale until all copies were gone would have been the best option. Making it only available with purchase of X would’ve been the next best option. Pulling it like they did was the worst option.
[Scott Witthaus] “Do tell. I just upgraded my CC and it overwrote the older software versions.”
Weird, I have like 6 different versions of CS/CC installed on my laptop (mainly because there’s no penalty for keeping them installed).
[Scott Witthaus] “This is the problem that Apple had; X was not ready for release when it was released. Had it been, this thread might be irrelevant.”
So when is it ‘done enough’? 2012? 2013? 2014? How many years to you expect FCP 7 users to wait around as Apple develops the next version in complete secrecy? I can only imagine situation if both FCP and the MP laid dormant for years until 2013 rolled around.
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[Bill Davis] “Perhaps over the next 5 years you’ll get even more features lifted directly from X and added to Premiere than you did in this “upgrade”!
“Because X was the first software ever to have Proxies?
And hate to point out the obvious but keyword here is “upgrade”.
When was the last FCPX one? The 3 other NLE’s are growing at a crazy rate these date, yea even Avid.
I’m worried Apple wont be able to keep up with the rest of the pack.
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[Neil Goodman] “I’m worried Apple wont be able to keep up with the rest of the pack.”
I’ve spent the day with the new version of Premiere, they fixed part of the issue with unlinked multicam audio disappearing when it is ‘flattened’ without linking to some other multicam clip. That’s progress.
As far as keeping up, how are they behind? Adobe’s best new features they added aren’t new to me.
The open captions are nice I guess. They are creeping in to having shared workflow, that’s my #1 hope that if FCP X gets that, it will finally begin to push the needle.
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What we will never know is whether with a better launch strategy, FCPX would have captured the majority of the FCP7 crowd. The reality is the transition from 7 to X even today, is more difficult the from 7 to PPro. I think the existing market just went the way that required less learning and less of a change in philosophy. I hear this attitude today at the local film school. OK, I had the time and took the challenge and enjoy FCPX a lot. But finding local editors using X is rare, so I am learning how to edit in x and still collaborate with PPro. I am now learning Pro Tools, that is a trip in itself. Seems to be both powerful and archaic.
My favorite response to FCPX launch was Hitler’s response. https://youtu.be/ZVV9wEQZmGE
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[Claude Lyneis] “Seems to be both powerful and archaic.”
We could also replace powerful and archaic with “respectable”.
Like John Huston’s pitch perfect delivery in “Chinatown”.
Skip to 01:28 if you are into the whole brevity thing.
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[Scott Witthaus] “What I would like to see from that interview is why X was released in the shape it was in. It was mid-beta at best. Can Randy explain that to us?”
Why in heaven’s name should he?
Remember, the whole world all got the exact same information about X at the exact same time.
People who filtered that info largely by virtue of their rigid prior experiences – got messed up badly.
It was going someplace they weren’t used to – so they bailed on it. Whether or not it’s papa had concerns from time to time is old news. More important are the neighbors who kept judging it so harshly and bashing it. They kept those blinders firmly on for YEARS and wasted huge amounts of time in negative land.
Again, this is NOT arguing that there weren’t things missing. There surely were. Kids have flaws. Part of the deal.
But from the beginning it had scads of interesting new ideas to explore. Ideas dope enough that the other kids in the area are just now adopting them with 5 years gone!
Those of us who instead filtered what we were seeing and hearing in the light of Apple telling us about where they thought editing might be going – and figuring we could trust in their talent and track record? Some of us were given a gift.
A big fat head start.
Magnetism. Metadata I can almost touch. Tedious actions automated. Old friction (like constantly waiting for rendering to complete!) banished. Re-imagined and awesome multi-cam. Roles driving automation into export. The list goes on and on – gleefully with no end in sight. And it’s not like there weren’t increasingly numbers of guys like me vocally out there who did out best to explain what it was becoming – loudly and often.
Randy doesn’t have to explain anything. All he did was create yet another great NLE.
Plus, pretty much ALL software gets rev’d like X today. Code, release, update, perfect. Pretty sure it’s the new normal.
Put it out into the market, pre-pubescent zits and all and let it grow up in public school.
The thing is, X complexion is pretty clear now. And as it grows up – holy heck, it’s mighty good looking right now and time will tell if it further matures into a real stunner. But it’s got the pedigree – and it’s being very well tended by it’s folks in Cupertino.
Sorry, that you didn’t make friends with it when it was a gangly, unpolished kid – but that isn’t exactly anyone elses’ fault, is it?
; )
I know, I know. Points off for hyperbole AND anthropomorphic excess. But it was kinda fun to write. So there’s that.
Creator of XinTwo – https://www.xintwo.com
The shortest path to FCP X mastery. -
[Neil Goodman] “I’m worried Apple wont be able to keep up with the rest of the pack.”
Well, when I was poor and in college, I used to worry a bit about random break ins.
I no longer do.
Rational risk assessment has moderated my thinking.
I suspect Apple has the resources and talent (plus the focused interest!) to do just fine in keeping up with where modern editing might be going.
Time will certainly tell, Neil.
Creator of XinTwo – https://www.xintwo.com
The shortest path to FCP X mastery. -
[Herb Sevush] “(from Bill this is an extension of the idea that everything from Apple is perfect.)”
Swap “perfect” for “interesting” and you’ve got it correct.
Remember, they’re the folks who, as Mr. Ubillos noted in Alex’s article – amazingly don’t worry overmuch about “sunk cost.”
Which means if it’s not very good, no matter whats been spent creating it – it doesn’t go out the door.
X was plenty good enough on day one to change the trajectory of my whole professional practice.
For the better. As I’ve long argued, if I could see that from the hinterlands of Arizona, anyone, anywhere also could.
And so it goes.
Creator of XinTwo – https://www.xintwo.com
The shortest path to FCP X mastery. -
Yeah Scott, stop dissing FCPX!
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[Bill Davis] “They kept those blinders firmly on for YEARS and wasted huge amounts of time in negative land. “
Or they just moved on with their life and career and that’s why their lasting impression with X was their first impression from 2011. Not everyone spends an inordinate amount of time following the iterations of various NLEs and subsequently discuss said iterations extensively on the internet (says the person posting at 11:59pm on a Tuesday).
Much to my chagrin, as someone that enjoys talking and learning about the nuts & bolts side of things, I’ve met so many talented and successful editors that are surprisingly technically illiterate that it makes me question why I bother to learn anything beyond the bare minimum when it comes to the tech side of things (it’s not like Fincher is going to pick me over Kirk Baxter just because I started using PPro before he did). Me and my stupid desire for knowledge for the sake of having knowledge….
[Bill Davis] “A big fat head start. “
Does the head start come with cookies or a t-shirt or some sort of bonus I’m not aware of ’cause to best of my knowledge I’ve never been anywhere close to v1.0 of any software or hardware I use yet somehow I’m still gainfully employed.
Oh, wait, no I got one. I got in with Apple Color at version 1. Yes, I know that’s kinda a cheat since Final Touch existed for years before Apple bought it technically it was a v1.0 product from Apple. That… that didn’t do much for me though since as soon as Apple killed Color everyone moved over to Resolve in a heartbeat. I also got in kinda early with Final Cut Server (again I know not a ‘real’ v.1) but that proved even less useful than Color. Man, I’m apparently really bad when it comes to getting in the ground floor of things…
[Bill Davis] “X was plenty good enough on day one to change the trajectory of my whole professional practice.
For the better. As I’ve long argued, if I could see that from the hinterlands of Arizona, anyone, anywhere also could. “
I doubt many people besides you were equipped to judge whether or not X at launch was good enough to change the trajectory of your whole professional practice. X was no where near good enough on day one to change the trajectory of my whole professional practice, but as you say YMMV.
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