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macbook air and fcpx- the new portable edit suite
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[Herb Sevush] “Once again FCPX can show it’s brilliance by fixing a problem that no one else has.”
I don’t think tracks are problem. I don’t think Apple sees tracks as a problem. I do think they see a different way to do things that eventually will be better. Yes, better.
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i still can’t believe the amount of replies to what was supposed to be a simple observation….fcpx running on a macbook air! one bright spark mentioned that he had been editing on laptops for quite awhile. that wasn’t the point actually. what i meant was, that using a macbook and final cut would revolutionize the industry back then. here it is 6 years later and a similar revolution is taking place. a macbook air is extremely portable, and with thunderbolt and a lot more speed than even a macbook pro of 2 years back, we are in for another leap forward. imagine having all your media stored on a server that you could access using a macbook air running fcpx and you have an amazingly compact and fast system for editing. in my mind the next logical step is to replace the laptop altogether with a 5th generation iPad running fcpx version 3……makes you think about where we’re heading…….unless you’re brain dead and just can’t think….for those folks there will always be the traditional edit suites, with all that lovely expensive equipment and monitors and couches and the chain tying your ass to the desk! hahahahahaha
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[Jeremy Garchow] “I think MobileMe is great although it stuttered at first.”
iDisk is great for getting and receiving files from clients. If only they’d continue it and allow for larger files and protected folders.
[Jeremy Garchow] “I do not use Ping, but I think iTunes will survive without it”
Like any other feature, unless one is forced to use it, one doesn’t have to. For example, I know some people are under the impression they have to go through and log all the clips with keywords. There are those who think that one must tag a file first to create a keyword collection. It’s just as easy to create an empty keyword collection and just drag a bunch of clips and drop them in, much like bins.
[Jeremy Garchow] “The computers that were attached to those hockey-pucks brought Apple back from the brink.”
The hockey pucks didn’t damage the OS or the computer’s core abilities. It’s great how Mac USB ports allowed us to chose other mice as desired. Reliance on third party support is not a bad thing. It adds flexibility. There may be many ways to input or output to tape when needed. There may be many ways to move around FCPXML.
[Jeremy Garchow] “The control key solved that. And to be fair, their latest “two button” mouse still only has one “button”.”
And there’s the trackpad with gestures as another option.
[Jeremy Garchow] “You are right, Apple doesn’t always hit home runs. Humans actually work there who make mistakes.”
And providing resources to third parties will allow a broad choice of pinch hitters and relief pitchers. Not only do I think FCPX is a move towards more modularity but I think Apple’s hardware may head that way as well.
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“I don’t think tracks are problem. I don’t think Apple sees tracks as a problem. “
Apple did see tracks as a problem, and that’s why they got rid of them. And now they have to come up with all sorts of work arounds to replace the functionality they got rid of.
I guess what you meant was that Apple doesn’t see the lack of tracks as a problem. Obviously not. And Adobe is getting a lot richer on that lack of vision.
One year ago PPro had zero presence in the CWE (complex workflow environment), at least in NY and LA. None, nada, zilch. I never heard of a single facility that was even considering using it as the mainstay of their editing work. Now CS5.5 is ALL I’m hearing about. Apple kills color, kills FCP7 and releases FCPX. Adobe buys Iridas and Automatic Duck, lets everyone know they are incorporating as much FCP workflow as possible into their next release, and are basically taking over the Non-Avid side of the business. I’ve never seen anything like this, where a product leader just absolutely abdicates it’s position and hands it’s entire business over to a rival. Amazing.
So yeah, sure, Apple is the company I’m definitely going to follow.
Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions -
[Craig Seeman] “While I or anyone else, not privy to their discussions, can only speculate where Apple is headed, I’m surprised at how many “creatives” here can’t imagine that they have something powerful that at least they (Apple) has in mind.”
I don’t think a lack of imagination or creativity is the problem here — I think it’s a lack of trust. Apple seriously damaged their credibility with the launch of FCPX. Given this, can you really blame people for wanting to see before they believe?
[Craig Seeman] “I personally think one thing is very clear. FCPX is just one part of a developing ecosystem by Apple in post production and distribution of content. To think anything else is shortsighted in my opinion. We can’t know whether they will succeed but there is serious, “professional” intent.”
If you had made the same wager on about Apple’s intent toward professional photography based on Aperture’s release in 2005, do you think you would have won?
There was really nothing like Aperture when it was released. Aperture was modern digital photo management done right. Unfortunately, development was slow, and cool technologies like facial recognition came to iPhoto well before they made it to Aperture. Apple opted not to introduce a companion image-editing companion app. The result? Adobe’s Lightroom (offering similar functionality with a more traditional media management model) caught up to Aperture in no time, then quickly surpassed it in some regards.
It’s not that I can’t see all the potential in FCPX; it’s that all I see today is potential, and I have no idea when, if, or to what extent that potential will be realized. I see a lot of potential in competing apps, too, but without the immediate downside that FCPX is currently showing.
It could be that FCPX is part of a developing ecosystem, or it could end up being the video version of Aperture: a cool and quirky in-between application with loads of untapped potential. We’ll all know more as it matures.
Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events -
[Chris Harlan] ” How long did it take Apple to concede that there might actually be a use for a second button on a mouse?”
They NEVER conceded the use for a second-button mouse. Their response to years of criticism was to introduce the ZERO button mouse (the Apple Pro Mouse — seriously? PRO?), which was intended to change the way mice work. This gotten taken to the next level with the Mighty Mouse – instead of a second button, you got to squeeze the thing.
In general, Apple’s mice have been some of the worst tech that anybody ever introduced ANYWHERE, perhaps only exceeded by the Ford Pinto, and that one only wins because it caught on fire — actually, not unlike the power cord for the Powerbook, and surface of the 17″ AV monitor, which shot a long, visible arc so powerful it left me dizzy.
(My brother-in-law was the product manager for that, and they killed it pretty fast. He also killed the Apple scanner. In fact, he became known inside the company for joining teams in order to kill their products. The list of Apple’s failures is actually pretty long.)
So what has been the problem with Apple’s mice? They appear to have been made by people who don’t actually use computers for a living. They try too hard to solve problems that don’t exist. They refuse to conform to industry standards that actually work pretty well….
…oh yeah, and then completely discard anything resembling a standard for a new interface (the Magic Mushroom…I mean, Magic Trackpad) that’s not all that helpful for professional media production, and only arguably a step forward because of the basic functionality it leaves out — unless you’re willing to climb a meaningful learning curve (Apple actually includes HELP videos to teach you how to use it, all in the name of progress.
Is ANY of this sounding familiar?
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[Craig Seeman] “iDisk is great for getting and receiving files from clients. If only they’d continue it and allow for larger files and protected folders.”
I rarely use mobileme for this as we use a website to transfer files. I do use it to sync all my devices through the air, which is great, and now that will be free.
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[Tim Wilson] “They appear to have been made by people who don’t actually use computers for a living. They try too hard to solve problems that don’t exist. They refuse to conform to industry standards that actually work pretty well. … Is ANY of this sounding familiar?”
I’ll put on my apologist hat and mention that if you want to hit home runs, you should expect a lot of strikeouts.
I’ll take the hat back off and ask which one of these FCPX is.
Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events -
[Walter Soyka] “I’ll take the hat back off and ask which one of these FCPX is.”
I agree. Those are all peripherals. You can choose to use them as part of the system or replace them with something that is better for you. FCPX is much more than a peripheral.
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[Herb Sevush] “Apple did see tracks as a problem, and that’s why they got rid of them. And now they have to come up with all sorts of work arounds to replace the functionality they got rid of.”
Perception is everything I guess. I just don’t see it this way. I think I have explained why I think the tracks have gone away. These are not work arounds, but choices.
[Herb Sevush] “I’ve never seen anything like this, where a product leader just absolutely abdicates it’s position and hands it’s entire business over to a rival. Amazing.”
Again, looking at the positive, maybe they know something that we don’t. They certainly know their plan while we don’t.
It’s interesting times and we have choices. I’m all right with all of that.
[Herb Sevush] “So yeah, sure, Apple is the company I’m definitely going to follow.”
So you are one of the ones simply dumping Apple as a platform too?
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