Thoughts on why FCP X is here to stay and the Mac Pro isn’t.

[Richard Herd]

[Walter Soyka] “But does simply having a tool in the NLE category answer the question of whether Apple is committed to professionals?”

I’m not sure what the words mean: “committed” and “professional.”

[Timothy Auld]

I’m pretty sure that “committed” would be defined by how long Apple intends to support this particular iteration of FCP (and I don’t think there can be a lot of argument that they do not have a good track record in continuing to support their own proapps) and “professional” to me means what you become when the check clears.

Tim

[Walter Soyka]

[Richard Herd] “I’m not sure what the words mean: “committed” and “professional.””

I’m not convinced that Apple really knows, either.

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

[Richard Herd]

[Walter Soyka] “I’m not convinced that Apple really knows, either”

What it is they lack as a convincing force: Pathos, ethos, logos?

Or is demonstration the convincing force?

If you consider the past, discounting the last 12 months is disingenuous given the past decade. We have seen editing become a fashion industry!

[Steve Connor]

[TImothy Auld] “and “professional” to me means what you become when the check clears.
“

Perfect summary!

Steve Connor
“FCPX Agitator”
Adrenalin Television

[Richard Herd]

Regardless of who manufactures the software, I get my support from the Cow.

Nicely said re:

[TImothy Auld] “”professional” to me means what you become when the check clears.”

[Walter Soyka]

[Richard Herd] “What it is they lack as a convincing force: Pathos, ethos, logos? Or is demonstration the convincing force?”

My initial reply was pretty flippant. I was going for funny, but it came out a bit snarky.

Let me have a think on defining “commitment” and “professional.” Maybe I can do better than the Justice Potter “I know it when I see it” vibe I’ve been riding.

[Richard Herd] “If you consider the past, discounting the last 12 months is disingenuous given the past decade. We have seen editing become a fashion industry!”

Here, I disagree. First off, I think that the time period in question is longer than 12 months. I think it’s about four years — see the my article FCPX and the Domino Effect [link] for the details behind my thinking (or the timeline graphic within for the short version).

Secondly, it’s possible that the entire history of FCP1-7 was the aberration, where Apple was selling a product they bought from someone else to hang on to a core constituency that they were in real danger of losing. FCP wasn’t really consistent with Apple’s philosophy on product development, as Tim Wilson eloquently described in his article Steve Jobs – A Personal Calendar Entry [link] — but 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

[Craig Seeman]

[TImothy Auld] “they do not have a good track record in continuing to support their own proapps”

Basically they’ve discontinued all their external purchases (Logic may be the only exception at this point). They’ve continued to support what they’ve built in house such as Motion and Compressor.

[Richard Herd]

[Craig Seeman] “what they’ve built in house “

That’s a big point, imo. “in house” I’ve never coded a video editing app, but I imagine it’s pretty hard.

[Timothy Auld]

And screwed a lot of people in the process. I am not arguing that Apple is not doing what is in their best interest. I think they are. But I have been monetarily hurt by the decisions business decisions they have made. Do I think they are evil? No. Do I think they are doing what is in the best interest of their shareholders? Yes. Will I ever trust them to continue the support of anything they sell whether or not developed in house. I don’t think so. But, like James Bond, I try never to say never.

Tim