Chris Harlan
Forum Replies Created
-
[Andrew Richards] “Maybe the distinction is immediate mass exodus. But at the very least, there were plenty of exodus predictions to go around last summer.
“That is the distinction. We’re just quibbling about people predicting “mass exodus from FCP 7 starting immediately.” I’m in the process of leaving–meaning not using X as anything other than a side tool–myself. I still think FCP 7 will be useful in my trade for another year. Maybe more.
-
[Walter Soyka] “With lower costs and more open hardware, I’m not seeing a need to choose sides. Put all the tools in your toolbox, and use the best one for the job at hand.”
Hear, hear!
-
[Chris Kenny] “[Chris Harlan] “You keep referring to “forums like this” as if this is the only place that has anything negative to say about X. I don’t know what its like in NYC, but here in LA that is far from reality. ”
The level of negativity in this forum is not something I’ve ever encountered in real-world interactions. Most of what I see in the real world is cautious interest or at worst skepticism, not hostility.”
Really? I believe you, but that hasn’t been my experience at all. I find mention of it is usually met with a shudder, and then some sort of unbelieving, exasperated shake of the head. I find myself in the odd position, from time to time, of being an X defender. A lot of that is do to my experience on this forum. I understand how you might feel from your experiences here, last summer, but I believe this forum has developed a sense of objectivity that you are not giving it credit for. In your absence, we’ve also had quite a few deep, interesting discussions about structure in ways that I’ve found in few other places.
[Chris Kenny] “My point was that some people seemed to be predicting, 12 months ago, that there would be some mass exodus from FCP 7 starting immediately, such that any work Apple did to make FCP X suitable for higher-end users would come too late, as those users would already be on Avid or Premiere.”
I’m sure that some people were somewhere, but I think the general opinion on this forum from very early on was that FCP 7 had at least 1-3 years life in it. I know that I expressed that early and often. I know a number of fellow posters did as well. Personally, I can’t remember a single post where-in anyone was predicting an immediate mass exodus from FCP 7. Frankly, I can’t imagine anyone that uses/used FCP7 in business making such a silly claim.
[Chris Kenny] “Apple has now added most of the critical missing features to FCP X, and consequently FCP X, while not the automatic choice for people moving off of FCP 7 (because it is, after all, a totally different app) will at least be in the running. “
I agree, especially now that it seems to be more stable. For a number of people, it is a good choice. Currently, it doesn’t have adequate features for me to use it as anything other than an ancillary program. And, I don’t know that it ever will. I work in a relatively specialized world, and I don’t really believe that Apple is marching in my direction. They no longer have the incentive to do so. Luckily, other companies do. And, I’m okay with all of that.
-
[Chris Kenny] “Yes, they took a bit of a PR hit in forums like this in the process, but did this really do widespread long-term damage? Will a significant number of high-end FCP 7 customers for whom X is a good choice on its merits really choose something else as they finally do start to migrate away from 7 just because X had a rocky introduction that’s now more than a year in the past?”
You keep referring to “forums like this” as if this is the only place that has anything negative to say about X. I don’t know what its like in NYC, but here in LA that is far from reality.
And “really choose something else?” “Migrate away?” FCP X is something else. The only thing it has in common with FCP 7 are the words “Final Cut Pro.” Using other companies’ software is actually a closer experience to using FCP 7, than using X. How is choosing X not choosing something else? How is going with it NOT migrating away from FCP 7.
I’m open to finding and using the benefits of FCP X, but right now its missing a lot of little tools that help me do my work, especially in audio, but also in basic things like sync indicators. And Roles may work, and hooray for someone who likes the approach, but they don’t work for me.
-
[Craig Seeman] “I’ve noted elsewhere that Apple is actually a leading PC maker. They are ranked third in USA (about 6 or 7 world wide) and their sales are going up. MacPro is not their only PC. MacBook Pros, as I understand it, are at or near the top in laptop sales above $1000. iMacs probably the same for all in ones. This when most companies are experiencing declines . . . and towers from many manufacturers are suffering the steepest declines.
“I agree with all of that. Macbook Pros have a future. iMacs too. And, I really hope you are right about some tough new iMacPro. Frankly, it makes sense to me that there should be a Mac Pro, even if its manufactured and sold at a loss. But I don’t think their head is there. Thin client has won big at Apple, and a big old workstation is the antithesis of that. I just see it being drummed out of their culture.
-
[Craig Seeman] “To me the biggest clue (and it all depends on how you read it) is that there’s no mention of the MacPro in the FCP In Action case studies on Apple’s site and RadicalMedia only mentions “Mac” as well as the RedRocket doesn’t link to the card (which would have to be in an expansion chassis if there were no MacPro)
“That’s a good one. The biggest one to me, though, is the CEO announcing 750,000 time within the course of the iPad intro that Apple is a “Post PC Company.”
-
[Chris Kenny] “I’d put the odds of there being at least one more Mac Pro revision at 80%.”
Well, that’s optimistic! It would be cool if you were right, and I’d love to be wrong, but I’m thinking the odds are pretty much the exact opposite of what you’ve got going there. In fact, 20%–whatever that actually means–is generous.
-
[Craig Seeman] “My guess is that they want to avoid the influence of “group think/group mindset” as they release this information.”
I’m more cynical than you are. My guess is that they just don’t want to be pegged down about anything, ever. They kept Shake alive years even though they had internally killed it, simply to have that option. Mac Pro is the same thing.
-
[Craig Seeman] “I just don’t find what Apple did all that unique although each time something like this happens there are unique elements.
“I don’t either. In my head, I’m pretty much at peace with Apple. The only thing that really bugs me about them still are their epically poor communication skills. But, there’s nothing I can do about that. Other, of course, than not put all my eggs in one basket.
-
[Tim Wilson] “Quoting an earlier post, [Craig Seeman] “12 years ago Avid announced they were no longer going to support the Mac. The backlash probably changed their mind.”
I agree with you, Craig, with a historical tweak. There were indeed a number of company people wandering the floor at NAB 1999 yapping about the end of Mac, the world, etc. but *the company itself* never made any such announcement. In fact, Avid was adamant in its public commitment to staying on Mac and working with Apple.
“FWIW, I can personally confirm this. I was at NAB that year and was told on the floor by Avid staff that they were moving away from Apple. As I recall, everything was running on HPs. Back in LA, however, I discovered a few months later that that view may have represented the feelings and resentments, wishes and desires of a number of employees, but was not the official view of the company. I’ve never really gotten to the bottom of what happened there, and there is quite a bit of historical disconnect, where people who were close to Avid deigned it ever happened. But, I heard it with my own ears, and have talked with many over the years who have heard it as well. If someone can ever shine a light on what happened there, I’d love to know.