Since Apple launched Final Cut Pro X last Tuesday, I’ve had more than 3,500 emails that range from “I’m enjoying FCP X and creating useful projects,” to “FCP X will destroy my ability to make a living.” (And, ah, far worse, I’m sad to say.)
When I first saw Final Cut X, I was excited by its potential, but warned Apple that this release would be intensely polarizing to the editing community. It does not give me pleasure to see that I was right.
Worse, Apple has alienated the very people who can make a very visible statement as to the inadequacy of the program. No clearer example can be found than the public ridicule of FCP X on the Conan O’Brien show.
Or, as David Pogue wrote in his New York Times blog: “…let me be clear on this point — I think Apple blew it.”
With the possible exception of the launch of MobileMe, I can’t think of an Apple product launch which has spun more wildly out of control than this one. Apple did not just blow this launch, they went out of their way to alienate their key customer base.
Which is a shame, because FCP X has such great potential — but now, Apple has to concentrate on damage control, rather than getting people excited about the new program.
After the launch, Apple compounded their problems with three extremely poorly timed moves:
1. Canceling Final Cut Studio (3) and pulling all existing product from the market. This is devastating to shops that can’t use Final Cut Pro X. The two applications can co-exist on the same system — killing FCP 7 will not boost sales of FCP X to those shops that can’t run it. All it does is set up a black market for FCP 7.
2. Not providing – then publicly stating (thru David Pogue’s New York Times blog) that they do not plan to provide – a conversion utility from FCP 7 to FCP X. Not only does this render a HUGE number of past projects inaccessible, it sets up the obvious conclusion that if Apple is willing to discontinue support for legacy applications with no warning, what’s to prevent them from doing so again in the future? Every time you watch a movie that is more than 6 months old, you are dealing with legacy assets. Not providing a conversion utility is completely inexcusable.
3. Leaving the support for interchange formats – XML, EDL, OMF and others – to third-parties; or not supporting them at all. Yes, the video and film industry needs to move into the current century. However, Hollywood is very reluctant to change what works. Meeting deadlines is far more important than adopting new technology. Apple’s walled garden approach is totally at odds with the nature of post-production, where the editing system is the hub around which a wide variety of other applications revolve. On any editing project I routinely run 5-10 other programs simultaneously — only three of which are from Apple. I am constantly moving data between programs. This, combined with a lack of support for network-based storage, highlight grave development decisions in determining what features to include in the program.
NOTE: Apple told Pogue that they are working on providing the specs for their XML API. This is essential for any third-party developer to access conversion “hooks” in the program. David didn’t report that they mentioned when this would be available, however.
When I was talking with Apple prior to the launch, they told me that they extensively researched the market to determine what needed to be in the new program. In retrospect, I wonder what people they were talking with.
As I was working with the program, developing my FCP X training series, I often felt that the program was developed for two different audiences. Some features, effects for instance, are clearly geared for the iMovie crowd, while others, like trimming or 4K support, are geared for pros. The program sometimes felt like it wasn’t sure what it wanted to be when it grew up.
In FCP X, Apple got some things amazingly right. But they also got key features amazingly wrong. And if they don’t change course, this software, which has significant potential, is going to spin further and further out of control. At which point, its feature set is irrelevant, its reputation will be set. We’ll be looking at another Mac Cube.
Apple does not normally ever comment on future products – though they did this year, prior to WWDC, because they needed to reset expectations. Because of the visibility of this product into an audience that can cause extensive PR damage to Apple, I suggest that Apple break its usual vow of silence and do three things:
1. Immediately return Final Cut Studio (3) to the market. If it is not compatible with Lion (and I don’t know whether it is or not) label it so. But put it back on store shelves so consumers have the ability to work with the existing version until FCP X is ready for prime time.
2. Fund the development of a conversion utility – either at Apple or thru a 3rd-party – and announce the development with a tentative release date.
3. Publicly announce a road-map for FCP X that just covers the next 3-4 months. Apple needs to be in damage control mode and the best way to defuse the situation is to communicate. Answering the question: “What features will Apple add to FCP X, and when?” will go a long way to calming people down.
I have written in my earlier blog (read it here) that FCP X has a lot of potential, and, for some, it meets their needs very nicely. I still believe that.
I was also pleased to provide training on FCP X so that new and existing users can get up to speed on it quickly.
I don’t mind helping a product develop into its full potential. I enjoy providing feedback and helping people to learn new software. I don’t even mind that FCP X is missing some features; this is to be expected in any new software.
But I mind a great deal being forced to adopt a product because other options are removed, forced to lose access to my legacy projects, and forced to work in the dark concerning when critically needed features will be forthcoming.
This launch has been compared to Coca-Cola launching New Coke – resulting in a humiliating loss of market share.
With Final Cut Pro X, however, the situation is worse — with New Coke, only our ability to sip soda was affected. With Final Cut Pro X, we are talking losing livelihoods.
Let me know what you think,
Larry
253 Responses to Apple's Challenges
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Leonard says:
June 26, 2011 at 6:45 am
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Larry says:
June 26, 2011 at 1:36 pm
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Richard says:
June 26, 2011 at 7:18 am
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Steve Baile says:
June 26, 2011 at 8:43 am
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Marcus R. Moore says:
June 26, 2011 at 9:12 am
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Billy Sheahan says:
June 26, 2011 at 9:27 am
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Peter Tours says:
June 26, 2011 at 10:08 am
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Simon Malcolm says:
June 26, 2011 at 10:11 am
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Randy Noland says:
June 26, 2011 at 10:59 am
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Ken says:
June 26, 2011 at 11:27 am
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Ken says:
June 26, 2011 at 11:51 am
Newer Comments →I got it, the training is selling quite well: “…As I was working with the program, developing my FCP X training series….”
That probably is the only reason why your rage is not vented at Apple and why you choose the wording so carefully. 😉
Not really.
I have received MANY emails from people expressing how pleased they are with the new version. WHAT Apple has done has great value. HOW Apple has done it, however, has caused many people problems.
Larry
I bought FCP X and installed it immediately. I have FCP Studio on the same box. I also make use of Adobe Premiere Pro on a Windows 7 box, which I like quite a bit.
The issues with FCP X suggest to me that I will be getting Premiere Pro for my Mac in the very near future.
Apple is not reliable as a software partner. That consideration trumps all the glitz of FCP X.
Spot on Larry. For me the lack of a transfer utility from FCP7 to FCPX is the big issue. My films are updated once or twice a year between DVD production runs and while I’m looking forward to getting stuck into FCPX I have no solution other than Adobe or Avid for legacy work. Assuming my current FCP7 won’t keep running indefinitely. And what about when I employ a new editor?
I’m literally in a holding pattern now waiting for a definitive response from Apple before I do anything. Philip Hodgetts suggest they are working on a transfer solution – Pogue says they are not – !!!!!
I’d be happy just to get the clips into the FCPX timeline with the same I/O points and in the right place. Happy to rebuild filters, cropping, keyframes etc. Otherwise it would take months to rebuild – not likely!
We’re not talking about the next iPhone here – this is business and Apple can’t play the same smoke and mirrors game with the Pro industry.
I agree wholeheartedly, Larry. Apple’s main misstep here was not so much the program, but communicating what the program is and where it’s going. Because it is NOT obvious to many people, who were already nervous about Apple’s stance on the Pro market after discontinuing the XServe.
Apple seems to think that the wall of silence that they use [and I think works well] in their consumer products is equally applicable to their Pro offerings- but it’s not and it will only hurt them in this arena. This was always going to be a difficult release. Even if the half-dozen key Pro features had be included at launch- the brand new UI and file management philosophies were always going to rankle some. If you’re going to ask people to change the way they work, you need to get them onboard, not looking at you sideways.
I agree with you that there a lot to like here. Only about 1/4 of the work I do requires outside audio or colour workflows, so the only thing I’m desperate for is external monitoring. That said, I am already starting to test FCPX in my workflow, for jobs that have a web-end delivery.
The Apple “scandals” [antenagate, locationgate] of the past year have shown that when they have an issue they cannot avoid, Apple will step up and address it. Let’s hope the volume of discontent over the past week has ruffled some feathers and we see the FCPX development team step up. I’d hate to see the innovative parts of FCPX buried because of a bungled release.
Larry, I think you’re right on the money here. On the first day of release, I was surprised at the haters who jumped right in when it was clear that most could not have had the time to explore the software with an admittedly steep learning curve, unless you were familiar with iMovie.
I downloaded the tutorials, knowing it would be more efficient to learn a bit instead of banging around and clicking on menus trying to figure it out.
After five days of playing, there are some great things about FCP X. As I suspected I might, I do like how the event viewer shows you more of a clip than just a thumbnail. Much easier to find what you’re looking for.
However, by Friday evening, after talking things over with many pro editors (nothing like a crisis to band together such a motley group), my rising discomfort level with FCP X really had little to do with the app itself. It was more of a bad taste in my mouth about Apple in general.
By Saturday, even though I was still playing with FCP X, I realized that what was eating away at me was not FCP X, but my trust in Apple.
Most of my 20 year editing career has been spent in post houses that nearly exclusively used Avids. I’ve certainly made a good living cutting on Avid since Media Composer v1. But I never really felt they were listening to editors. About the 100 little things that we do hundreds of times a day that never made sense. We still can’t match cut to a pre-compute. Title Tool. How you have to include empty spaces in the timeline when moving tracks around.
So when FCP v1 came on the scene, I was all over it. It really was only just barely ready for large post houses with version 3, and it still was iffy. But I began to persuade my colleagues to give it a try. Shortly thereafter I was using FCP to cut everything from national television commercials to short films to music videos, even though the rest of the facility mostly clung to their Avids.
I was even invited to lunch with some Apple FCP folks around that time who were eager to hear what I felt FCP needed to really compete with Avid. It was something Avid never did with me and it seemed to illustrate how hard Apple was working to get real input from pro editors who wanted FCP to succeed.
Fast forward to the last two years. The small incremental updates to Final Cut Pro Studio gave fuel to the skeptics around me claiming that FCP and other pro apps were losing favor with Apple to the much more lucrative iApps, iPods and iPhones.
I didn’t buy it. But it was getting harder to defend.
Showing a technical sneak peek to the professional editors attending NAB last April seemed hopeful. The demonstration was clearly aimed at that small pro editor niche.
When Christmas morning finally arrived last Tuesday and I finally got my hands on FCP X, the cringing began. The built in transitions and generators were incredibly amateurish. Nothing I would ever use with my client base. Why were they in a pro app? No, they were something I would expect to see in an iApp.
There were some good ideas in the redesign, but I could just feel myself trying to talk myself into liking something that I knew was subpar. I really wanted to like it.
Much has been written the past week about what is missing, so I won’t beat that dead horse again. What I am *most* surprised about missing is the trust. Apple has always been very closed mouthed about future paths and feature sets and we’ve all just gone along with it because most of the time our patience has been rewarded with excellent ideas and tools.
But something is different this time. I’m sure Cupertino is working overtime to get 10.1 out as quickly as possible to put out this six alarm fire they’ve created. But this time I don’t feel like waiting around to find out. I just don’t trust them anymore to deliver a real Pro anything.
Even though it’s been on my Mac Pro Tower at my post house as well as on my MacBook Pro I carry with me everywhere, yesterday I clicked on an icon I had never clicked before. The purple Pr button that has been sitting in my dock for over a year. It has just been sitting there all this time.
I’d heard good things about Premiere Pro the last year or so. I’ll admit I’ve been curious about it’s tight integration with AfterEffects. But until now, I really never had a reason to click on that purple square.
Click.
You nailed it Larry. Frankly I was a little worried you had gone over to “the dark side” but it’s a great read and very fair. You remain my hero.
Hi Larry,
I am so reassured by your comments here – they are very sensible.
I was initially concerned hearing that you were speaking very positively about FCPX, as I felt that this placed you at odds with our industry. However I now know that was not the case.
I agree with your approach and recommendations. I have no problem with FCPX – my concern is the conditions of it’s release relative to features and current software availability.
I hope Apple will heed your words. Thank you for saying to us that which Apple should already have done.
Simon Malcolm.
Larry, thx for the blog. I just completed your full, 11+ hours. Whew! 🙂 good stuff!
I agree that FCPX’s potential is huge and obvious once I took the time to drill down thru the features. It will be a shame if #1) Apple doesn’t communicate a roadmap soon for those that feel abandon and #2) the pro community doesn’t take the time to drill down to the power of this rewrite.
The intuitive user interface is absolutely revolutionary. The UI easily can scale to include the missing PRO features. Hind sight is 20/20 but the migration strategy was Apple’s biggest omission. Had Apple applied focus to a migration strategy, damage control would not have been necessary. The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The next best time is now. So I agree with you. Return FCP7 to the market. Facilitate backwards compatibility either internally (at Apple) or externally (3rd party). And finally, communicate an accelerated developmental road map addressing the top 5 PRO concerns.
We all lose if FCPX does receive love and direction from the PRO community. After all, the PRO’s are the source of it’s very soul.
FCPX has killer potential to be the most powerful, the most productive and efficient “clip to final product” tool ever available. Please everyone, keep shouting…. Constructively! And Apple, please listen!
Hi Larry and thank you for the article. My biggest question, wonderment and downright amazement is why didn’t Apple listen to you and possible the others who raised concerns either in the sneak peek of the product or beta testing..why?
I have been using Final Cut for nearly 11 years since OS 9 and it’s been the backbone of my editing work and all the knowledge is wiped out in this best at least prosumer release which resembles iMovie more than its predecessor.
I was so excited and have been waiting for this upgrade, but I’m going to pass it. For one it’s radically different and I have Final Cut Pro studio down so well that buttons and features are second nature and it’s looking to me that Premiere Pro will be closer as a new editing app than Final Cut Pro X.
I have never been a iMovie fan since they radically redesigned it and I think that most pro users feel the same way. So why they design FCP X to be like iMovie is mind boggling and stupid.
I think I have felt a number of ways over the last week about this, from anger to sadness now, but also there is a sense of freedom. I am free to finally break from Apple and move on try Adobe Premiere and maybe Avid in the future, because the professional world seems to have moved on well beyond Apple and I don’t think we as Final Cut Pro studio editors should wait.
So if I can think of anything positive to come out of this is that we as Final Cut Pro editors don’t have to wait for Apple anymore. Apple clearly can say what it wants, but clearly they don’t know what they are doing with the demise of Shake, Color, DVD Studio Pro, Final Cut Pro 7 and most of us don’t have time to wait another 5 years for them to downgrade us again. We all have aging software and need solutions today and the current state of Apple’s offering won’t cut it.
“Final Cut Pro has democratized professional video editing by bringing the capabilities of a $50,000 editing bay to everyone for under $1,000,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We are honored and excited to be receiving Apple’s second Emmy Award.”
Larry do you remember those days? I know that for me that summed up Final Cut Pro’s tool set. The the addition of other professional solutions like DVD Studio Pro and Shake. There was a time when Apple provided tools that most of us only dreamed of and they became the backbone of our assets in editing. It was also a time when we could recommend a Mac for making professional video far beyond what iApps do.
I honestly think that Apple has lost it’s vision for the Professional and somewhere along the line some strategist came in and there was a recasting of that vision and this is what we see today. Gone are the days of support for the professional for what they need and who they are as the loyal customers who stuck with Apple through its hard times.
Ok, I’ve said enough. Thanks for your post.