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
← Older Comments Newer Comments →-
Rob Moragas says:
June 26, 2011 at 10:07 pm
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SHane Ross says:
June 26, 2011 at 10:24 pm
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Cristian aracena says:
June 26, 2011 at 10:33 pm
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George E. Kennedy Jr. says:
June 26, 2011 at 10:47 pm
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Larry says:
June 26, 2011 at 10:49 pm
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Jeff says:
June 26, 2011 at 10:55 pm
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Dylan Reeve says:
June 26, 2011 at 11:20 pm
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Jeff says:
June 26, 2011 at 11:44 pm
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Chaba Gryphon says:
June 26, 2011 at 11:45 pm
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Dennis Kutchera says:
June 26, 2011 at 11:57 pm
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Nino Barzoni says:
June 27, 2011 at 12:00 am
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Larry says:
June 27, 2011 at 12:10 am
← Older Comments Newer Comments →Larry,
Nicely articulated. Your tutorials are great but unfortunately I cannot get anything to work on import except avi files. Pro-Res files and HD files just send the software into meltdown and playing anything back at high quality is problematic at best. No matter what method I use to import clips, from copying to converting to pro-res to just refernencing files on other drives, it’s so so slow. I cannot understand why it wasn’t created to instantly reference the original files, like in FCP 7. I won’t go on about it’s short comings. I’ve already listed my bag full on ( FCP.CO. http://fcp.co/forum/4-final-cut-pro-x-fcpx/215-if-youre-a-professional-editor-youd-be-qcurrentlyq-mad-to-buy-it )
I love AVID and FCP and I can say I am completely flummoxed and devastated by this software release. Yes, I could re-learn the interface (and would like too) but at the moment, living on a stand alone island is bizarre. So i’ll keep looking at your tutorials and wait to see how apple respond.
Conan was rather gentle and generous and I congratulate the editor/actors in the piece for taking a stand in these politically correct times.
My god apple to quote DR Phil “what were you thinking?”
Rob
I recall when new Coke came out, people, including me, started stockpiling regular coke. I really wish Apple would have left FCP 7 out there, so we could stock pile it as well. Or release it as FCS Classic…like Coke did.
Nope…those were the biggest blunders. REmoving the old version, and not being able able to promote current projects to the newest version. Even when Avid Media Composer revamped and started over with Media Composer 1.0…when they made it a software only version…all previous versions could be opened, and it was still backwards compatible
First it was the XRaid then XServe, (didn’t mention Shake ) and now final cut server , we dont have to be blinds , Apple is definitely leaving the video pro business, we aren’t even sure that we’ll have Macpros in the near future were to run FCPX !!!!! Apple nowadays is only iPhone & iTunes …. Sorry but its a reality
Larry, Thanks for making this article as calm as possible. The past few days made me at least feel like ripping my hair out. I am one of the ones that bought FCPX and I digg some things about, I bought your training and that’s helping the transition. Apple needs to address the issues, I can’t believe they would just sit back and be silent about this.
Keep the hair – calm your nerves.
We don’t know enough – and we won’t for a few weeks yet.
Larry
Hey Larry,
Firstly, glad you came clean. Your initial comments regarding FCPX were dead-on.
I think Apple has bifurcated the market with FCPX and handed a huge gift to Adobe. The Media Composer guys weren’t really going anywhere . but the rest of the “non-bean-counter filling out your PO” world went to FCP because it made them more productive. They will be going in droves to either Premiere or MC. .. probably Premiere. Interestingly, I think that
MacPro sales might dip as well .. you wanna get attention in Apple .. harm
hardware sales 🙂
IMHO, the jury is out on whether FCPX is “visionary” or not. Until it makes the editors who slog this stuff out everyday more productive, it’s not clear what this release is. As of today, Apple made the product unusable in the majority of professional workflows I’m aware of.
Apple prides themselves on usability. If they had dropped this product
into *any* network media house, they would have instantly been told
that it was a non-starter. I site the Conan video as proof/spoof.
Perhaps their marketing folks made the decision that the pro market wasn’t big enough to make the kind of revenue they wanted. That’s cool .. it would be nice if they’d have clued us in. They did the exact opposite at NAB.
And there’s the conundrum. … if they knew this product did not meet the needs of professional video editors and shops, then why the Hell did they market it as if it would from day one?
If I was a marketing person on this product at Apple, I would be polishing my resume because they have to clean house on their marketing on this product. They totally missed the mark both internally and externally. Time to bring in a new team.
In the meantime, we’ve been waiting to see what FCPX was because we
ran out of gas on FCP7. At least one of the decision points has been taken off the table. Native RED and Alexa on a 32 bit program without hardware
acceleration just doesn’t cut it.
Even if they bring FCP7 back, it doesn’t address the fact that Apple has made precious little investment in “core” FCP since FCP6. FCP7 added a few formats and that’s about it. FCP7 was a tacit release from them. Had they
put a little more breath in the sail of FCP7, perhaps they could weather
FCPX out for a while. It was an R&D resource gamble I guess . but Apple has enough revenue to staff both “classic” and “new”.
On the flip side, it’s nice to see that Apple is human.. they had been
relegated to super-human status ..and it takes an Icarus fall to bring
people to their senses. Maybe they’ll discount this one .. maybe they’ll learn from it. Until then, I’m buying Adobe stock. They’re going to do well.
jeff
Great to see Mark Raudonis’ post here – almost from the moment I started to learn about the underpinnings of FCP X I was wondering “what will Bunim/Murray do?”
Clearly they (and any other collaborative editing environments) can’t “upgrade” now, but then they also can’t expand as FCP7 is no longer officially for sale.
Maybe it’s time for FCP7 editors to just start sharing their license keys 😛
Dylan Reeve: “Maybe it’s time for FCP7 editors to just start sharing their license keys ”
No man, hope that’s tongue-in-cheek. We don’t want to be
unprofessional or violate our EULA just ’cause Apple’s having
a Microsoft-moment.
jeff
Uhmmm… guys…. Apple AGAIN removed ALL reviews off of the App Store for XFCP. And ONLY for XFCP. All other app reviews are intact. And FYI, it’s now sitting at 8th place on the Top Chart.
@True Professional. Your entire post, if fact, would tell me one thing loud and clear—Apple is not a reliable business partner. Your suppliers are your partners because your ability to keep the lights on and feed your children is dependent on your suppliers being reliable, consistent and not suddenly removing the possibility of scaling your business upward. What you call democratizing is actually destructive to the health of a lot of companies that have a significant investment in a work flow designed around Final Cut Pro 7 and Final Cut Pro Server. They could have built it around something else like Avid and not be left in this jam. At issue is not what Final Cut Pro X is or is not, what it does or does not, what it has or is missing or whether you or I want to learn a new interface. At issue is what Apple did to the post production community by taking the old product off the shelves without notice. Now, if you need a couple more Final Cut workstations mid project, what are you going to do?
Maybe you are thrilled that Apple is not “caving in to a particular sector of their user base”, but Apple leaving many companies high and dry. As the saying goes, “Once bitten, twice shy.” They will now not only be looking to other software for their needs, but I would daresay, many will also move entirely away from the Mac, especially if your prophecy about moving to iOS devices has any legs. If Apple put it to us once, they could do it again. I don’t want to base my business on one flaky supplier of hardware and software. Let’s face it, if HP were to go insane tomorrow, there are 6 companies that could step in right behind them to fill the void.
The post-production business is not about innovation and new toys; it is about making money for you clients (or yourself). Anything that disturbs that goal will not be tolerated. Apple has given no way for their post professionals to move forward with Final Cut Pro X and is blocking them from building on the status quo by taking FCS 3 off the shelves.
When you are backed into a corner, you look for an exit. And right now, that exit is Adobe Premiere Pro CS5. It uses the same hardware and will open Final Cut Pro 7 projects with media linked, and without any third party tools. It is much faster than FCP 7, being 64 bit as well. I cannot comment if FCP X is faster or better than Premiere Pro; all I know is that if I have to learn a new interface, I might as well learn one that will work with my existing projects and assets.
This is devastating, but I’m trying to stay positive.
Nino:
Your link took us to a site that required a sign-in, so I removed the link from your message.
Larry