Final Cut Pro X: Apple’s Worst Launch of Their Best App

Maccreate by David Schloss

For the last few weeks, the Internet and popular TV alike have been abuzz with criticism over Apple’s new Final Cut Pro X. If you’ve not been keeping up with the hoopla, here’s a summary:

• A few months ago Apple showed off a “beta” of Final Cut Pro at a trade show, the world went ga-ga. Smooth, pretty, fast. Want.
• This month Apple released Final Cut Pro X on the App Store. Professional editors go batshit-insane over (presumably) missing features, new workflows and “dumbing-down.” Reviews on the app store pummel Apple. (To get the gist of the furor—pardon the pun—check out this video of Hitler ranting about the Nikon D3x. Same type of uproar.) Sites call the program iMovie Pro, complain that Apple has abandoned the market.
• Conan O’Brien makes fun of Final Cut Pro. (And in an awkward note I accidentally send a link to the video to the Sr. Product Manager for Final Cut while writing this sentence. Whoops!)
• New York Times runs half-a-dozen articles about Final Cut Pro, including comments from Apple about the uproar.

After using the program for a week, and having survived what was previoulsy one of Apple’s most sputtering product launches (that of Aperture 1.0) I’d like to weigh in with what are my thoughts on what went wrong, and what went right, to put this into perspective.

Overpromise and Under-deliver

I think it’s pretty clear that as a person who runs a number of Mac-related blogs, I am pro-Apple, but as much as I love, love the company, it can sometimes do things that boggle my mind. read more...