Is Apple Ceding the High-End Video Editing Market?

Hollywood Reinvented by Lawrence Jordan

Steve Jobs e-mail reassurances notwithstanding, this is a question that’s getting asked a lot in editing suites these days, especially those with large Final Cut Pro/Final Cut Studio installations. While users of other software; Adobe CS Suites including Premiere and After Effects, Avid’s Media Composer, Sony Vegas and Square Box Systems CatDV just to name a few, get new features and powerful upgrades, Final Cut Pro editors are stuck waiting on the sidelines.

The fact is Final Cut Pro hasn’t had a substantial upgrade in more than 3 years. For the large base of editors who work with the software every day, that’s just too darn long. Sure, Final Cut Studio got an upgrade a year ago, but aside from Snow Leopard compatibility and RED camera workflow integration, the changes to FCP — the heart of the package — were negligible and most users saw it as a disappointment. (Raise your hand if you want to see it as a standalone product).

Here’s what’s making people nervous.

Software applications sold to, and adopted by, professionals need to have regular updates. I’m not talking about bug fixes, although that’s always great too; I’m talking about new features and improved functionality. It would also be nice to know the people making the tools you use to earn your paycheck are listening and getting feedback from many people across the editing spectrum. Not doing so is exactly one of the things that got Avid into trouble a few years back and I fear its starting to happen with Apple. read more (especially the comments posted by others at the end of the article)