Headlines deplore the possible delay and dismemberment of Apple ’s Final Cut Studio are becoming a mainstay of the Mac imperativeness . Which would be all right , if there was any substance to the story .
The latest barrage of report card have been fueled bya Hardmac articlethat aim to have a reference reporting on “ significant setback ” within the program ’s squad . But there does n’t seem to be much substance to the composition , which is only go to further obscure the professional editing community .
This is n’t the first time that Final Cut Studio — which last saw an update in July 2009 — has found itself as grist for the rumor manufacturing plant . In February , a former Apple staffer’sTwitter postabout the fire of 40 employees from the Final Cut team raised some concerns about the merchandise ’s time to come . In April , murmurs that the society was retargeting the suite for a more prosumer - favorable audience prompted not only apurported tocopherol - mail service answer from Steve Jobs himself , but an official statement from Apple PR . “ Final Cut Pro is the first selection for professional video editors and we ’ve never been more excited about its future , ” take a message from Apple Porto Rico deliver toMacworldand CNET , among others . “ The next version of Final Cut is going to be awesome and our pro customers are conk out to have it off it . ”
manifestly , Apple ’s words will only go so far until there ’s an real update to Final Cut . But the ongoing rumors that the Final Cut Pro team is fall into disarray do n’t really aid the professionals that rely on high - end picture - redaction software for their livelihood — especially if those rumour are mostly smoke rather than flak .
Take the Hardmac report , which seems to be based entirely on an unknown germ arrogate that Apple ’s bruit roadmap for a 2010 release has hurt setbacks , and as such , the suite wo n’t see a release until 2011 at the earliest . First of all , given that Randy Ubillos — the developer responsible for helping make Adobe Premiere , Final Cut Pro , Aperture , and iMovie ’ 08 — only take control of the Final Cut squad in April , I ’m not convinced that a 2010 spillage date for a all revamped release of the entourage was ever in the cards . Final Cut Studio , like Rome , can not be overtake in a day , or even six to eight calendar month .
moreover , the Hardmac report cites job between development grouping in heed to put together a unified user interface design for the cortege . Rumored back in April — under vexation of Apple “ dumbing down ” the program for prosumers — the interface revamp would theoretically simplify and connect the practical software user interface within Final Cut Studio . Now , I bribe the idea that different app groups may be having problem compromising on feature sets and blueprint . But Hardmac claims that the development squad take issue include “ those working on Shake and those work on on Motion”—which would be a pretty telling conversation to see , since Apple officially discontinued the development and sale of handshaking more than a year ago .
But Hardmac saves its estimable punch for last : iOS development is so much of a resource drain , it ’s “ drying up the teams work on project consider less urgent : roughly speaking , all those relate to Mac OS X and its associate covering . ” Not only have we heardthisrumor before , it seems almost absurd to intimate that developers and engineers who particularize in non - linear video editing software are going to be borrow to contribute to mobile iOS development . ( Which is n’t to say that there ’s no squad squirreled out at Apple working on a multi - touch , potentially iOS - friendly version of Final Cut — I just do n’t think that it , nor iOS ’s $ 4 iMovie , which Ubillos helped also create , is going to be taking precedence over an manufacture - standard thousand - dollar retinue . )
Is the Final Cut team go into delays ? in all likelihood . But I ’d wager no more so than any other app development squad on a party - imposed deadline . After all , Apple has yet to announce an official or even tentative launching date for the next interpretation of Final Cut Studio — so the only deadline the team is really lack is their own . We ’re only hearing about it because rumors make interesting word for that lull period in between Apple Cartesian product releases .
At the end of the day , it ’s about commitment . Apple has repeatedly said the company is tough at work on a new version of Final Cut Studio . Steve Jobs ( or whoever compose his correspondence ) has gone so far to call the impending dismission “ kickass . ” And as much as I would love to have it in my hand by Christmas , I ’d rather have something refined , classy — and , make bold I say , magical?—in 2011 or 2012 .
[ Serenity Caldwell is a staff editor in chief at Macworld and a former non - linear video editor program . ]
