Thoughts on new FCP X Sneak Peek

[Oliver Neubert]

June 20th...

[Heath McKnight]

The images were hacked off training video producers Ripple Training's servers, and now Apple forced Ripple Training to send out cease-and-desist letters to websites, including AppleInsider:

AppleInsider | Cease and desist threats authenticate recent Final Cut Pro X screenshots [u]

Also, A.I. claims FCP X will be released within "10 days," which I assume means on or around June 23 or 24.

heath

[Floris van Eck]

And I was right.

AppleInsider | Cease and desist threats authenticate recent Final Cut Pro X screenshots [u]

Ripple Training announced that the screenshots were taken from their last training video.

Let's hope the june 20 releasedate is right. I can't wait!

[Nigel Barker]

That's very nice of Apple & Ripple to confirm that the screenshots are genuine.

[Floris van Eck]

"FCPX 1.0 "It will not be ready for professional use" says Larry Jordan.

But I don't like this news. Larry is a very respected figure in the FCP scene.

Looks like I'm going to stick to Premiere Pro 5.5 for a while.

[Jason Lowe]

The whole quote softens the blow a bit

"Whenever you've got something which is that big a re-write, stuff gets changed, stuff gets left out, stuff gets added later because they can't get it all re-written and I guarantee you that on day one when the dot zero release ships it will not be ready for professional use.
Apple has a very poor track record of perfect dot zero releases. So for those of you saying 'This is without a question the second coming, I'm going to bet the ranch, I'm buying this the day it's released and God help me I'm plunging forward whether it's ready or not.' I want your clients.
I think there is only one company on the planet that could rethink non-linear editing like this, I think it's Apple. It's not ready for prime time. First it's not ready because it isn't shipping, then when it is shipping it's time for us to experiment."

He's right about dot zero releases, and it's hardly an Apple-only problem. And really, does anyone jump into a major project with untest software (even relatively minor version releases like FCP 2 to FCP 3) without seeing how it works and how it affects their workflow?

Still, "stuff gets left out" could be a real problem.

[Bill Davis]

Interestingly enough, the most "bug free" release I've ever personally experienced was....

(hold for drumroll....................)

Final Cut 1.0.

Back in those heady days I remember talking to one of the Apple guys on the initial dev team (might have been the late and very much missed Ralph Fairweather) and they mentioned that the team had been going NUTS stomping copious bugs 24/7 in the days leading to the initial rollout at NAB'99 - and holding their breath during the public presentatons. But the demo went flawlessly and the 1.0 version released shortly thereafter was as close to FLAWLESS software as I've seen since.

(I don't think I crashed even ONCE in my first year of use)

So there's good cause for hope here. These folks DO know how to write clean code. On the other side, they're releasing into a much different ecosystem than that of 1999.

We'll see.

[Floris van Eck]

I'm going to buy it and see how it works. I was planning to do a major project in it, but I might start with some very small projects to see how it holds up. iMovie has been out for a while ;)

[Mike Marriage]

I think it is presumptuous to make definite statements before FCP X is actually released, let's wait and see. Otherwise rumours start to fly based on mere speculation.

I can see how a ground-up build could be more reliable than an altered and updated version. Apple has the advantage of controlling both the hardware and OS that FCP X will run on, so they should be able to get it pretty stable from v1.0 (please note the use of the words "could" and "should" above).

[Jason Lowe]

AppleInsider is running a story claiming that Apple is delaying new hardware released until July so they will ship with OS X.7 (Lion), Even though this is supposed to run on Snow Leopard, I wonder if we might see a similar delay?

[David Knaggs]

Originally Posted by Floris van Eck

FCPX 1.0 "It will not be ready for professional use" says Larry Jordan

But I don't like this news. Larry is a very respected figure in the FCP scene.

Looks like I'm going to stick to Premiere Pro 5.5 for a while.

Hi Floris.

I'm glad that you later decided not to listen to FUD. As you said, you really won't know until the actual, real product is RELEASED and in your hands.

It's amazing how FUD like the Larry Jordan "article" gains a life of its own. To give an analogy, if you had a client approach you about a video you were editing, a few weeks before you were scheduled to hand it over, and ask if it's ready to be broadcast to the masses - just as it is right now - you would tell him to get lost.

If he then jumped all over the internet saying that your videos, "are not in a fit state to be broadcast!" you would probably feel misrepresented. At the very least.

Larry Jordan has just released a statement on his blog entitled "Wiping Egg Off My Face" and can be found here:

Wiping Egg Off My Face – Larry’s Blog

The first thing I noticed on the article you referenced, on fcp.co, was the fact that they omit dates. Their article was undated (as far as I could tell). Then they talk about the "recent meeting" of LAFCPUG where Larry made his comments. But they carefully (or consistently) omit the date.

As Larry clarifies in his statement, this meeting was held only a week after NAB. Two months ago.

I'm finding a great deal of FUD about FCP X. I even received an email (done in the style of a newsletter) from a company (audio-visual retailer) which had the headline of the "great news" about the FCP X announcement. That got my attention, so I kept reading. It started off all glowing about FCP X, but at the end of the first paragraph it introduced the first FUD. Then proceeded in the following paragraphs to absolutely pour on the FUD and then conclude that the only safe course for a professional was to "switch" to Adobe or Avid. And then at the bottom were glossy photos of the Avid and Adobe products with the "Buy Now" click-buttons underneath each. So this "newsletter" giving this "great news" about FCP X turns out to be nothing more than a FUD-filled ad for Adobe and Avid NLEs. But I do understand the position of the retailer who sent me the email. With FCP X being an App Store-only download, they've been cut out of that business. Through no fault of their own. They have to stay in business themselves and pushing Adobe and Avid NLEs is how they have to do it. Fair enough. I just wish they'd been a little more upfront about it.

And this is why I think there'll be even more FUD before the actual FCP X release. An economic necessity for some. And there will be others who just feel compelled to "stir the pot" and cause trouble regardless of the actual facts.

We'll know the facts once it is actually released and in our hands. But until then ...

[Oliver Neubert]

Able to breathe again...

Last week I suddenly felt like I have to test drive Mediacomposer 5.5 because there were 2 days left to grab the 995 $ Deal... sounds good I thought. They are probably scared of FCP X. Since I know a few freelancers that I like who work with Avid - I decided to give it a look.

So I downloaded and installed the demo. The installation went fine, without any hiccups. When I tried to start the application though - It didn't like it. In fact, even my bluetooth mouse didn't work anymore...
I called the local dealer, asking "wtf..." and he wanted to know what OS I am running. 10.6.7, I replied. Ha! he said, that is the problem. MC 5.5 won't work with that... there is no patch yet. To my question why I can install the software on a OS that is not compatible, he did not have an answer.

So I tried the uninstaller, which made the app disappear from my app folder but still my mouse and even FCP didn't work anymore...

Time machine to the rescue. Now all is well again. Regardless to say - the test made it clear "NO MC for us" I don't need more problems. And I especially don't need software that screws up other applications...

[Chris Hurd]

Originally Posted by David Knaggs

I'm finding a great deal of FUD about FCP X.

We try to do our best here on DVi to quash FUD. A big part of this effort involves our outbound links. There are certain web sites whose primary goal is "traffic at any cost" that are the primary FUD factories, and we just don't link to them (meaning, links are removed as they're found). We're not a substitute for Google or other search engines, so if somebody actually wants to find FUD, they have other means outside of DVi to do that. But we're certainly not in the business of driving traffic to those sites. That's why links are removed sometimes.

With the release of FCP X -- it's today, isn't it? -- this particular thread will have reached its natural conclusion.

Update: http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/final-cu...app-store.html

Thanks all,