Edible Apple

The ProVideoCoallition reports that Apple will unveil its highly anticipated update to Final Cut Pro at the the Final Cut Pro User Group SuperMeet, scheduled to kick off on April 12. This jives with previous rumors we’ve heard about a Final Cut Pro announcement coming sometime in early April.

Philip Bloom just confirmed with me that Canon has canceled his appearance at the Supermeet. Canon was told last night that Apple has demanded ALL “lecturn” or stage time exclusively. Some sponsors who were not using presenters may continue to sponsor the Vegas event, but none of them will be presenting on the stage. I can’t imagine any news that would warrant this kind of “take-over” other than to announce and demonstrate the next full version of Final Cut Pro and possibly an entirely newly designed FCS4.

The report also notes that Avid is now scrambling to find another venue to present director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy) who was originally tapped to speak at the Supermeet about using Avid Media Composer and his experiences as a film editor. An Avid spokesman reportedly confirmed that their sponsorship of the event had been cancelled as “Apple doesn’t want anyone to have stage time but them.”

Yep, that sounds about right.

The upcoming FCP is rumored to be the software’s biggest overhaul since the original with Steve Jobs himself stating via email that the revamped software will be “awesome.”

This past February, Apple invited a number of highly influential editors to check out a sneak preview of the FCP update in order to get some pro feedback. While those in attendance were subject to an NDA, it was leaked out that the new FCP will be 64 bit and will encompass changes described as “dramatic and ambitious.”

Even more intriguing was a first-hand report of the new software and the aforementioned meeting from Final Cut Pro consultant Larry Jordan who excitedly called the next iteration of FCP a “jaw dropper.”

I’ve Seen The New Version of Final Cut Pro… and it’s a jaw-dropper. Last week, Apple invited a few folks, including me, to a short meeting in Cupertino where they previewed the up-coming version of Final Cut Pro. While I am under NDA and can’t talk about what I saw, I CAN tell you the meeting happened and that it showcased the new Final Cut Pro. While the invited crowd was small, it was a Who’s Who of leaders in the post-production community. I felt like I was standing on the red carpet at an awards show, watching all the stars walk past.