Edible Apple

With Apple expected to announce a major update to Final Cut Pro this week, new details about some of the surprises Apple has in store are beginning to leak out.
 
Rumor has it that FCP will be released sometime this Spring with an official unveiling set for tomorrow at the Final Cut Pro User Group Super Meet.  Since reports surfaced that Apple would be at the event, a number of sponsors have confirmed that their sponsorships were cancelled, with an Avid spokesman stating that “Apple doesn’t want anyone to have stage time but them.”
 
 Speaking at the PreNAB Editors’ Lounge this past weekend, Mark Raudonis who serves as the head of post production at Bunim/Murray Productions, said that he was one of the chosen individuals given a sneak peak at the next iteration of Final Cut Pro. As a quick primer, Bunim Murray is the production house behind television shows like The Real World and the Real World Road Rules Challenge. Naturally, Raudonis wasn’t able to delve into too much detail, but he did hint at support for Apple’s new Thunderbolt technology and more. It’s previously been rumored that the new FCP will be 64-bit as well.

PreNAB Editors’ Lounge 2011 Part 1 from Editors’ Lounge on Vimeo.

While speaking, Raudonis referenced a famous Wayne Gretzky quote that, coincidentally, Steve Jobs has previously said he loves – ” skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been” 

What’s Wayne Gretsky got to do with Final Cut Pro? If anyone knows the great one. If people asked him what was the secret to his success, his answer was “Skate to where the puck will be”. And that really exemplifies Apple’s philosophy, their attitude, their approach to what Final Cut will be.
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I would say to you that there are few companies in the world that are as good at skating as [Apple is]. Your next question is probably… What the “puck”? Where is the puck headed? Again, I can’t speak specifically, but I think the rest of the time here will be very interesting. Filebased workflows, Thunderbolt, iPad, Competition, it’s a moving target. Adobe, Avid, Lightworks. There’s a lot of other stuff out there. And they are certainly not ignorant of what’s going on in the market at the moment.

I would also end with. Henry Ford “If I asked people what they wanted, they’d tell me they wanted a faster horse”. So, Apple is very good at going their own way and figuring out where things will be. They may not ask you what you want. They are going to tell you ‘we’re going to invent something different.’ And that’s kind of my take away from it. I was very impressed, it was awesome and look out, I believe they say it will be available in Spring 2011. So, that goes all the way up to June 20th. So, that’s what I know, that’s what I can say, and if there’s anyone from Apple out there,

Raudonis also noted that he was “very impressed” by what he saw of the new Final Cut Pro, echoing sentiments expressed by others who were granted early preview access to the software.
 
In February, one of the production pros invited to give the software a test drive said it was”the biggest overhaul to Final Cut Pro since the original version was created over 10 years ago.” In February, Final Cut Pro Consultant Larry Jordan enthusiastically described the upcoming 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.