Apple Announces New Pro Software 479
yroJJory writes "Apparently, Apple has just announced new pro software today. First off is the new app Motion, which is a new motion graphics program with real-time previews, procedural behavior animation and Final Cut Pro HD integration. Second, is Final Cut Pro HD, boasting the beauty of HD with the simplicity of DV. Capture DVCPRO HD over FireWire, edit using camera-native footage and output over FireWire with no generational quality loss. RT Extreme, now for HD, can deliver multiple HD streams, effects, filters and transitions in real-time to an attached Apple Cinema Display. Last, but most important to me, is DVD Studio Pro 3, which has slick new transitions, superb HD to MPEG-2 encoding, Graphical View, support for all professional audio formats -- including DTS -- (FINALLY!!), and integration with Final Cut Pro HD and Motion. Motion will be available this summer for $299. The Final Cut Pro HD update is available now for FCP 4 users. DVD Studio Pro 3 is expected to ship in mid-May." Reader green pizza writes "Apple today introduced Xsan, a clustered filesystem for Mac OS X systems."
What impresses me (Score:5, Insightful)
However, I wonder how long Apple can continue with such heavy investment in this excellent software. The return on investment of this kind of thing can't be that great considering the low low price of the software. Granted, it moves Mac G5 boxes, but I wonder if the markup on the Apple hardware can compensate for the loss leading of the Apple software.
Your cause and effect's all out of whack. (Score:2, Insightful)
Why do you think the likes of Adobe are scaling down their Mac product line? Apple are trying to have their lunch. Why bother writing software to bolster your enemy?
The real news .. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:What impresses me (Score:5, Insightful)
Shake 3 - $4950
The big production houses use it, use it lots, and use it on several workstations.
Apple are making a bit of a profit, but they also have an intensely INTENSELY loyal following just because it's the best of the best.
Their other apps are cheaper, but then they'll all continue to be updated, all continue to need new hardware, and all continue to need newer versions of the Mac OS.
Combine multi million dollar production budgets and that level of loyalty, Apple's video production market isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and is going to keep bringing them in solid profits.
Hey, they're not a market leader by % of total machines sold, but they're still a business with a near $2billion turnover each quarter with profits in the tens of millions. I'd like to be in that position
Re:What impresses me (Score:2, Insightful)
Wow, how many companies can do this?!!! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:What impresses me (Score:5, Insightful)
Hardware delays not withstanding, ( within reason ) Apple's future is pretty bright. Check how many /. readers have and use Macs compared to 3 years ago. 3 years ago, anything Apple was a running joke here, becuase the hardware was so outdated mostly, but also becuase OS X was not ready for primetime.
Big difference today - Apple is the geek computer. Hardcore gamers are the last holdout IMO.
Re:Your cause and effect's all out of whack. (Score:5, Insightful)
Apple only seems to be stepping in where a competitor's product is languishing on the Mac platform. Two examples:
Internet Explorer for the Mac was left to rot by Microsoft, so Apple came up with Safari.
Adobe Premiere for the Mac was a neglected piece of shit, so Apple came up with Final Cut Pro.
This is a very clear message to software makers: "Shitty, infrequently-updated Mac software will not be tolerated. If you're going to make it, make it right or we'll take your marketshare with a kick-ass app that shows off what the Mac can do."
Re:HDTV over IEEE1394 (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What impresses me (Score:2, Insightful)
Shake 3 is also out for Linux. Cheaper OS, cheaper hardware, higher performance. I don't see that many houses will use Shake on OS X boxes for much longer.
Re:Your cause and effect's all out of whack. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:What impresses me (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What impresses me (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:What to view it on? (Score:5, Insightful)
Interesting. (Score:5, Insightful)
Both Xsan and CXFS are cross-platform: you can attach heterogenous (Windows, Linux, Irix, Solaris, Mac OS X, possibly others) systems to the one filesystem, and have it all work. The interesting part is that CXFS needs an SGI Irix box at the centre to deal with the metadata updates (as I understand it). Xsan also needs a metadata server, but it's unclear whether it needs to be an OS X box, or if it'll work with other operating systems at its core. If the former, it's understandable. If the latter, it'll be a good chance to make it into the enterprise in a big way.
Either way, it looks like Apple is making some serious, steady steps towards the enterprise market. They're very much the underdogs; people looking at this sort of thing like to see a track record before buying; but still... interesting times, indeed.
Re:What impresses me (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:The Cathedral and the Bazaar (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Actually, your cause and effect might bekinda o (Score:5, Insightful)
Apple is far better off than it was a year ago, or even five years ago, when things were really ugly.
There's a strange (and, IMHO, unrealistic) trend of opinion lately that says that Apple should stop making great hardware and concentrate on making great software that only runs on that great hardware. If you think the software is that damn great, then buy a Mac. That's what Apple's trying to get you to do, but people seem to be missing the point.
Re:What impresses me (Score:2, Insightful)
What's the Apple complaint today? (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Kudos to Apple (Score:5, Insightful)
"Kudos to Apple" is appropriate. This is one company that has worked hard and managed to stay focused over a long period. They deserve recognition for it.
Re:Apple does it right (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Is there a MacOS layer like Wine? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:What to view it on? (Score:2, Insightful)
Vendors were most definitely making USB devices before the iMac was introduced. In my job I saw and worked with plenty of them. Intel saw to it.
I might remind you that Apple has very small market share and I doubt many USB device vendors concern themselves with whether their products work with macs. That's Apple's job if they care to do it.
How do those Pioneer DVDR drives work with macs? You know the ones that you change the firmware id string and call them superdrives? The OEM version doesn't work so well, does it?
Re:What impresses me (Score:4, Insightful)
Like it or not, but for 90% + of desktop users, there is nothing "much outside of the OS and Office".
cheers- raga
[WHY? about ADOBE?] (Score:2, Insightful)
Point the blame squarely on Adobe for not getting off its ass and investing in some in-house Cocoa Developers. Now that Apple DOESN'T NEED ADOBE and Adobe never forsaw that happening. So now they are bowing out because they realize it would take 18 months of in-house revamping (time well spent) to offer Cocoa-ized/Objective-C versions of their Apps.
Adobe has had SEVEN YEARS to build an in-house Cocoa Team, along-side their Carbon Team(s).
Tough Titty to all companies in the OS X space who don't get off their asses and learn Cocoa/Objective-C.
Hell it has been pointed out several times already that Cocoa doesn't have to be written just in Objective-C. You can mix your C/ObjC++/Python, etc... There are no technical hurdles to be had. It is all B.S.
Any company that doesn't reinvest in technical skillsets for their staff deserve to go Bankrupt.
Re:Actually, your cause and effect might bekinda o (Score:2, Insightful)
As far as the eMacs, i don't know what to say. Might have been a bad batch.
To Quote Hillel (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:The real news .. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Yes, Hardware is a sinking ship. (Score:3, Insightful)
Why do you say that Apple can't compete on hardware? They're doing great right now. Do you expect that to change? And if you do, are you also one of those people who said back in '90 that they've be out of business in just a couple years?
Apple's business is great now. Never better. Never.
I don't think Steve Jobs gives a shit what you think as long as he's making billions.
You make billions and then maybe he'll listen to you.
--Richard
Re:Actually, your cause and effect might bekinda o (Score:5, Insightful)
Oops. Stop right there. There's your problem. You've only recently awakened, Rip VanWinkle-like, from 1999.
I'll try to get you up-to-date. OSX!!! OMFG! Flat-panel iMacs! OMFG! G5s! OMFG! iLife! OMFG!
OK. Just giving you a hard time. But bitching about 5 year old hardware failures just makes you look silly.
Re:Yes, Hardware is a sinking ship. (Score:5, Insightful)
Apple has made a decision to use a non-standard platform as the vector for their OS. In a lot of ways, that has simplified the task of creating a reliable operating system. So WHAT if they're doomed to charge more than HP for an entry level system...they aren't trying to create a monopoly. So long as enough people buy their computers, devices and software to turn a profit every quarter, they're far better off than the hundreds of other PC manufacturers who can't see past the concept of hardware as a commodity.
Re:Motion name already taken (Score:4, Insightful)
In light of the Phoenix/Firebird/Firefox/Fire--- browser, and the mobilix.org forced name changes
it should be noted that "Motion" is a well known motion detection software.
http://motion.sourceforge.net/
If there was some confusion, I might see the point. But there's no way Apple's Motion will ever be confused with motion detection software.
It's like saying Apple can't use "Logic" because there's a computer quiz game called "Logic!"
They really have to compete in the same space. And no, "software" isn't a space.
You should re-read that earnings report (Score:3, Insightful)
46 million of profit on 1.9 billion isn't too good (2.35 percent). In fact were it not for the AMAZING sales of the iPod I don't think Apple would have reported a profit. If Apple hadn't been deversifying away from computer sales they'd be in big trouble right now. I find it odd that a computer hardware company is relying on a music player to make them profitable. It would be one thing if Apple were profitable on Mac sales and the iPod was icing, but for Apple to be dependent on the iPod is a little frightning.
For comparison, Adobe also had a good quarter. They generated a profit of 123 million on revenues of 423 million (29 percent)
Re:Yes, it is a steal; $300 for EDU (Score:2, Insightful)
It will be hard to have this conversation with you since I doubt you'll agree that there's anything comparable to FCP. On the PC side, Vegas and Premiere would be considered competition and each is considerably less expensive on the street. Each does titling and comes with compression suites. Adobe bundles Premiere with audio software as you describe but Vegas doesn't AFAIK (they offer one). Adobe's bundle includes two other packages (AE and DVD authoring) so you aren't going to get very far with the comparision. I bought the Adobe bundle of 4 apps and paid considerably less than $999 without an educational discount.
Don't know who you're calling a troll but who's the one bragging about FCP being a steal at $999? At that price it's one of the more expensive packages. As far as special discounts, they may give it to you if you ask nicely but it doesn't alter the retail price. Adobe's best pricing is generally found in bundles with hardware. I paid under $500 for the Vegas bundle (long ago) and could easily buy the SF app for soundtrack creation if I had the interest. SF has been doing that a lot longer than Apple has.
Re:What to view it on? (Score:4, Insightful)
B) Microsoft is readying "Windows 97"/"Memphis" with full USB support (remember the demo crashing on Gates?)
C) Manufacturers start gearing up for the anticipated USB demand
D) Windows 98 is delayed again in early 1998
E) Apple introduces the iMac
F) All those USB products in the pipeline quickly get Mac drivers and blue plastic, because otherwise nobody was buying them.
G) Every Apple customer upgrading to the imac has to throw out his/her peripherals and buy new ones
F) Mac products sales shoot thorough the roof, saving several key retailers for Apple
G) Jobs looks like a genius, when it was at least 50% luck.
Unix makes it easier (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Yes, Hardware is a sinking ship. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Yes, Hardware is a sinking ship. (Score:3, Insightful)
Why must every company have impossible sales numbers to "compete?" Why isn't it possible to simply continue making money on lower volume? (which is precisely what Apple is doing, and doing better than any other company)
I'm saying their hardware isn't profitable.
It's probably more profitable than the $599 machines from Dell.
Apple has some great consumer and professional applications. They have the potential to deliver more.
So why do they need to drop their entire hardware line?
Who would you rather be, Adobe or Apple.
Apple. Adobe doesn't have iPods. Adobe doesn't have Cinema displays. Adobe doesn't have Powerbooks.
Re:What impresses me (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:You should re-read that earnings report (Score:2, Insightful)
btw, adobe if you had not noticed is in the software business....
it is kinda easy to rake in the dough on popular software when it costs about one billionth the cost to print it package it and ship it than the price of the software at retail.
Re:Actually, your cause and effect might bekinda o (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:The real news .. (Score:2, Insightful)
The SAN market is changing. There are more switch vendors, and they are all having to compete with iSCSI, so the cost per port is coming down. While it's true that apples aren't competing in the market space where SANs have TRADITIONALLY been deployed, they are competing in the area where SANs are beginning to be deployed. "Only for graphic artists" isn't a joke. They announced these products at NAB (National Association of Broadcasters). This is no small trade show. This is a full convention center with multi-million dollar booths. TV and movie houses buy billions of dollars worth of computer equipment, and a sizable chunk of this is apple.
These little apple clusters are a joke compared to enterprise SANs of symmetrix, Sunfire, and P690 boxes, but it's still a many billion dollar market. (Especially if you sell both the hardware and the software).
Re:Ahhh, the smell of astroturf in the morning (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Ahhh, the smell of astroturf in the morning (Score:3, Insightful)