112 creators from the film and TV industry submitted a open letter addressed to Tim Cook. They wish Apple’s management took better care of Final Cut Pro and its use in the industry.
So it’s not a criticism of the software itself, but of how Apple manages and develops the software. Users would like Apple to better represent the software in the industry and also incorporate features that are necessary for today’s modern workflow, such as shared access to the media library. In the complex production, things have to work together and Final Cut Pro is designed more for a single person, both in terms of operation and the marketing of the program. The signatories now want that to change.
Of course, it is understandable that users who get along well with the powerful software would like new features that are necessary for the modern workflow to be added. However, this is of course a desire that has to be seen against the history of Apple products that have appealed to (semi)professionals. For example, the break from Final Cut Pro 7 to the newer version was too abrupt for many users, Aperture for photo processing no longer exists, Apple Server (in the extensive functions previously offered) was discontinued.
Is Final Cut Pro still important for Apple?
So the question is how Apple evaluates Final Cut Pro: should it really continue to stand as a competitor to AVID, Adobe’s Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve? If so, it would need a lot more development work. But this is in stark contrast to a factor that all discontinued products have in common: the market was too small. Apple has long since abandoned the goal of offering a comprehensive ecosystem with the best solutions and has dropped the aforementioned programs as well as the entire router division. Since it can be assumed that Apple does not earn any money with Final Cut Pro, the discontinuation of the program is more likely than a drastic further development.
Since Apple does not provide a roadmap for the software or any kind of support period, this is a confusing situation especially for newcomers. If you’ve ever used FCP7, Aperture, or Apple Server (or all three), you’ll know a thing or two about this – it’s currently impossible to tell if Final Cut Pro is a major product or the next one to be cancelled. So if you’re just thinking about which ecosystem to get into: Final Cut Pro offers a 90-day trial period. But DaVinci Resolve might be the better deal for many: the basic version up to 4K resolution and without the DaVinci Resolve Studio functions costs simply – nothing.
