I made the switch from Windows to Mac back in October of 2007 and have never looked back. In fact from time to time I still have to interact with a Windows computer in some way which quickly reminds me why I made the switch in the first place. It’s not that Windows isn’t a decent operating system, I think Windows 7 proved that, but Windows and Mac based computers are built on completely different philosophies which if you are a Mac user can be a bit hard to swallow at times.
Apple has always been about change and this year has been no exception. First of all there was the release of Final Cut Pro X in June which was followed up the next month with the release of OS X Lion. And in typical Apple fashion they once again gave us something shiny and new, but not without taking something away.
Along with many other professional editors Final Cut Pro has been my software of choice for video editing, but it was due for an update. Of course the prerelease demos earlier this year only made us all that more anxious to get our hands on this new, faster, better app. And then when we did we were all shocked at how Apple completely changed the software. It wasn’t even able to open projects done in previous versions. Are you kidding me?
That being said there were some, I being one of them, who were actually willing to accept the change and see if the new version might actually be something we didn’t realize we needed. Apple was right. I found myself editing in a whole different way. A creative way. It was very freeing. I actually wanted to edit. And the edits I came up with were different than those I had done in the past. Final Cut Pro X allowed me to break free of the technical complexities that often surrounded an editing project. It freed me to simply try whatever came to mind.
As for those missing features? Still missing, but I found that the new version was so much faster to edit with that I was willing to work around them. In fact if I were able to import previous projects I never would have discovered how helpful the clip scrub preview mode was to find the content I was looking for. And discover content I forgot I had. And the magnetic timeline meant it was easy to rearrange and refine an edit without worrying about things getting out of sync. Like I said before. Very freeing.
Okay, I admit that it bugs me that it looks like iMovie. Kind of takes away the “Pro” from a supposed pro level app. It also bugs me that they did remove so much. Not that I really needed it, but maybe some day I will. I guess that was the safety in having a full featured app. Everything was there just in case, but with that come complexity. I think Apple did know what they were doing in regards to Final Cut Pro X. I look forward to see what gets added to it as it matures, but for now it has changed the way I edit for the better. Once again thank you Apple for giving me something I didn’t know I needed.
And then there is the latest release to Apples operating system, OS X Lion. Once again in typical Apple fashion full of new stuff we didn’t know we needed. And of course they took out a few things that we learned to like from the previous version. But again this is what Apple does best. Stirs the pot. Changes it up. Tells us that what they came up with before really wasn’t that cool after all so they changed it or got rid of it entirely. The funny thing is that we eventually get used to it and come around to realize that it sort of does make sense after all.
Personally, I’m amazed at how much Apple can change things and still hold on to their loyal fan base. But then I guess Apple wouldn’t be Apple if they had to make sure everyone was okay with what they did. They take liberty in having the freedom to change and change they do. I guess that’s why I hate to love Apple. Because Apple knows best.
