Apple Announces New Pro Software

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."

Comments

What impresses me

[ObviousGuy]

The most impressive thing about the Mac world is that Apple puts so much effort into building a complete software environment for their customers. With (compared to the Windows world) 3rd party software houses effectively shunning Apple because of the lack of users (again comparatively speaking), Apple would no doubt be dead if not for Apple's heavy investment in writing these pro-level tools that have become absolutely essential to the media cartels.

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.

Re:What impresses me

[Anonymous Coward]

The return on investment of this kind of thing can't be that great considering the low low price of the software.

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

[Selecter]

Most of the software is not any sort of a loss leader for Apple. They make some serious cash off most of their in house softwarez - iLife 04 was a huge success for Apple as noted in the recent quarterly report.

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:What impresses me

[geniusj]

Shake is also costs twice as much for linux. Enough that it's cheaper to get a powermac and shake than to get a linux box and shake.. that's intentional.

The real news ..

[naden]

Has to be the XSan .. this combined with the XServe and XServe RAID really does have to worry companies like Sun and SGI a little.

Wow, how many companies can do this?!!!

[tentimestwenty]

I'm not even a big video user but this is amazing stuff. From start to finish they've got everything almost anyone could want to make high end productions and the cost and hardware is stupidly cheap. Real time HD over FireWire on a $3000 computer? Just to get that to work is amazing, but to have a purpose built SAN to handle all the files, and it all works together with amazing fit and finish. I can't see anyone in the industry not going for this. Apple's been saying that having the hardware and the software let's them do all sorts of unique things, but this is the first time it's going to completely change a whole industry. Linux companies take note and make sure you've got a hardware side to your operations.

Re:Your cause and effect's all out of whack.

[Anonymous Coward]

People don't write software for MacOS because Apple will compete with them.

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:Your cause and effect's all out of whack.

[MoneyT]

Apple wouldn't need to write software if the developers would actualy, you know, develop, as opposed to letting products die *cough* premeire *cough*. If no one is going to write software for Apple, Apple will write the software themselves.

Re:What to view it on?

[MoneyT]

And before the iMac, there were probably less than 10 companies producing USB products. It's all about pushing people forward into the new world.

Interesting.

[Anonymous Coward]

First SGI came out with a port of their CXFS filesystem, and now Apple's Xsan. Both of these fill a hole that was blindingly obvious the moment Apple came out with the Xserve RAID.

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:Actually, your cause and effect might bekinda o

[MidnightBrewer]

"Hardware sinking ship?" I have to disagree with you there. With the release of the G5 bringing the Mac hardware platform on par with, if not ahead of its PC counterparts, Apple is by no means hurting. This is without counting the 64-bit capabilities of the processor that are, as yet, still largely under-utilized. They also have a good price point for their workstation systems, that easily compete with what the other guys have to offer.

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:Kudos to Apple

[tobycat]

I think Apple has something to be proud of here. They've attracted some of the very best technical talent in the industry and are keeping them employed in the US. Apple accomplished this during an economic downturn in which technology companies were laying off double digit percentages of their workforces. Instead of shrinking, Apple diversified its product line while hanging onto (and adding to) its technical talent pool. The result are a diverse set of applications that appeal to both consumers AND vertical markets. Oh, and they are making a profit and are a debt free company.

"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:Actually, your cause and effect might bekinda o

[MasonMcD]

I have a half-dozen of the more recent blueberry iMacs...

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.

[dasmegabyte]

Apple doesn't HAVE to "compete" on hardware. This is ridiculous. It's like saying that that the Four Seasons will have to match prices with McDonalds, or get out of food.

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.