Stop thinking of record companies as an entity that produces a product that is purchased.
A record company is basically a bank that provides very high risk loans. The number one expense for making a record isn't production, it is promotion. All the legal and illegal forms of payola, music videos, print, retail and radio promotion takes lots and lots of cash. Sometimes the loans payback dividends, but, 90% of the time, the gamble fails and the loans are in default.
As such, the terms of the loan are rather draconian. The artist is free to reject the terms of the deal. No one holds a gun to their head to sign.
The strength of Windows through the ages has been 100% backwards compatibility and that is now a noose around its neck. That much legacy makes it impossible to move forward with a truly modern operating system.
XP is the host for a blight of malware. It is nearly impossible to keep the system clean without all sorts of things popping up and beeping at you incessantly. If there were a way to fix this, it would have happened already.
The development of Vista has endured numerous delays, and the removal of key features, and it still isn't ready. Some of the bad press is coming from within the company itself.
Basically, Windows is in a sorry state, and it doesn't look like things are getting any better.
Meanwhile, OS X is not only incredibly solid, but running on the same hardware as Windows where users can judge for themselves just what an operating system is supposed to be.
Boot camp is the ultimate statement of confidence Apple has in its operating system. Not only does it kicks XP's ass in every conceivable department, it'll kick Vista's ass as well.
Mature, complicated applications like Adobe's require mature, complicated development cycles. Beta testing alone takes months, and it can be difficult to predict how long it will take. The development cycle for these applications realistically consumes two years.
Let's pretend Adobe dropped everything to focus on a transition to Universal binaries right after WWDC last year. Realistically, it would be another 12-18 months from now before a release is ready. This would coincide with when Jobs told developers professional Macs would ship.
But that isn't how it happens. Developers will continue with the development cycle they have committed to, and tackle the next challenge in the next development cycle. Development on this scale is like steering an oil tanker. The fact that they're saying 2007 at all is a miracle.
iMacs and laptops are not Adobe's core professional market. Professionals who rely on Adobe's products will continue to do what they have always done, use what works reliably and upgrade when it makes sense to do so. In other words, have some patience until the tools you rely on are ready, then upgrade your hardware.
I've been on the Apple campus once. I was sent to do a demo for, IIRC, the Final Cut group in 'the Piano Bar' or room, IIRC. We had a Genelec surround system sent directly to our contact at Apple and I loaded this on a huge cart along with other hardware and my Warr Guitar strapped to my back. We 'booked' the room so we were sure it would be abandoned, including the allocated setup time. So, I come crashing into the room with the cart *KERBLAM* and I see a group of five people talking at a table in the back.
Our apple contact says, "We should, uh, get out of here." I shrug and follow him out. He and the other guy leave to go do something and I'm sitting outside the piano room by myself. Moments later four, ashen Apple employees scurry out of the room followed by a scruffy unshaven fellow with torn jeans. He surveys the outside area, and, like a missile locking on to a strong heat signature, zeros in on me and walks towards me, the person who burst in like a herd of buffalo on his private meeting.
He holds out his hand and says, "Hi. I'm Steve."
I owned a 128K Mac in 1984. Before that, the obligatory Apple//s and what not. What I do today was shaped largely by Apple, and what this person did. Heck, I started writing music by dragging notes onto a screen with a program called MusicWorks - it isn't hyperbole to say my very interest in music started with the Macintosh, and I'm staring Steve Jobs in the face.
Being a fairly eloquent person, I summon up the response: "Hey."
Smooth.
I don't remember if I shook his hand or not. In fact, I really don't remember anything beyond saying 'hey'
Musicians obtain the vast majority of their income from live performances.
Bzzzzzt. Not true. Not all recording artists perform. Not all recorded music *can* be performed.
This also ignores the fact that recorded music and performed music are two separate art forms. If you examine the most obvious mainstream examples, yes, a 'band' records an album and then 'tours' to support it, but this does not describe the entire music industry. I realize it is difficult to make this distinction when live albums are released and Ashley Simpson dances a jig to a ProTools playback.
One use of the recording studio is to document a live performance. We should not leave it at that. The recording studio is a creative tool that allows forms of expression to flow way beyond that narrow defination. There is theatre, and there are movies. Movies are not simply film adaptations of stage plays. Separate art form. Not better or worse, but different. Recorded audio does not simply exist as a promotional tool.
Mac OS 9 was the result of the original Macintosh metaphors evolving to the point of absurdity. Mac OS X brought the Macintosh into the 21st century, but in the process, abandoned one of the core principles the original Macintosh design: instead of teaching people about computers, why not teach computers about people? We relate to OS X because we're leveraging our existing computer knowledge, and it works much better than the alternatives. It is a great OS, but it isn't inherently user-oriented and easy to understand like the Lisa and Macintosh were in 1984.
In Apple's defense, I'm not even sure this is possible. The user-centric model that Woz adores doesn't fit in today's networked, multi-user, multi-threaded environment. We expect a lot more from our computers today vs. 1984 and it is difficult to reconcile these expectations with simplicity and elegance.
And user interface can always be better, because one size never really fits all.
I'm sure there are others out there who carry both a cell phone and an iPod. Have you ever been walking down the street, listening to your iPod, when your phone rings?
The first bit of convergence is a physical one for me. I'd like to patch my cell phone though my headphones. Why not have stereo headphones with an integrated mic? Currently, I have to take out the iPod head phones, and dig the phone up and place it next to my ear. Also, fumble with the iPod to pause the track.
Apple is the perfect company to handle this elegantly. The audio could dim and a voice patched in to tell you, by name, who is calling. Then you could, via the microphone, instruct the iPod/phone to take the call or ignore or whatever via simple voice commands. The iPod could then pause the track and resume when the phone call is completed.
A good example of this is the emac, which is a great computer but is overkill for the tasks of checking email and cruising the 'net, and too inflexible to do things like operate with external music devices (ie MOTU).
...you mean besides the half dozen USB MIDI interfaces, firewire audio interfaces like the 828mkII and 896HD? These all work fine with the eMac, not to mention Digital Performer and MachFive.
The only thing from MOTU that doesn't work are the three PCI audio interfaces for obvious reasons. However, this fact still does not keep you from enjoying 24-bit/192kHz audio recording, and zero latency monitoring with the 896HD.
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Stop thinking of record companies as an entity that produces a product that is purchased. A record company is basically a bank that provides very high risk loans. The number one expense for making a record isn't production, it is promotion. All the legal and illegal forms of payola, music videos, print, retail and radio promotion takes lots and lots of cash. Sometimes the loans payback dividends, but, 90% of the time, the gamble fails and the loans are in default. As such, the terms of the loan are rather draconian. The artist is free to reject the terms of the deal. No one holds a gun to their head to sign.
XP is the host for a blight of malware. It is nearly impossible to keep the system clean without all sorts of things popping up and beeping at you incessantly. If there were a way to fix this, it would have happened already.
The development of Vista has endured numerous delays, and the removal of key features, and it still isn't ready. Some of the bad press is coming from within the company itself.
Basically, Windows is in a sorry state, and it doesn't look like things are getting any better.
Meanwhile, OS X is not only incredibly solid, but running on the same hardware as Windows where users can judge for themselves just what an operating system is supposed to be.
Boot camp is the ultimate statement of confidence Apple has in its operating system. Not only does it kicks XP's ass in every conceivable department, it'll kick Vista's ass as well.
Let's pretend Adobe dropped everything to focus on a transition to Universal binaries right after WWDC last year. Realistically, it would be another 12-18 months from now before a release is ready. This would coincide with when Jobs told developers professional Macs would ship.
But that isn't how it happens. Developers will continue with the development cycle they have committed to, and tackle the next challenge in the next development cycle. Development on this scale is like steering an oil tanker. The fact that they're saying 2007 at all is a miracle.
iMacs and laptops are not Adobe's core professional market. Professionals who rely on Adobe's products will continue to do what they have always done, use what works reliably and upgrade when it makes sense to do so. In other words, have some patience until the tools you rely on are ready, then upgrade your hardware.
I know, I know. The issue is the combination and lack of warning. Lawsuits like this lead to "do not apply to groin" printed on coffee cups.
I've been on the Apple campus once. I was sent to do a demo for, IIRC, the Final Cut group in 'the Piano Bar' or room, IIRC. We had a Genelec surround system sent directly to our contact at Apple and I loaded this on a huge cart along with other hardware and my Warr Guitar strapped to my back. We 'booked' the room so we were sure it would be abandoned, including the allocated setup time. So, I come crashing into the room with the cart *KERBLAM* and I see a group of five people talking at a table in the back. Our apple contact says, "We should, uh, get out of here." I shrug and follow him out. He and the other guy leave to go do something and I'm sitting outside the piano room by myself. Moments later four, ashen Apple employees scurry out of the room followed by a scruffy unshaven fellow with torn jeans. He surveys the outside area, and, like a missile locking on to a strong heat signature, zeros in on me and walks towards me, the person who burst in like a herd of buffalo on his private meeting. He holds out his hand and says, "Hi. I'm Steve." I owned a 128K Mac in 1984. Before that, the obligatory Apple //s and what not. What I do today was shaped largely by Apple, and what this person did. Heck, I started writing music by dragging notes onto a screen with a program called MusicWorks - it isn't hyperbole to say my very interest in music started with the Macintosh, and I'm staring Steve Jobs in the face.
Being a fairly eloquent person, I summon up the response: "Hey."
Smooth.
I don't remember if I shook his hand or not. In fact, I really don't remember anything beyond saying 'hey'
Bzzzzzt. Not true. Not all recording artists perform. Not all recorded music *can* be performed.
This also ignores the fact that recorded music and performed music are two separate art forms. If you examine the most obvious mainstream examples, yes, a 'band' records an album and then 'tours' to support it, but this does not describe the entire music industry. I realize it is difficult to make this distinction when live albums are released and Ashley Simpson dances a jig to a ProTools playback.
One use of the recording studio is to document a live performance. We should not leave it at that. The recording studio is a creative tool that allows forms of expression to flow way beyond that narrow defination. There is theatre, and there are movies. Movies are not simply film adaptations of stage plays. Separate art form. Not better or worse, but different. Recorded audio does not simply exist as a promotional tool.
Mac OS 9 was the result of the original Macintosh metaphors evolving to the point of absurdity. Mac OS X brought the Macintosh into the 21st century, but in the process, abandoned one of the core principles the original Macintosh design: instead of teaching people about computers, why not teach computers about people? We relate to OS X because we're leveraging our existing computer knowledge, and it works much better than the alternatives. It is a great OS, but it isn't inherently user-oriented and easy to understand like the Lisa and Macintosh were in 1984. In Apple's defense, I'm not even sure this is possible. The user-centric model that Woz adores doesn't fit in today's networked, multi-user, multi-threaded environment. We expect a lot more from our computers today vs. 1984 and it is difficult to reconcile these expectations with simplicity and elegance. And user interface can always be better, because one size never really fits all.
I'm sure there are others out there who carry both a cell phone and an iPod. Have you ever been walking down the street, listening to your iPod, when your phone rings? The first bit of convergence is a physical one for me. I'd like to patch my cell phone though my headphones. Why not have stereo headphones with an integrated mic? Currently, I have to take out the iPod head phones, and dig the phone up and place it next to my ear. Also, fumble with the iPod to pause the track. Apple is the perfect company to handle this elegantly. The audio could dim and a voice patched in to tell you, by name, who is calling. Then you could, via the microphone, instruct the iPod/phone to take the call or ignore or whatever via simple voice commands. The iPod could then pause the track and resume when the phone call is completed.
The only thing from MOTU that doesn't work are the three PCI audio interfaces for obvious reasons. However, this fact still does not keep you from enjoying 24-bit/192kHz audio recording, and zero latency monitoring with the 896HD.