Even Apple Doesn't Want To Use FCPX....REALLY!?!

Why would Apple do this?

www.theverge.com/2015/12/13/10029498/app...-adobe-premiere-avid

More than four years after its release, Final Cut Pro X is still seen as a blight on the video editing industry. To quote The Verge's own video director Tom Connors, "I was so heartbroken by it." But it's one thing for video editors out in the world to hate it. It's another for Apple, the company that makes it, to not endorse its use internally.

Apple recently put up a job listing for an Assistant Editor under the Beats by Dre umbrella. The position requires some critical editing know-how, but you might notice a particular software suite completely missing here:

Assistant Editor

Do you see Final Cut anywhere here? Neither do I.

Apple did a lot in the months after FCP X's initial release to address some of its most glaring problems, but that didn't stop editors from abandoning it. Judging from this listing, it looks like FCP X is collecting dust even in Cupertino. Now, Adobe Premiere and Avid are great software, but at some point Apple is just going to have to do something about Final Cut. This whole situation is not a good look.

Because Apple acquired Beats. And one would assume that they already had a post-production workflow in place prior to the acquisition and did not see a reasonable argument for changing the workflow over to FCPX.

The entire Beats production team should be fired tomorrow. This is complete bullshit. They've had a year to get their shit together. If they can't get with it they should be gone. That's the bottom line. It's hurting Apple revenue.

If Beats was still using their own ad agency, the ad would be placed by that agency, but it's not, it's placed by Apple directly. I totally agree with Tom.

This really is a piss-poor, idiotic move on Apple's part. Won't help the official training program, which is already in serious trouble. No, this job posting is not good. Doesn't really make sense at all. Now we can sit back and watch the firestorm and hate-mongering flare up...

"Some mornings it's not worth gnawing through the leather straps."

The link to the apple site seems to be missing now. A bit of damage limitation? Haven't seen the ad but seems odd that the software requirements are so far down the list. Did anyone see the original ad? I'd be tempted to wonder if FCPX wasn't in the top description - and the other software was secondary requirements.

Yep, it is gone for sure! And yes, I personally did see it last night. The screen shot in the article is real. FCPX, Motion, Compressor, no Apple pro app was listed at all. It did require knowledge of: Premiere Pro, After Effects, Media Composer, ProTools, Audition. Pretty much every Apple pro app competitor out there. But it is gone, so I think we can safely assume someone at Apple/Beats is in trouble now. Or the position got filled, and Apple actually does not use its own products. No way to know which. I hope they make a statement, because that article alone, with an honest screen capture, is going viral and doing serious damage. Worse than the messed up launch.

Damn. I thought I was being too hopeful. It's crazy and depressing they'd let this happen. I've been seeing this doing the rounds on FB. It's so frustrating because FCPX is so much better than Premiere (having used both regularly). Let's hope they release a killer update soon - be good damage limitation (and they're due one).

I emailed the author, pointing out the job ad is now gone, and suggested he reach out to Apple for comment, and update the article. Also, bear in mind that The Verge is the yellow journalism of geekdom, not highly decorated, honorably recognized industry journal.

Then again, this article is on their front page, the damage is done, now let's hope Apple will re-post the ad requiring Apple pro-app experience, and/or release a statement about it.

I'm hoping (against all hope) that someone in the Beats team was simply ignorant that Apple makes all that pro-app software, screwed up, and Apple makes Beats do their sizzle reels with Apple pro-apps now. But my guess is we will hear nothing from Apple, the article continues to burn viral wildfire, and we all get set back a decade. Some of us being forced by industry/peer pressure to abandon FCPX as a professional platform. I'm trying to hold out hope Apple fixes this PR nightmare.

Or did the position simply get filled, as per the stated requirements?

Where's Tim Cook and the pro-app product managers on this one?

:S Why why are we giving this any airtime?? Some geek saddle sore about failing his simple FCPX exam, finds an out of date job advert on page 4876 on google search and writes a diatribe about nothing.

Does it matter what is used where? I am sure Bill Gates has at times used an ipad or god forbid a mac laptop...Does anyone care??? I sure as figleaves dont!!!

I think it would be extremely funny if we hadn't invested so much time and money in FCPX.

And yes the feeling of being let down by Apple keeps growing and growing and growing... despite the software getting better every time.

That's why many of us have this love/hate relation with FCPX I guess. Apple needs to change their PR radically if they want to even be mentionned as a serious NLE in the future. But so often it feels like they're not even trying.

This isn't the first instance. When Apple made the "30 years of Mac" add with Ridley Scott's son they missed a huge opportunity to promote FCPX.

The whole ad was supposed to be about Mac's, but at the end it said "Shot on iPhone". It should have said "Shot on iPhone, edited on a Mac with FCPX".

Justine,
1- Because it is important and could impact our businesses.
2- He may be a snot nosed little kid, but he is a writer for The Verge, a well known online publication, and the news is spreading. It isn't a Google search, it is an Apple job search, super easy to do. It isn't an opinion piece, it stated a fact, which could, as a real world fact, be damaging.
3- In today's mass social media world, yes, it does seem to matter, and have an effect in the industries we all work in and with.
4- Mr. Gates has said many times, in many interviews, he and his family have never touched an Apple product. And I, sure as fig leaves, believe he has no reason to be anything but honest about that.

It is vital to hold Apple to the standards they promote themselves. If they don't use their own products, what will our clients thing of us who do use them? Very simple logic, very simple fact of life, Justine.

I've been using FCPX since day one and this article doesn't make me second guess what I use as my professional editing tool. I also feel like this is a mountain out of a molehill issue. Just another click bait article to me.

I don't think FCPX is heading for the graveyard of dead NLE anytime soon.

It works now, and if you do nothing, it will still continue to work, it is not rental software, so if Apple does can FCPX, you can still continue to edit long into the future.

Social media is people making comments from their buttholes, it is a untrusted unverified forum full of trolls.

Again it does not matter a fig leaf if Billy used or uses Apple or Microsoft, or linux, I am sure there are a few ipads in or around his residence, again I careless about Billy.

The workflow of FCPX is by far superior to that of Adobe, and I commend Apple for making this bold step, this might only be a short lived product, and something someday will replace it, hopefully with the same trackless user interface, and it a once off NON rental option.

Technology moves on, things change, I have learned the hard way, to not be so emotionally invested in software, I really think Apple could and maybe should have done more by now, and I am concerned a bit, that is a natural response, maybe a few more regular updates would serve to placate a nervous user base already a tad hurt over the introduction and then re-introduction of FCPX.

The fact that Logic, imovie and FCPX are not playing very well together leads one to draw a very logical conclusion, and it is most certainly not about spending money, Apple are very free to splash the cash, $19m on a campus upgrade, speaks to that.

I agree the PR of Apple Pro Dev is somewhat lacking, the lack of input from Apple when it comes to bug or feature requests, I have this nagging feeling something is just not right, that maybe FCPX has reached a development stalemate. This along with hopelessly overpriced under-powered devices such as a 13 inch retina macbook pro.. I would love a inch taller mac laptop that I can add/replace/service myself, had one like that, and that was the reason I bought it, update as and when funds allow.

Not everyone lives in Castle USA, my country does not have official Apple support, the exchange rate of R15 to the US Dollar, makes a laptop more expensive than my car...So replacing every few years is nigh impossible.

These are my thoughts and feelings in regards Apple.

Dave you are right, but it's a molehill on top of many others and it starts to really look like a mountain.

When you are responsible for the full edit you are free to choose FCPX, but the sad reality is that in collaborative workflows we are always forced to use another NLE as most editors have zero experience with FCPX and/or disregard it very much.

Of course it is ignorance - the product is good -, but Apple has done extremely little PR-wise to prove them wrong. In the meantime, we can't use FCPX in many situations and prospects are not good.

I dont want to get into more trouble with Peter W, Apple have sadly dropped the ball in this case, the people doing the PR of FCPX are the users, case in point, the dismal Apple FCPX website, outdated, text only, Apple put far more effort into Final Cut Studio than with FCPX...

UPDATE...Just checked the FCPX Apple website, lo and behold, Full Sail University has a mention, and a photo...the photo shows a clear product shot of FCPX...10.0 series....ancient...

Text only? What is? You also saw the Focus movie featured also on the site.

MSJustine I disagree I think the website is pretty cool. But it takes more than a website to do PR.

The website should be more than it is, no video, nothing, only long boring text written by a bored intern, something created during a shift..

Apple is spending $0.00 on PR for FCPX, they spend $19m on a campus upgrade...

The previous iteration of this very same website, had loads of video, plenty of interviews, in video format...That was what sold me on Final Cut Studio...This version dentists would use to do a root canal, boring, brain numbing text.

I totally disagree with you, J. But after reflection, and speaking with friends and associates in the industry, well known folks, this article will pass, no one will pay it any mind, we're done here.