Re: What a Long, Strange Year It's Been!

Walter, thank you for such a great article. As a director.producer.editor I have had the good fortune to be involved with a variety of productions from music videos and commercials to variety, reality and currently a feature documentary.

I learned to to edit early on because I recognized how large the role of post is in the creative process. For years I was an Avid snob, though I've always owned Mac, mainly because the workflow called for multiple systems and NYC's large post facilities were Avid dominated. A few years ago I sold my Symphony, and began to explore FCP, but always had Avid onboard, using them for different types of projects. And, as I got more into FCP and saw the increase in support for multiple systems on a shared network, I could see how FCP was headed toward domination.

I love Apple products, and yes, they probably don't "need" to be in the pro business--for now. However, when you look at why Apple HAS had such a good run, I believe it is in part due to the professional world in effect helping them brand. They have almost always been the tool of choice for creatives from all visual arenas except in situations where Apple didn't support beefier hardware or occasionally dropped the ball and went too consumer with their pro macs. So while short term it seems unnecessary to support the few in the pro world, I do believe this will come to impact their bottom line in years to come. It's their niche...delivering high end capability to the desktop. As a creative, I want everything on my laptop and to plug in to professional workspace when I need to, and work independently other times. It is shortsighted to abandon the professional line. I believe it could have a very negative trickle down effect. Working and living are intertwined, often more than we want them to be, but we are in a media, content-driven world. If you're not a player in both arenas, you risk diminishing your share across the board. Time will tell. Thanks again for such a great article, Walter.