Re: On the fence.. wondering if X will be a headache or a blessing...

[Jules bowman] "learning the 'old' way wasn't hard. It is logical."

I'm not so sure about how hard it is/isn't. Just a guess but I think the GUI change in iMovie might have been Apple's response to how some people had problems. Of course those without problems did shout loudly. Either Apple wanted to lose their user base there or maybe they saw a bigger picture. In fact, one might find that after all the supposed upset with the change in GUI, that they'd avoid doing that again. Maybe Apple has no business sense or maybe they're seeing something many of us aren't.

I can't say I know the backend decision making of course but do note that the FCP GUI change wasn't without precedent. After doing it with iMovie and despite the apparent hue and cry, they did it again. Glutton for business punishment or maybe they felt that actual result bore out that they should do this again. I don't pretend to know anything concretely beyond that Apple makes business decisions and, having done this before, thought there was long run value in doing it again. They saw something beyond the noise that we aren't seeing.

Apple has certainly made their share of mistakes but one of their patterns of success is designing with an understanding towards human interface. When they do make a mistake such as the dumb hockey puck mouse, they don't repeat it. In this case the GUI they made with iMovie was repeated even after seeing the visible reaction to it. I suspect they saw something else not obvious in the noise.


[Jules bowman] "To me this whole 'FC10 is better for those with no baggage' argument is just an attempt to intellectualise the fact Apple wanted to do it 'their way'."

I'd argue the opposite. The attempt to anthropomorphize a company's business decision as "wanting it their way" is anti intellectual. They want to make money. That's their motive. They have a business model with history that they work on implementing. It's far more likely that they see more growth potential over time with the new GUI. Maybe if you consider that "their way" it would be more appropriate. "They" are a business and "their way" is to increase revenue and profits. They may or may not fail in any given action, but, like a good business, they re-evaluate. They made the GUI move with iMovie and, after evaluation, decided to do it again with FCP.