Re: New Macbook - Deliberately hobbled?

Actually this applies to all students - many of whom purchase FCS at considerable student discounts. At a single stroke, Apple have cut off a generation of laptop toting FCP learning students, who now have no way to connect a video drive or DV camera to their personal computer. Even if they're using a newer HD camera, they still have NO WAY to play the captured video reliably.

If you think this is hyperbole, then think again. If you were heartened as I have been by a new generation of students bought up in FCP at college, now making their way into production and post-production, helping in no small part to tip the balance in broadcast towards FCP away from AVID then wonder how many of them will buy a $2000 MBP. To say nothing of the film industry directly sourcing talent from film schools, using DV and HDV cameras. If you watched the Apple launch stream of the new laptops, you would have seen the emphasis they put on students - including the now famous shot of a lecture hall full of journalism students (I think it's from North Western) all toting Macbooks.

All this from the lack of a port? Yes - really. It's not good enough for Steve Jobs to make a glib response about HD camcorders using USB. Not only does it ignore DV users (still the vast majority) it totally ignores the storage issues removing the FW port causes. Many PC alternatives at LESS price than the MB have Expresscard other interface options.

I suspect Apple will either u-turn on this on pay a heavy price a few years down the line.

Ben

Edit Out Ltd
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FCP Editor/Trainer/System Consultant
EVS/VT Supervisor for live broadcast
RED camera transfer/post
Independent Director/Producer