Apple to preview next version of OS X on October 20th. http://tinyurl.com/2f9j2k6 That’ll help FCP make 2012 timeline if the expected changes to the underpinnings of QuickTime are ported from iOS 4.1.
Let’s guess: announced October 2010, finished 10.7 at WWDC 2011, Final Cut Studio <next> sometime thereafter? I think this makes the 2012 timeline seem reasonable: announcing OS X 10.7 in July would have made it difficult.
Dubbed “Back to the Mac,†the invite’s image shows a slightly rotated Apple logo with a lion peeking through it. In the invite, Apple says “come see what’s new for the Mac…†and adds that it will present a preview of the next major version of Mac OS X—which I think we can now safely presume is Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. The company will also be providing a café breakfast and a coffee bar—isn’t that nice of them?
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7 responses to “Apple to preview next version of OS X (10.7)”
Though on the surface it would seem an irredeemably long time to get features that many hoped would be in the last release, I think it’s far more likely that your line of thought was accurate; there was far too much to do at the very core of FCP to imagine a new version coming out before the changes to quicktime could be incorporated.
I’ve made my living off FCP for the better part of 10 years, and I can’t see myself going anywhere anytime soon. But I have to respect those who aren’t in the position I am to chart my own course equipment and software wise, and must bow to whatever advantages they see with Avid or Premier.
On one hand, I find myself thinking that the hyper-secretive stance that Apple takes on it’s more consumer oriented offerings is ill-fit to the pro market, and that without giving away any future advancements that it wants to keep under it’s hat, Apple could be more open with it’s upgrade path and timeline-
On the other hand however, if I don’t get an update to FCP until late 2011 or early 2012, does it mean I won’t be able to continue to do my job and make money tomorrow morning? No.
I will say though, that if the next iteration of FCP is going to be in the oven that long, I hope that it will truly be worth the wait, not only under the hood, but also from an interface and UI perspective.
Some will say I’m nuts, but I’ve been saying since the iPhone’s launch in 2007 that multi-touch input could be an amazing boon for editors [be they audio or video]. If more touch capability is indeed coming to 10.7, as many might surmise, then imagine a multi-touch keyboard, that allows for a fluid interface that takes the best of non-linear, best of AB, and best of film editing workflows and combines them into something infinitely more intuitive than what a straight keyboard can provide. Only the controls you need when you need them. No cluttered mixture of viewing space and input space.
Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see what next Wednesday brings…
I’m on record as agreeing with mot of what you say: Apple’s secretive stance doesn’t help them in the professional space; you can still make money of FCP 3 if you still had it; It darn well better be something special for making us wait that long.
Wednesday will bring one more data point.
Funny, after talking gear and batteries for so long, I couldn’t understand why the next OS release would be called Lithium Ion (Lion) till I saw Apple’s teaser image.
Let’s hope it’s about more than the natural progression of the OS, which, as you point out, is just discussion and probably about a year away. Let’s hope that Apple is indeed putting a little more focus on the computers which have primarily been simply refreshed models for many years. Maybe a midrange desktop machine? We can only hope.
I’d be surprised if there are any hardware announcements at an event clearly billed as OS related. Announced now, it could ship by WWDC next July. If not then, the next likely target would be Sept/Oct of 2011. Figure the FCP Pro/Apps team to take a couple of months to prove anything they’ve written on beta OS code is still working with the release code, a couple of months for a beta cycle and the earliest possible (assuming WWDC) would be Jan/Feb 2010. Things generally take longer, so my best current guess is mid 2012.
I understand the secretive aspect of Apple’s culture, and I think it benefits them in a lot of ways. First, it doesn’t tip their hand to competitors as to advancements or key new features. Second, it keeps people buying what’s on the shelves now, rather than holding out for an update they know is coming a couple months down the road. Finally, I think it’s always been one of Apple’s greatest strengths that they only announce products that are either ready or nearly ready to ship. Microsoft, and now Google, announce products months [or even a year] ahead of time. How many of them turn out to be vapourware?
All those reason’s in mind, I don’t think they apply to the pro market in any quantifiable way. If you’re a business, and you need a new machine, you’re going to buy what you need NOW. If you need Final Cut Studio, you’re going to buy the current version. No one is waiting on the sidelines waiting for the next release. I HAD to drop my G5 tower and move to FCS3, because that’s where my clients were going- and interoperability is crucial for a freelancer who does so much of is work at home. Especially at the upgrade prices for FCS updates, it’s silly not to stay current.
If you’re invested in the FCS platform, then I’d imagine an open roadmap could only help foster loyalty to the platform. It’s only the most “consumer” end of the prosumer FCS user-base that complains about $350 every two years for upgrades.
Although Apple don’t show their hand with most of their apps and hardware, that wasn’t the case for Snow Leopard. It was shipped about 12 months after the first public preview. That may be true for 10.7 too – looking forward to Wednesday’s announcements!
Apple has to release the OS well in advance to allow time for developers to rewrite their applications for the new system. There’s little doubt, based on the invite, that some kind of “Leo” preview is in store.
Hopefully an early preview [and betas] means a sooner rather than later release schedule for 10.7. The sooner the next OS is out, the sooner we can expect the next revision of FCP.