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Apple to keep the 'pro' in Final Cut Pro

Reports that Apple's Final Cut Pro will be refocused for a more mainstream audience, leaving the pros behind, are not true, according to Apple.

Jim Dalrymple Special to CNET News
Jim Dalrymple has followed Apple and the Mac industry for the last 15 years, first as part of MacCentral and then in various positions at Macworld. Jim also writes about the professional audio market, examining the best ways to record music using a Macintosh. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. He currently runs The Loop.
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Jim Dalrymple
2 min read

Apple on Wednesday denied published reports that its professional-level suite of video software applications is being refocused to suit more mainstream customers.

Apple

According to an AppleInsider report, the Final Cut Studio team has been told to refocus its efforts "to more closely match the needs of the majority of its customers." That would mean Apple would target customers moving to Final Cut Studio from the company's more basic iMovie application, instead of continuing to offer more high-end features designed for video professionals.

But Apple said that's not the case.

"Final Cut Pro is the first choice for professional video editors, and we've never been more excited about its future," Apple spokesman Bill Evans told CNET. "The next version of Final Cut is going to be awesome, and our pro customers are going to love it."

Apple's video products go from the consumer-focused iMovie to the prosumer-oriented Final Cut Express to Final Cut Pro, which is geared toward professional video editors. It seems with that range of products, the Final Cut team should be free to concentrate on more high-end features.

That doesn't mean Apple won't continue to work on integrating features of its lower-end products with Final Cut Studio. In fact, deeper integration makes sense. Not only does it give Final Cut Studio users access to projects in the other applications, it also gives users an easier time upgrading.

Final Cut Studio was last updated July 23, when Apple released new versions of the suite's main apps, including Final Cut Pro 7, Motion 4, Soundtrack Pro 3, Color 1.5, Compressor 3.5, and DVD Studio Pro 4.