Apple: 1 million Final Cut licenses sold

Apple on Thursday said that it has no plans discontinue its popular Final Cut software for video editing and post-production, after rumors began circulating at NAB that the company had plans to sell the software. Moving to quash rumors, the company told TVB Europe that the Apple had sold its millionth Final Cut Pro license and that its new Final Cut Server software is the company's latest addition to the product family: "I can categorically state, on the record, that is not the case," said Richard Townhill, Apple's director of marketing for professional video applications. The report also cites research by SCRI noting that Apple took 49 percent of the US professional editing market in 2007, while Avid took just 22 percent.

Earlier this month, the company began shipping Final Cut Server, its software package for asset management and workflow control. The software, announced last year, automatically gathers media assets across a network to let editors work from a common pool of resources, including on Storage Area Networks (SANs). While intended for and working closely with Final Cut Studio, Mac and Windows clients let users search for content they can edit without having to depend on Apple's creative software.

The software was originally expected to ship last summer and delays drew questions about the company's commitment to the professional video segment. Responding to questions about delays on the software's introduction, Apple said that it focused on developing software that could work without the need for specific IT department support.

"The reason we took the extra time to develop it was because we wanted it to work without an IT department to support it," Townhill added. However, the publication notes that most environments would require integration with existing workflows, requiring some customization and development.

Filed under: software
Other story tags: video editing, Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Server