Macworld: Avid to launch Intel Mac open beta program
Avid Technology, Inc., a software developer specializing in video and audio production technology, is expected to announce next week an open beta program that will offer customers a sneak peek at several of its Intel-based Mac applications under development.
People familiar with the matter say the program will initially be available only to Avid contract customers that hold licenses to the current version of programs, such as Avid Xpress Pro, Avid Media Composer and Avid Media Composer Adrenaline.
Avid customers that are not current with their software licenses will be unable to run the new beta software until they update their customer dongle by purchasing the necessary version upgrades, those people say.
"We expect to release a new Avid Open Beta program on Monday January 8, [2007] as our way of giving our Macintosh customers a first look at the exciting new software in development before it is released," Avid reportedly told a select group of customers an an e-mail communication this week.
The company added that the beta program "is specifically for use on Apple?s new Intel-based Mac systems."
Avid had originally anticipated delivering native versions of its industry-standard Avid Xpress Pro and Media Composer nonlinear video editing solutions for Apple's new Intel Macs by December.
Although the Tewksbury, Mass.-based company demonstrated betas of those applications running on Apple's new Mac Pro workstations at the DV Expo this past November, it has yet to offer any update regarding public availability of the software.
Avid, which is not listed among the exhibitors at next week's Macworld Expo in San Francisco, Calif., is expected to issue an FAQ and additional details on system requirements for the beta program on Monday.
People familiar with the matter say the program will initially be available only to Avid contract customers that hold licenses to the current version of programs, such as Avid Xpress Pro, Avid Media Composer and Avid Media Composer Adrenaline.
Avid customers that are not current with their software licenses will be unable to run the new beta software until they update their customer dongle by purchasing the necessary version upgrades, those people say.
"We expect to release a new Avid Open Beta program on Monday January 8, [2007] as our way of giving our Macintosh customers a first look at the exciting new software in development before it is released," Avid reportedly told a select group of customers an an e-mail communication this week.
The company added that the beta program "is specifically for use on Apple?s new Intel-based Mac systems."
Avid had originally anticipated delivering native versions of its industry-standard Avid Xpress Pro and Media Composer nonlinear video editing solutions for Apple's new Intel Macs by December.
Although the Tewksbury, Mass.-based company demonstrated betas of those applications running on Apple's new Mac Pro workstations at the DV Expo this past November, it has yet to offer any update regarding public availability of the software.
Avid, which is not listed among the exhibitors at next week's Macworld Expo in San Francisco, Calif., is expected to issue an FAQ and additional details on system requirements for the beta program on Monday.
Comments
"We expect to release a new Avid Open Beta program on Monday January 8, 2006 as our way of giving our Macintosh customers a first look at the exciting new software in development before it is released," Avid reportedly told a select group of customers an an e-mail communication this week.
See, Beta is just a new Marketing Term that allows you to push unifinished products out faster, and give everyone the rest of it when it's done.
Sebastian
I'm not a programmer, but I don't understand why these new releases aren't universal. There are still a lot of PPC Macs out there.
No more PowerPC Macs are going to be made. When the original apps are already Intel-only, why bother spending all that time porting your program over to PowerPC when you have all of this prewritten code for Intel?
Avid is bye-bye.
I'm not a programmer, but I don't understand why these new releases aren't universal. There are still a lot of PPC Macs out there.
Even though Apple's developer kits will allow you to compile for both x86 and PPC, there is still a good deal of tweaking that can be done to increase the performace of an app. This is especially true for these mammoth CPU, RAM, and GPU hunfry apps, like CS3 and Avid.
Even Apple releases PPC only and Intel only updates.
Also, I assume these expensive, A/V apps are typically used by professionals with the latest hardware, so these companies are better off putting their resources into making a more stable and faster product on one platform than spreading them over two.
My two cents.
"We expect to release a new Avid Open Beta program on Monday January 8, 2006 as our way of giving our Macintosh customers a first look at the exciting new software in development before it is released," Avid reportedly told a select group of customers an an e-mail communication this week.
Error.
No more PowerPC Macs are going to be made. When the original apps are already Intel-only, why bother spending all that time porting your program over to PowerPC when you have all of this prewritten code for Intel?
Still, right now, there are still about 4x as many PPC Macs than there are Intel Macs.
Still, right now, there are still about 4x as many PPC Macs than there are Intel Macs.
I'm not sure that number is completely accurate, but regardless; the target market for Avid products is not going to think twice about purchasing Mac Pros to run the software and would greatly value the increased performance.
This beta is great news and a different move for Avid. They have not had an open beta program before to my knowledge. They have been working on this release for a long time and no one can complain too much for Avid shipping a solid product. The ship date has been pushed back many times, so this news is far better than another possible release date.
Also, I don't think Avid will be pulling out of the Mac platform anytime soon. Why would they put so much effort into the Intel shift? If they were going to drop, it would have been about 2 years ago when they were not doing much with the Mac and they were not in parity with the Windows version relaeses. The Apple competition (and soon to be Adobe Premeir Pro competition) is good news because it pushes all of the companies to do their best. It is great when the consumer is able to actually benefit from capitalism.
I predict that Avid will pull from the Apple market within a year. I can't recall, but isn't the next generation Motion due next Spring-- an expected huge leap forward? FCP will be, too.
Avid is bye-bye.
I predict that Avid will pull from the Apple market within a year. I can't recall, but isn't the next generation Motion due next Spring-- an expected huge leap forward? FCP will be, too.
Avid is bye-bye.
Let me guess, a Mac User who thinks that Apple is better off making ALL of the software, so any products that Apple makes will immediatly kill their competition in whatever market they enter, for the Mac?
Shake's replacement, based on Motion's codebase is due next spring. I believe a new version of FCP is due this year? I'm not familar with it's release cycle.. regardless, Avid is here to stay, and Premiere as well.
Sebastian
I'm not a programmer, but I don't understand why these new releases aren't universal. There are still a lot of PPC Macs out there.
While it might seem to make sense to make universal upgrades to all programs, that is just not the case.
In areas where performance is relatively unimportant, that might be true. But, when performance is paramount, it isn't true.
It's already been determined that Intel Macs are much faster at rendering than even the older G5 Quad. A 3 Gz Mac Pro is at least 50% faster, and is competitive with comparable machines from Dell, and others, while the Quad isn't. That's just the fact. If Apple comes out with an 8 core machine, and if these programs will properly be able to utilize them, which they likely will, then there is simply no way anyone would stick with a PPC machine.
No way!
As rendering speed is almost the only measurement that video editors are concerned about for their workstations, making these programs universal would be a waste of time, and money.
Apple must make their own programs universal for obvious reasons, but other software houses aren't under the same constraints.
As new editing programs come out, new Intel machines will be bought to run them. The price of a new machine is not a major cost factor for professionals, or editing houses. They buy new, faster, machines on a regular basis anyway.
I predict that Avid will pull from the Apple market within a year. I can't recall, but isn't the next generation Motion due next Spring-- an expected huge leap forward? FCP will be, too.
Avid is bye-bye.
I can't imagine where you get that idea from, but it absolutely will not happen. They tried that before, when Apple's fortunes were dropping steadily.
Avid went chapter 11 because of it. They fired their entire management team, reorganized the company, and brought back all of the programs they had either stopped making for the Mac, or had never made for the Mac.
With Apple's fortunes now rising, we will see a big shift BACK to the Mac. Avid will be there to benefit from it.
The only one.
The rest of Avid's offerings are way above FCP's abilities. Apple simply doesn't compete in that space.
Will they? Maybe. Video editing is one of the few places where a newcomer can get a solid toehold in, if they have a better solution.
But, even then, it wouldn't be easy for Apple.
And Avid Express Pro has kept up with FCP, and competes well, even though FCP does sell more copies.
I know there are some chauvinistic people here who can't imagine that anything done by any other company than Apple could be good.
But, that would be wrong.
Still, right now, there are still about 4x as many PPC Macs than there are Intel Macs.
By the end of 2007 there will only be 2X as many PPC Macs than there are Intel Macs
By the end of 2008 there will only be as many PPC Macs than there are Intel Macs
Also folks who are running high end systems are always looking for the latest and greatest systems.
So are they going to stick with the dual G5 or 8-core Intel solution?