[CaseCom]

CNet is reporting that the new version of Adobe Premiere will be Windows-only ... no more Mac version. Here's what Adobe's digital video chief had to say:

"If Apple's already doing an application, it makes the market for a third-party developer that much smaller. I think you're going to find that more and more--if Apple's in a software market, third-party vendors are going to skip it."

Apple's reaction is basically: Hey, more market share for Final Cut Pro ...

"With the announcement of the new Power Mac G5 and the innovations in Final Cut Pro 4, there has never been a better time for Premiere customers to make the switch. ... Even with this, Adobe and Apple continue to have a great relationship, as evidenced by Adobe's recent support of the new Power Mac G5 with Photoshop performance that is twice as fast as before."

Now I know the consensus is that FCP is much better than Premiere, but in the long run fewer competitors in the marketplace can't be a good thing for consumers.

[Axo1ot1]

Well there is Avid's DV editor that they sell for Mac. I'd actually rather see Adobe put its resources toward other software that matters more on the Mac. If Preview is as good in Panther as Apple claims then Acrobat needn't continue development. Adobe can spend a lot of time making photoshop, AE and its web and publishing stuff rock more.

[Rabid Duck]

Originally posted by Axo1ot1:
If Preview is as good in Panther as Apple claims then Acrobat needn't continue development.

Whoa whoa whoa- I think you're confusing Acrobat Reader with Acrobat. Preview is comparable to the former, but it has none of the advanced features of regular Acrobat, and it doesn't distill PDF, only previews it, hence the name. Many desktop publishing pros rely on the advanced Adobe Acrobat product line, which have no real competition.

Saying Adobe needn't continue developing Acrobat because of Preview is like saying Apple needn't continue developing FCP because they already have Quicktime Player.

-RD

[bamburg dunes]

It's just crap that Adobe have dropped premiere, I like it, and been using it for years. There's nothing good in losing it for the Mac.
Some people rely on it, spent years learning it, and have an afinity for it, I know I do.
Yeah, FCP is good, but at work we use Avid and Discreet software, and to be able to come home and work on my own projects, Premiere was just right for me.

Now it's gone, and the choice is limited even more again, not good for Apple, and certainly not good for people wanting to come to the platform to edit/composite.

I know some will say FCP is better, but that is missing the point entirely fomr the perspective of the person using Premiere. If Photoshop was dropped tomorrow, would we all say, use Corel draw?

[wulf]

Originally posted by bamburg dunes:
I know some will say FCP is better, but that is missing the point entirely fomr the perspective of the person using Premiere. If Photoshop was dropped tomorrow, would we all say, use Corel draw?

I agree that it's bad for competition that Premiere is being discontinued for the Mac, but your analogy seems a bit flawed. Premiere has (ironically) not lived up to its name of late. With FCP and Avid's Xpress DV going head-to-head for the heavyweight pro market, and FCE contending the 'prosumer' mid-range, Premiere has increasingly been seen as the poor cousin in the Mac pro video market. Photoshop would never be discontinued while it remains the market leader.

Adobe have had to make a decision whether to reposition Premiere at the mid-range, or keep after the pro market. With FCP and Avid, the competition is fierce, and Adobe's market share is too small (apparently) to make it worth their while to continue with the Mac. Of course, nothing is stopping you from continuing to use the version you already have...

I do sympathise with all the existing Mac Premiere users, but things have changed a lot in the Mac video market since FCP2 was released.

Hopefully Apple will offer some kind of cross-grade to FCP/FCE for Premiere users who want to keep up with new features...

[bamburg dunes]

Originally posted by wulf:
I agree that it's bad for competition that Premiere is being discontinued for the Mac, but your analogy seems a bit flawed.

I know, wasn';t a terribly good analogy there. What I was meaning to say, was that there are plenty of Mac premiere users out there, who enjoy, and are comfortable working in it. Even though FCP exists, it doesn;'t automatically follow that users of Premiere will be willing to, or be comfortable to move on to it, now that Premiere has gone.

It reminds of when the rumours of Combustion being dicontinued were going around, I would have been pretty annoyed if had been, adn then forced to either go down the PC route to use it, or move on to After Effects, not a pretty thought.

This is quite a major application and it's not good in any way for it to be dropped. One could argue that it's adobe's fault for not willing to compete, and some might point the finger at Apple for creating this environment.

Not good though.

[hmurchison2001]

There's not disputing that Premiere has some dedicated fans. Alas..just not enough to keep Adobe happy.

I don't blame Apple. We've gone from a pathetic offering on Macintosh in the NLE arena to quite a nice selection. Adobe in many ways thought they could develop Premiere like Photoshop with incremental updates. However, Premiere hasn't been stellar in years. People moved on. Adobe has a tough enough battle keeping Premiere in use on PC with Vegas Video breathing down their backs.

[wulf]

Originally posted by bamburg dunes:
This is quite a major application and it's not good in any way for it to be dropped. One could argue that it's adobe's fault for not willing to compete, and some might point the finger at Apple for creating this environment.

Not good though.

I totally agree. It feels a little bit like when Apple bought out eMagic (Logic): it was kind of good for Apple, but bad in general for users. (OK, my turn for a bad analogy, since it was basically PC users who were affected, but hey )