iMovie: Maybe you shouldn't compare the remake to the original
David Pogue takes a contrarian position to the Macalope's view on iMovie:
Most people are used to a product cycle that goes like this: Release a new version every year or two, each more capable than the last. Ensure that it's backward-compatible with your existing documents.
IMovie '08, on the other hand, has been totally misnamed. It's not iMovie at all. In fact, it's nothing like its predecessor and contains none of the same code or design. It's designed for an utterly different task, and a lot of people are screaming bloody murder.
And at least one of them is named David Pogue.
The Macalope's not prepared to horn and hoof defend Apple's decision on recasting the actors in iMovie from the veterans who can play anything to younger, more approachable actors without the range. But what's important is putting the asses in the seats.
The loss of all those extra features means little to people who can't bear the thought of opening the application because of all the work. Having seen the trailers, the horned one finds the remake to be a little more inviting than the original, but as with all summer blockbusters, it may be a matter of personal taste.
The Macalope does have one suggestion how Apple could make the transition more palatable, however: drop the price of Final Cut Express a little or provide upgrade pricing to owners of iLife '06. He doesn't expect it to happen, though, as this "scandal" hasn't reached Sensaround proportions and, at the cost of either $0 or $79 depending how you got it, iLife is so absurdly cheap for what you get that Apple could cut out iMovie altogether and include a DVD of Little Nicky and it'd still be a value.
OK, maybe not Little Nicky, but you get the point.
Mythical beast and rumormonger extraordinaire, the Macalope writes about all things Apple for the CNET Blog Network. Read more at The Macalope: An Apple blog. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
And The Macalope is one of them.
But these people won't open iMovie 08 either...
I personnally am more afraid of opening iMovie 08 because it is much more cluttered, with, like, 3 tool bars dispatched in the window, poping trays everywhere (library, projects, etc.).
How can you write about "all the work" when the simple ability to adjust the sound never went in your way if you did not need it ? (Hey Apple, just add that to the "audio adjustements" mode please).
And... changing the length of transitions in the preferences ??? how absurd is that ? How about changing the saturation in iPhoto in the prefs while you're at it !
iMovie 08 brings libraries and the smart live selection, but they could as well have been added without removing the rest. And in the end there is just as much "all the work" with iMovie 08 as with iMovie 6.
Except that since you can do less, well, you DO less.
And you have to deal with poor localization. (No not you O Horned One, but I do).
my mother-in-law how to use it. I haven't tried 08 yet, but if it doesn't
intimidate the in-laws, then it's already better.
When your next product focuses on a sub-character rather than the hero then it's called a spin-off, not a sequel. What we got here is the next Indiana Jones movie which happens to focus purely on short-round. Change whatever you want, but make it clear to your audience that this is something different by giving it a unique name like "Short Round and the Vanishing Timeline" or "iVideo Express".
I know very few people who would understand how to use iMovie '06. I personally had difficulties using it.
When I started up iMovie '08 and saw the clips and how to bring clips into my movie. It made perfect sense to me. I'm not sure if folks like my parents could figure it out, but the way it works now, I would say that it's way more likely than with '06.
People that use iLife, are not professionals they are not really even prosumers. They are parents that want to take the movies that they got from their children of their grandkids and put together a DVD to send to their friends to show off and I would say that Apple has come way closer to having a program for those folks than they ever have.
fades, soundtrack. He loves video games, but leaves all the computer and tech
stuff to his Old Man. I can understand making an easier product, but usually
that also means it is more limited.
fades, soundtrack. He loves video games, but leaves all the computer and tech
stuff to his Old Man. I can understand making an easier product, but usually
that also means it is more limited.
- There's too much room between iMovie 08 and FCP
- by L_K_M August 20, 2007 3:41 AM PDT
- My mom - who would never touch something like Final Cut Express - has finally
- Reply to this comment
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(7 Comments)managed to learn enough about iMovie to cut movies, add titles, and add sound.
She doesn't know a whole lot about computers, but even for her, iMovie 08
simply does not do enough.
If Apple is scared that iMovie 06 cuts into the FCP revenue, why not rename it
"iMovie Pro" and sell it for 80 bucks as a separate product?