Apple announces desktop apps for iPad, but there's no sign of the Final Cut Pro X app – just give the users what they want!
(Image credit: Apple)
At the latest Apple event for developers, AppleWWDC 2022, the tech giant launched multiple new editions to their hardware and software line-ups, but one thing that stood out to me in the Keynote was this: "we are continuing to make iPad more capable with desktop-class apps."
This is obviously a great advantage to many who use an iPad as their everyday, always with you device, leaving the laptop or desktop in the office. But, while it's nice to have Keynote, Pages and many other apps that can sync from your iPad to your other Apple devices... where is the Final Cut Pro app for iPad?!
Many professional cinematographers and content creators use iPad to currently edit their videos on the go with Luma Fusion, which handles 4K footage with ease, thanks to the iPad's M1 chip, but why not have the native Final Cut Pro X app for Apple, have it be able to edit video but also create a proxy so it can use less power on your iPad and allow you to make quick changes on the fly before you get back to your home office and more powerful Mac Studio. Or better yet, just have it able to edit all your videos, 1080p or 4K and have a file save as a proxy backup in the cloud, which you could access on your other devices.
I mean, Apple has already announced Reference Color, allowing you to use your iPad as either a standalone device or as a second display using Apple SideCar on your pro devices and act as a reference color monitor to make sure your color grade is just how you want it... Fantastic, but add the app to iPad! Why do we always have to use some weird workaround, when the answer is staring Apple in the face.
Put Final Cut Pro X on the iPad. The M1 chip is more than capable of powering it and editing your footage – all the creatives using Luma Fusion are already proving that – so why is Apple being so lazy?
It has been noted that maybe Apple think that the iMovie app would be more suited to those that would be taking videos on the iPad, such as parents or grandparents, which I can see to a certain extent. However, Apple knows their market and they always go on about adding professional features or useful additions from MacOS system to professionals in the field.
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For instance, if you are a professional photographer you already have many integrations on iPad that can help you, not to mention that Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom is already compatible on the iPad and used everyday in a photography minimalist setup, so why do the Photographers get all the features and not the cinematographers? I reckon it's all to do with wanting video creators to buy the more expensive and slightly less portable MacBooks, thus making more money in the process. That might sound rather cynical, but I think I've hit the nail on the head.
If you were to edit all your video on an iPad with a native app and have that app back up to your cloud and other Apple computers, iPad would be in the hands of so many more filmmakers, which some only need the M1 chip in the iPad, and not the new M2 chips or the more expensive hardware.
For those that want a solutions now, Luma Fusion is your only option, still a fantastic option and it works great for many types of projects, but it would just be nice for Apple to include all the creative crowd, instead of leaving all the integration for photographers and artists.
For nearly two decades Sebastian's work has been published internationally. Originally specializing in Equestrianism, his visuals have been used by the leading names in the equestrian industry such as The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), The Jockey Club, Horse & Hound, and many more for various advertising campaigns, books, and pre/post-event highlights.
He is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts, holds a Foundation Degree in Equitation Science, and is a Master of Arts in Publishing. He is a member of Nikon NPS and has been a Nikon user since the film days using a Nikon F5 and saw the digital transition with Nikon's D series cameras and is still to this day the youngest member to be elected into BEWA, The British Equestrian Writers' Association.
He is familiar with and shows great interest in street, medium, and large format photography with products by Leica, Phase One, Hasselblad, Alpa, and Sinar. Sebastian has also used many cinema cameras from the likes of Sony, RED, ARRI, and everything in between. He now spends his spare time using his trusted Leica M-E or Leica M2 shooting Street photography or general life as he sees it, usually in Black and White.