User 200631

9 Comments

    • Apple Will Flourish With or Without Steve Jobs [view article]
      "Remember, it took no less than 3 CEOs after his departure the first time to run the company almost into the ground"

      Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't John Sculley the guy who licensed portions of the Mac OS to Microsoft? If Steve Jobs were still around back then to prevent this, wouldn't Apple now be the dominant OS?

      In any case, John Sculley's self-deluded run while at Apple pretty much set the stage for its decent into the abyss. The other 2 knuckleheads were just ineffective CEOs who were minding the store as it was going bankrupt. That he has not been taken to task for his role at Apple just mystifies me.

      And no, I'm not a pissed off Steven Jobs...       Jun 22 10:23 PM
    • Avid Technology: Contrarian Position [view article]
      Oh yeah,
      Other than saying my views are biased, I have no quibbles with your points - they were well thought out and reasoned. As I pointed out in my post, there are benefits to both editing solutions. My issues with Avid User was his wildly inaccurate statements and assumptions about FCP - its place in the market and his demeaning its feature set with what is apparently very little knowledge.

      Is FCP successful in the prosumer world? Obviously yes. But it is also a success in the professional world. As an editor who began in film, moved to tape, then to the NLE world, I can say that ALL systems steal from each other and are followers - Avid most of all. I can point out the numerous feature sets in Avid that made their first appearance in either Montage, Dvision, Lightworks or Discreet edit - just as these products borrowed liberally from Avid. The editing paradigm as we know it did not originate with Avid. Source/Record windows were around way before Avid began in the late 80s.

      I didn't start as an Apple fanboy until I began using FCP 3 years ago after Avid TOTALLY dropped the ball with our company in with its lack of HD and Unity support. Service was a particular strength that Avid User was touting, I can easily tell you of additional first hand horror stories about problems that will curl your hair.

      Again, not saying FCP is the best and Avid blows - just trying to keep the facts straight.

       Jun 13 09:01 PM
    • Avid Technology: Contrarian Position [view article]
      AvidUser, you really need to do research before you make wildly erroneous statements that you present as facts. For the record, I am an Emmy award-winning editor who uses both Avid & FCP.

      "Final Cut Pro is a software tool for prosumer and small productions."

      You mean like BBC? NBC? CNN? MTV? Fox Promos & Sports? The production companies in Hollywood that supply programming to all the major tv & cable networks? Just about every Hollywood ad agency? Oh yeah, did I forget to mention David Fincher, Peter Jackson and Walter Murch? Please....

      "Avid also sells storage solutions which are replacing video tapes. Apple does not."

      I suggest you look at Apple XSan. There are facilities using large (135TB+) systems for HD multicam editing.

      "Avid has never made money from software. It makes money on hardware, turn key solutions, and service. Avid Media Composer has always been a loss leader."

      While the failure of Xpress Pro has shown you first sentence to be correct (Avid has discontinued it), your comment that MC has been a loss leader is a head scratcher. That was Avid's bread and butter from the beginning until just a couple of years ago when they were forced by the market to introduce a high-end SOFTWARE solution. Their exorbitant markups flew out the window once the software could be purchased for $2,500. The Unity is facing rising competition to more cost-effective and equally viable solutions. As for service, I suggest a visit to the almost any online Avid forum for non-partisan views on the problems with the company's assistance program.

      "Avid's future is in services, asset management for large entreprise, bigger contracts. Apple has no plans in that area, it is entirely concentrated on the prosumer market."

      With all due respect, are you NUTS? Do you really know nothing about FCP Server which was shown at NAB last year?

      Listen, there are projects that Avid excels at, and the same is true for FCP. There are powerful tools in both. But with the exception of ProTools, Avid & FCP do NOT complement each other. Having been involved with Avid products since V1.0, I can safely say that the current problem with Avid is that it's a bit of a rudderless company without a vision - which is quite the opposite with Apple.

      Please, at least do a little research before you make such wildly inaccurate pronouncements.       Jun 13 05:57 AM
    • Avid Technology: Contrarian Position [view article]
      It's seems obvious (to me at least) that Mr. Goldblum did research in all areas except one - the marketplace where Avid competes. Three words which are the root of Avid's (almost insurmountable) problems: Final Cut Pro. Apple has single-handedly changed the technical, AND more importantly, financial playing field. For all his misguided analysis and pointless number crunching, Mr. Goldblum totally misses the point that FCP is a juggernaut that has transformed the post-production landscape, and in doing so has drastically changed Avid's business model.

      One additional quibble: "As broadcasters switch from videotapes to digital editing and production..."; I don't know where Mr. Goldblum has been, but the end of videotape ship sailed years ago. A more accurate statement would be "As broadcasters switch from 2nd (or 3rd) generation digitial editing and production...".

      I'm not saying that Avid is going away soon, but the future will be quite and uphill battle for the company - and these are not the times that will be friendly...       Jun 12 02:30 AM
    • Dell: No Angles Left? [view article]
      From Real Expert:
      "To User 200631.. You are obviously some kid who..."

      It's good to know your knuckleheaded powers of observation are not only limited to financial matters... Not that it's your business, but I'm in my 50s...

      Listen pal, you want to offer your opinion as the gospel, fine by me. Just be prepared to back them up with some basic facts - something most posters here have clearly shown that you're unable to do.       May 29 01:59 AM
    • Dell: No Angles Left? [view article]
      A serious question for anyone:
      Does Dell have a totally separate tier of tech support for their corporate (vs consumer) customers? Perhaps even domestic-based?

      I just find it hard to imagine a Fortune 500 company having the patience to deal with the tech support issues that the consumer division seems to have.       May 28 09:53 AM
    • Dell: No Angles Left? [view article]
      One more thing:
      "Michael Dell grew his company to be one of the world’s greatest"
      Apart from creating an incredibly astute business model, just how was this "one of the world's greatest"? Did it innovate? Did it create any new technology? Any new products that didn't exist before?

      No. Yet you call Steve Jobs "useless"...

      The only difference between you and the Apple partisans you denigrate is the flavor of Kool-Aid you drink...

       May 28 06:54 AM
    • Dell: No Angles Left? [view article]
      "As for Apple, I am personally disgusted by their marketing ads and would never buy one for that reason."
      "...and I have determined that Steve Jobbs is useless as a CEO. if you examine the historical stock price chart, this confirms my claim..'

      Um, you're joking right? I suppose there's nothing wrong with having an irrational bias with little thought behind it, but you're really taking it some pretty wild extremes.       May 28 06:47 AM
    • Dell: No Angles Left? [view article]
      Dell's business model was the corporate world. Since most companies have IT Departments, I would imagine tech support costs for Dell were minimal, and even less so once they outsourced their support staff to India. Unlike Apple or even HP, Dell spent very little on R&D - something they're now paying dearly for. Truly ugly boxes lacking in any sort of innovation. And a company clueless in how to proceed.

      I bought a Dell in '98, and while not quite a disaster, I certainly would NEVER recommend anyone do so. Tech support was about the worst - long cue times (over an hour most times) to speak to someone who was difficult to understand, and who would generally be unable to help. I always questioned how publications would give good marks toDell's tech support.

      Add to this Dell's policy of NOT supporting their computers once the OS was upgraded (has this policy changed?). Within a year of my purchase, the hard drive died and it took THREE weeks for a replacement. Contrast this with the generic white box I bought at a computer swap meet for $450 in 2001 that NEVER had a problem and where I could walk in to the store with any issues.

      Contrast that even further with the Macbook Pro & IMac's we now have - a more robust OS, simple to network, great ITunes integration with Airport Express to my stereo. Add to this truly outstanding phone support, not to mention the Genius Bars, and is it any wonder people are looking at other options.

      I have no sympathy for Michael Dell or the company..       May 27 08:47 PM
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