Retro Tech Tuesday: Windows 95 Launch

I know, I know, we're mainly an Apple news site, but I wanted to take a moment to look back on what will probably go down in history as the most star-studded software launch in history. I speak of course, of Windows 95. When Windows 95 launched, it was impossible to stay away from the hype.

Microsoft's PR machine pulled out all the stops, especially at the official launch event. Microsoft licensed the Rolling Stones "Start Me Up," and the Empire State Building was bathed in colored lights to match the Windows logo.

In this short clip from the Computer Chronicles, you get a look at a younger Bill Gates, along with that cutup Jay Leno, as they show how easy it is to use Windows 95. In showing how quickly he can change tasks from task bar, Leno quips "I can change my mind as fast as Bill Clinton!" While Windows 95 has evolved through the years, the same cannot necessarily be said of Mr. Leno's comedy.

If you weren't around when Windows 95 launched, at least look at this wiki page, to get a sense of what it was like. 

Final Cut Pro X Announced

Wow.

Editors are probably wiping their collective brow as previous talk of the next version of Final Cut Pro had made it seem like an iMoviefication would be coming to the Pro app. While Apple has significantly overhauled the interface, and changed some long-held editing philosophies, at this point, it looks like it has a ton to offer professional editors. The highlights: one-click color conform, edit AVCHD footage while it is still ingesting, smart changes to the way nesting works, as well as the way audio and video travel together, ensuring everything stays in sync, rolling shutter fix for HDSLR's, Flips, etc. Oh, and background rendering, and people/shot detection.

Demoing the product in front of a friendly crowd at the FCP meetup at NAB, the reaction was positive. With that said, there are still questions as we await the June release ($299 in App Store).

First, we're talking strictly about Final Cut here. Will this herald the end of Soundtrack Pro? With a new emphasis on sound editing, it looks like many of the uses for Soundtrack could be integrated into FCP. The same for Color. While high-end color correction would still require a standalone app, Apple could decide integrating the most-used features of Color into Final Cut is enough, and leave the super high-end of color correction to other vendors. What about DVD Studio Pro? Has Apple's crusade to get everyone off of disc-based media finally made it to the pro apps?

The new timeline doesn't have tracks. That could be an interesting thing to get used to. There was also a rumor that tape capture would be cut from this version of FCP. No word on that yet. Also we don't have any idea how much of a real-world performance boost could come from the 64-bit re-write of the app.

While questions remain, the features and enhancements Apple chose to show to a picky group of editors shows a ton of promise. We can't wait to try it out.

Last Minute Final Cut Speculation from a Panel of Industry Pros

With what is anticipated to be mere hours before we see the next version of Final Cut (if that's still the name) we've done our share of speculating here in the halls of TDL. It's interesting to get the take from a panel of industry experts, one of which has actually played with the software.

The Editor's Lounge brought together several editors and production house execs for their annual Pre-NAB show. This year, the first part of the panel was dedicated to thoughts on Final Cut. If you're a Final Cut user, and the suspense is killing you, here are some professional prognostications to fill another 20 minutes:

PreNAB Editors' Lounge 2011 Part 1 from Editors' Lounge on Vimeo.

Retro Tech Tuesday: HP Circa 1986

I don't know what this ad is trying to say: HP engineers are loners? That they take long car rides to find creative inspiration? That working at HP gets you a free hat? Or perhaps the idea the star of this ad had is for a fleet of those (then) newfangled cellular telephones so that they wouldn't have to rely on finding a gas station in the middle of nowhere to phone in their next big idea.

All kidding aside, this ad does a decent job for the time, of trying to connote the innovation behind the HP brand, rather than a specific product:

A Sneak Peek At the Next Version of Final Cut

NAB is upon us, or more appropriately, upon Las Vegas with over 90,000 expected attendees. It has long been anticipated that this event would serve as the unveiling of the next version of Apple's Final Cut Studio, and now it looks like we might know when and where you can get a peek at the next version of Apple's flagship editing suite. 

The Final Cut Pro User Group Supermeet, taking place Tuesday night had made an interesting addition to their event schedule:

"The Final Cut Pro User Group Network is excited to have a very special guest presentation at the 10th Annual Las Vegas FCPUG SuperMeet. Come to see a surprise sneak peek at something very special - you really do not want to miss this one."

It would be out of character for Apple to formally introduce a product at a user group meetup, so logic would say we should expect a product announcement on the Apple website sometime Tuesday, with the meetup group event acting as the public's first chance to play with the new software. 

Then again, maybe someone is just introducing a new plug-in for Final Cut that Hipstamatics your video, but we doubt it.