Aperture's Iris Closing?

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif

Think Secret is reporting that Apple has disbanded its Aperture development team, which leaves Apple's entry into the professional photography market in limbo.

In the run-up to Aperture's November release last year, for example, sources report that responsibility for the application's image processing pipeline was taken away from the Aperture team and given to the Shake and Motion team "to fix as best they can."

The article associates many of Aperture's problems with poor application design. Aperture has been met with mixed reviews, with frequent complaints about the software's performance even on high-end Macs and sub-par RAW image handling. Adobe's Lightroom beta has also introduced competitive pressure and has received positive initial reviews, especially when compared to Aperture.

[Phat_Pat]

wow

sales must have been in the dumps

[tjwett]

Originally Posted by Phat_Pat

wow

sales must have been in the dumps

i wouldn't be surprised, considering they recently dropped the price by $200, nearly cutting it in half.

[muffinman]

yeah sales must be down. i guess nobody wanted a great photo program. shucks.

[jmeyoung]

yeah sales must be down. i guess nobody wanted a great photo program. shucks.

Typically sales being down is a sign that the program is not great.

[jared_kipe]

Noo, please, I like aperture, and I like its output. I hope they contiue to support and develop it. I really like what they have already done.

[bigandy]

i've not met someone who's actually used it and said it's a bad interface.

everyone that seems to use it seems to actually genuinely like it.

oh well. but if the shake/motion teams can do better, all well and good.

[ChrisBrightwell]

Apple is apparently hiring new blood for the Aperture team:
http://blakeseely.com/blog/archives/2006/04/27/change

[skidooairman]

Aperture is a piece of junk software. I hope that Apple made them all walk out with their pants around their ankles to humiliate them for making such a mess of this app. I did the correct thing by apple, and they screwed me on an app that was simple iPhoto with a bit of extra guts.
Good riddance Aperture folks.

[Doctor Q]

Weren't they just promoting it? If true, this is a large turnabout. But perhaps it explains the price drop.

[gkarris]

Originally Posted by skidooairman

Aperture is a piece of junk software. I hope that Apple made them all walk out with their pants around their ankles to humiliate them for making such a mess of this app. I did the correct thing by apple, and they screwed me on an app that was simple iPhoto with a bit of extra guts.
Good riddance Aperture folks.

I think Apple should stick to computers and the OS. It's hard to beat Microsoft as far as business software, and Adobe and Macromedia as far as creative.

I remember (I'm dating myself) trying to use MacDraw or MacWrite for certain things, but ended up having to use Aldus Pagemaker... All great programs, but Pagemaker did what I really needed to do.

Still waiting for my 13" Macbook (tried the Macbook Pro running Windows XP with bootcamp at the store yesterday - really freaky...)

[MovieCutter]

Originally Posted by gkarris

I think Apple should stick to computers and the OS. It's hard to beat Microsoft as far as business software, and Adobe and Macromedia as far as creative.

Thank god they didn't have that mentality when they created Final Cut Pro...

[notjustjay]

Originally Posted by MovieCutter

Thank god they didn't have that mentality when they created Final Cut Pro...

Except that... didn't they buy out Final Cut Pro?

Edit: Yep, Apple bought the nascent product (originally named Key Grip) from Macromedia. They even tried to sell it back off, and when nobody bought, decided to develop it in-house. They dropped the Windows version, too.

Still, the original point stands.

[bretm]

Originally Posted by notjustjay

Except that... didn't they buy out Final Cut Pro?

Edit: Yep, Apple bought the nascent product (originally named Key Grip) from Macromedia. They even tried to sell it back off, and when nobody bought, decided to develop it in-house. They dropped the Windows version, too.

Still, the original point stands.

And how many products did Adobe buy from others? Framemaker, Pagemaker and AFTER EFFECTS come to mind. Yes, After Effects was called CoSA After Effects for version 1 and 2 I believe.

[MovieCutter]

Originally Posted by notjustjay

Except that... didn't they buy out Final Cut Pro?

Edit: Yep, Apple bought the nascent product (originally named Key Grip) from Macromedia. They even tried to sell it back off, and when nobody bought, decided to develop it in-house. They dropped the Windows version, too.

Still, the original point stands.

No it doesn't. Final Cut is one of Apple's most successful and breakthrough software products, regardless of where they got it from. I and thousands of other editors make a living at using an NLE that makes our lives much easier than it would be if we were using Premiere, and we don't have to shell out $30,000 for an Avid. The point of "Apple should focus on the OS and hardware" is incomplete if not idiotic. If that were the case, we wouldn't have iTunes and iLife, we wouldn't have Final Cut Pro, Shake wouldn't be where it is today, and neither would Logic...

[mcarnes]

Originally Posted by gkarris

I think Apple should stick to computers and the OS. It's hard to beat Microsoft as far as business software, and Adobe and Macromedia as far as creative.

It might be hard to beat MS dominance, but certainly not it's quality.

[bretm]

Originally Posted by gkarris

I think Apple should stick to computers and the OS. It's hard to beat Microsoft as far as business software, and Adobe and Macromedia as far as creative.

I remember (I'm dating myself) trying to use MacDraw or MacWrite for certain things, but ended up having to use Aldus Pagemaker... All great programs, but Pagemaker did what I really needed to do.

Still waiting for my 13" Macbook (tried the Macbook Pro running Windows XP with bootcamp at the store yesterday - really freaky...)

You're joking, right? Final Cut Pro, Motion, DVD Studio Pro, iPhoto, iMovie, Keynote, Pages, GarageBand, Soundtrack, iTunes, iChat, even Mail Safari and iCal. And let's not forget the produts they've bought and now continue to update... Shake and Logic and I'm sure I'm forgetting others.... iWeb looks pretty cool for a beginner web program. What does Microsoft offer? Frontpage. Frontpage is crap. People debate Pages, but it's usually about how it integrates with MS products. If that's the debate you might as well go buy a PC. And I think most people argue Keynote is superior to the laughable powerpoint. Don't worry, I'm sure a spreadsheet app is coming. AND, let's not forget half this stuff is free on every mac! Adobe bowed out of DVD and Video editing on the mac because Apple out did them. Flat out. So Aperture was a little early out of the gate. Most argue it has some technical and performance issues. So yes, Apple should be scolded for early release. They gave money back and fired the staff. Good enough. I'm sure just like DVDSP the next full version will be amazing.

[gkarris]

Originally Posted by bretm

You're joking, right? Final Cut Pro, Motion, DVD Studio Pro, iPhoto, iMovie, Keynote, Pages, GarageBand, Soundtrack, iTunes, iChat, even Mail Safari and iCal. And let's not forget the produts they've bought and now continue to update... Shake and Logic and I'm sure I'm forgetting others.... iWeb looks pretty cool for a beginner web program. What does Microsoft offer? Frontpage. Frontpage is crap. People debate Pages, but it's usually about how it integrates with MS products. If that's the debate you might as well go buy a PC. And I think most people argue Keynote is superior to the laughable powerpoint. Don't worry, I'm sure a spreadsheet app is coming. AND, let's not forget half this stuff is free on every mac! Adobe bowed out of DVD and Video editing on the mac because Apple out did them. Flat out. So Aperture was a little early out of the gate. Most argue it has some technical and performance issues. So yes, Apple should be scolded for early release. They gave money back and fired the staff. Good enough. I'm sure just like DVDSP the next full version will be amazing.

I'm talking "PRO" programs... the ones you mention, of course, are awesome, MacDraw and MacWrite were great compared to the Windows counterparts at the time...

Yeah, Apple has Final Cut Pro, but aren't there some really high end pro stuff that the studios use instead?

[jcrowe]

Originally Posted by gkarris

I'm talking "PRO" programs... the ones you mention, of course, are awesome, MacDraw and MacWrite were great compared to the Windows counterparts at the time...

Yeah, Apple has Final Cut Pro, but aren't there some really high end pro stuff that the studios use instead?

That's a pretty wide open question. Lots of places use AVID which is VERY expensive and very quirky and very proprietary. Aperture at $300 sounds like it has a lot of potential in the pro market. Final Cut Studio seems to be maturing rather well so perhaps Aperture will do the same. I hope so, because it's the direction I intended to take rather than Adobe's offerings. (not that there's anything wrong with Adobe but the approach is not my favorite in terms of HI guidelines)
Back to you folks
JC

[steve_hill4]

Originally Posted by gkarris

I think Apple should stick to computers and the OS. It's hard to beat Microsoft as far as business software, and Adobe and Macromedia as far as creative.

Well, since Adobe took over Macromedia, that effectively means you should leave the market to one company. Without competition, products rarely move forward fast enough.

As for Aperture, I hope this isn't the end. I wouldn't plump down that kind of money for an app I would rarely use, so have never used it properly. I have however seen a full demo of it, (Mac Expo London last year, shortly after announcement), and could see the benefits to those in the industry. Didn't seem sluggish to me though.

[swingerofbirch]

I dont know much about running a huge bidness..but why does Apple have a separate team for Aperture and iPhoto? They both do photos, both can handle RAW photos (whatever the heck that is).

[rt_brained]

Originally Posted by swingerofbirch

I dont know much about running a huge bidness..but why does Apple have a separate team for Aperture and iPhoto? They both do photos, both can handle RAW photos (whatever the heck that is).

You hit on a good point. They don't have separate teams; and that's just why Aperture is in trouble. The next generation video iPod, which also handles photos, is now delayed—so you have to figure that Jobs is cutting his losses. They also need to get Boot Camp finished in time for the new OS release and...hellooo...how are they doing with getting the Intel chip in the Power Mac?!

You got 3, maybe 4 guys working on that many projects at the same time...folks start taking extra-long breaks, showing up late for work...delays, delays, delays.

[ChrisA]

Originally Posted by swingerofbirch

I dont know much about running a huge bidness..but why does Apple have a separate team for Aperture and iPhoto? They both do photos, both can handle RAW photos (whatever the heck that is).

They have several teams. One team maintains Apple's "core image", another the basic building blocks of all user interfaces, another team on the files system and so on.

The Aperture team uses the products of serveral other teams as does the iPhoto team. If you design things right there is little overlap. I doubt theve designed it so perfectly that there is no overlap but that is the basic idea.

[Play Ultimate]

Originally Posted by gkarris

I remember (I'm dating myself) trying to use MacDraw or MacWrite for certain things, but ended up having to use Aldus Pagemaker... All great programs, but Pagemaker did what I really needed to do.

I miss Pagemaker and have yet to find a replacement as good. I especially liked the "Make Booklet" function.

Back on Topic...
Something is definitely going on. However, I doubt that Apple will throw in the towel yet on this software. Apple traditionally has been quite stubborn about abandoning products. It may just linger though without further update.

[sjl]

That has got to bite. Based upon what I read in the Think Secret report, though, I suspect that Apple will almost certainly be working on a re-write with a better internal design, and introduce it as version 2.0.

In any case, the report has caused my attitude towards Aperture to shift: I'm going to be sitting back and waiting to see what happens. If and when version 2.0 comes out, I'll probably snap it up (assuming it runs on my PowerBook; I can't afford a MacBook Pro right now), but until then ... well ... I'm still learning with my camera, so RAW workflow isn't a major concern for me as yet. I'll grant that Aperture doesn't touch the raw images, so it's not like I'd be completely locked in, but still, I'd rather not buy the app until I know for sure that it's going to be here for the long run. If I had to put money on the table, I'd be betting that it is, but there's just enough doubt for me to pause.