What seems to be happening is that though their hardware can still claim to be "pro," the software is now "prosumer." I like the new Logic a lot -- but I don't work in a NY studio. I like the new Final Cut better than the older versions -- but I don't make Hollywood movies. It's what the pros think that matters if you're making pro apps.
It's one thing for Apple to "ask the pros to walk with them." But if the pros start walking elsewhere (which many seem to be doing), how much longer will Apple keep their pro line on life support? Canceling it completely could have a ripple effect. I teach multimedia production, and if pros no longer use Apple products then I'll have little reason to teach using them. Then Apple's educational market would begin to dissolve as well. It's a slippery slope they're on.
Don't shoot the messenger.
The 'pro' users are not a different specie, they are just folks who need powerful machines to work with often within studio's surroundings or as part of a render farm solution within a studio. I'm sure you understand where I'm talking about because you state to be a multimedia teacher.
Back in the days I had teachers myself when studying music technology we worked on Macintosh computers, the Mac line where the Pro line evolved from. It wasn't really a choice. The art academy, back then, had simply bought many of these computers and the students needed to work on them. Not without good reason because in any professional studio you could find these computers. It wasn't a 'road' that students choose, there was no other road.
If any road was being chosen it was Apple that manufactured these roads. With Final Cut X they put up there middle finger to the whole professional market. I never saw a program filled with that many bugs being launched in history before. Professionals couldn't open old projects any longer and after installment of Final Cut X these professionals weren't even allowed to install the previous version of Final Cut X as well. To make it all worse, not only didn't the pro users had access to there old projects the new Final Cut X was worse then iMovie when it came to editing possibilities. From a professional good working app, Final Cut Pro, Apple came up with a incredible bad designed editing software for children. And trust me, I wasn't the only one that was furious back then. Final got rated with just 2 stars on the Apple store, with good reason and Apple lost an entire professional market in video editing that didn't had a choice to walk another 'road'.
As for today, Adobe's Premiere and even Avid editor program's have become more popular for use with professional's then Final Cut X. But it was Apple that forced, yes forced, the professional market to shift, or as you put it to choose another 'road', not the pro's themselves.
Now Final Cut X has become once again, after many updates, a solid good working editing software package. I own one myself. I just protest to the insinuation that the pro users are some kind of different specie who choosing there own path. It's much to simplistic. It's Apple who went for the masses and not for the pro market. Why? Because the 'pro' market was and isn't not that interesting enough when looking at profit in sales. That's basically it.
Each year I attend IBC (International Broad Casting Conference) here in Amsterdam the Netherlands (
http://www.ibc.org/page.cfm/ID=1 ) and many years ago Apple was there as well, showing of their latest changes in Final Cut to the professional market. I don't see any Apple stand for years now. Why? Because Apple themselves choose the path to focus on the masses and not on the professional market where they couldn't get so much profit out of it..
I'm ok with that and I still like Apple products and especially it's OSX. But it's simply not fair to state professional users are choosing there own path / road when knowing the history of the pro market where Apple ones tried to get grip upon.
It was the best compositing app for it's time and would've been great if they could've kept it going.
