Will Final Cut Pro on Mac Get Every New Feature Without a Subscription? Here's What Apple Says

[MacRumors]

Apple has confirmed that it will continue to offer a one-time-purchase version of Final Cut Pro for Mac for $299.99, but will that version receive every new feature?

In an interview with digital filmmaking news website CineD, Apple marketing manager Bryan O'Neil Hughes said both the one-time-purchase and Apple Creator Studio versions of Final Cut Pro for Mac will include the new "intelligent" features Visual Search, Transcript Search, and Beat Detection, but his comment did not explicitly confirm if both versions of the app will receive every additional "intelligent" feature in the future. We have reached out to Apple for comment, and we will update this story if we receive a response.

What we do know is that the one-time-purchase version of Final Cut Pro for Mac will miss out on some "premium content," according to Apple's website:

A one-time purchase will still be available, but access to some of the premium content is available only to Apple Creator Studio subscribers. If you already own Final Cut Pro, it will continue to be updated.

In the interview, Hughes went on say that both the one-time-purchase and Creator Studio versions of Final Cut Pro for Mac will continue to receive updates and "work as you expect," but we have still yet to see Apple explicitly confirm if both versions of the Mac app will have 100% feature parity forever. For now, though, it seems like customers with the one-time-purchase version will only miss out on "premium content."

Apple's website is more explicit about Logic Pro and MainStage, promising feature parity:

Logic Pro and MainStage have all the same features whether they are subscription or one-time-purchase versions.

Some other apps in the Creator Studio bundle, including Pixelmator Pro, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, and Freeform, will be receiving some "intelligent" features that will not be available without a subscription, so it is a mixed bag.

For example, only Pixelmator Pro users with a Creator Studio subscription will be receiving a new Warp tool that allows you to twist and shape image layers.

Across the Keynote, Pages, and Numbers apps, Creator Studio subscribers will have access to a new Content Hub with high-quality photos and graphics, as well as new premium templates, themes, and more. Apple said its Freeform app will also be updated with "intelligent" features for Creator Studio subscribers later this year.

Keynote, Numbers, Pages, and Freeform do not cost money, but the apps will effectively be "freemium" now. Fortunately, Apple has ensured that all four of the apps will continue to receive other new features and updates without a subscription.

Overall, the introduction of the Creator Studio bundle makes for a more confusing landscape with less feature parity in some apps, and customers who dislike subscriptions have been voicing their disappointment. Keeping one-time purchase options around helps alleviate some concerns, but not everyone is happy with this direction.

Apple Creator Studio launches on Wednesday, January 28, with U.S. pricing set at $12.99 per month or $129.99 per year — read our earlier coverage to learn more.

Article Link: Will Final Cut Pro on Mac Get Every New Feature Without a Subscription? Here's What Apple Says

 

[cicalinarrot]

Frankly, Logic Pro seemed to good to be true as a one-time purchase.

 

[GermanSuplex]

Ugh. As a user of numbers and pages, I hope I’m not prompted for a purchase, or that ads are prominent. I already subscribe to Apple One, I don’t need another.

 

[toto75]

What a mess.

 

[Dj64Mk7]

Enough with the subscriptions already. Apple is effectively making the same moves as some third-party developers have done, Deliveries being one that comes to mind. It’s insanely user-hostile, and the lack of transparency around why this is happening now out of nowhere doesn’t help. This simply serves to dilute the Apple brand and the product line, especially when terms like “premium content” are being thrown around, as though Apple doesn’t already make premium devices with premium user experiences. What is happening to this company?

 

[turbineseaplane]

If there’s an article about it with a whole bunch of explanation, the answer is definitely “no”

 

[Amazing Iceman]

I'll wait to see what's available by default (I already purchased all those apps), and if it makes sense to get the extra content, I'll consider that possibility.
There should be a lower tier price just for the extra content available to those who already purchased the apps.

 

[Etc_]

Ugh. As a user of numbers and pages, I hope I’m not prompted for a purchase, or that ads are prominent. I already subscribe to Apple One, I don’t need another.

Oh, you can count on constant nagging and push notifications to get you to subscribe. It's just Apple's way nowadays. They prohibit such tactics for apps in the App Store, but use them themselves.

 

[Hajj.david]

Maybe this will encourage Apple to finally invest a bunch to make pages, numbers, and keynote a tier one office software to directly compete with MS

 

[PBG4 Dude]

Keynote, Numbers, Pages, and Freeform never cost money,

This is false. iWork used to cost $79.

 

[iSeb]

One: as long as entreprise can't pay a subscription and in-app purchases (within company purchases and managed Apple ID), Apple is showing again how they don't care about many of their customers.
Two: Subscription is a model people loves until they realize they are paying for everything. It never last.
Three: Nobody works at Apple anymore, what premium content do they want to sell in Keynotes? A gemini generator??

Conclusion: I'm sad to say, but Apple is going to its end.

 

[fathergll]

It was clear Apple pricing Final Cut Pro X to $300 from $1000 back in 2011 as a move to basically give away software in order to sell Mac hardware which is what they have been doing for a while now(no one is paying for MacOS updates anymore and Logic is a steal). Anyone who bought Final Cut X years ago got a steal.

Looks like they changing this which is fine if the hardware is cheap enough and to be fair Macs are cheaper now than anytime in history given the performance. I can drive to my local MicroCenter and pickup a Mini for $400 which is pretty sufficient at video editing unless you really are pushing things compare that back in the terrible Intel days on a Mini and you were in trouble.

 

[cateye]

At some point, you have to wonder if the layers and confusion exists by design, to fluster people into throwing up their hands, saying, "fine, here's my $13 a month, leave me alone." In which case the whole scheme is little more than rent-seeking, a shakedown of people over-committed to the platform. Because line needs to go up.

 

[CocktailHour]

Ugh. Subscriptions are not for me.

 

[Astuces iOS]

So if I understand well, Pixelmator pro on mac will get Liquid Glass for people who bought it and then just the new warp tool is for creator studio for now…

I’m just scared about apple killing purchased apps in the next months…

 

[JeffPerrin]

I think subscription-only features are fair IF a certain feature requires calling out to a server (ie. image generation consuming server bandwidth and/or CPU resources). Anything else is just a blatant cash-grab.

 

[Todd Fisher]

Frankly, Logic Pro seemed to good to be true as a one-time purchase.

As a Mac user since 1994, and a Logic user going all the way back to eMagic Logic 2.01 on OS9, and someone who always upgraded to new versions of Logic Audio, and who bought all the add-ons back in the day (EXS-24 for example), the one time purchase of Logic Pro is legitimately the greatest deal Apple has ever offered.

Kids today got it sooooo freakin' good.

 

[DunedinD]

Maybe this will encourage Apple to finally invest a bunch to make pages, numbers, and keynote a tier one office software to directly compete with MS

These days, for less dinosaur-y businesses, it’s also important to show you compete with Google’s suite.

 

[chars1ub0w]

They can do the equivalent of in-app purchases. Click on this button, it gives you what it does for free (only on the first three times) to get you hooked. To enable the functionality for a year, just click the subscribe button.

 

[mansplains]

Oh, you can count on constant nagging and push notifications to get you to subscribe. It's just Apple's way nowadays. They prohibit such tactics for apps in the App Store, but use them themselves.

Apple really needs to institute an api for notification types, that way we can choose which types we receive (Apple apps excluded of course 🙄)

 

[ANDJOE]

Apple has been using their in house apps as a method for selling hardware. If they intent to make these apps more powerful and compete in the marketplace, then they have the right to charge a price.

 

[DanteHicks79]

Why would anybody pay for Final Cut when you can use DaVinci Resolve for FREE? And, if you're gonna buy the premium version of DaVinci, you might as well just buy the physical control interface, which gets you the Studio version free as an included bonus.

 

[ppdix]

I own FCP and Logic Pro for years now. This kinda sucks... We should get some kind of credit for owning the apps.
It's great for first time users but not for some of us...

 

[1d1otic]

The problem is FCP is no longer professional software as only prosumers are using it due to lack of features as open letter stated from 2022. FCP seriously fell behind the competition while others are way better. Nobody but very few use FCP for professional uses especially for TV series and Movies. Such a shame that FCP lose a lot of reputation as Apple didn't update and add features that pro had been asking. More importantly, it lacks compatibility in many ways such as workflows while heavily lack professional features such as batch license purchase, cloud, cooperation, and more. And what happened to Motion? Does it even comparable to Adobe Effects? NO. They seriously left it behind.

If Apple does not provide regular updates and features per year, then they are only greedy to switch from one time payment to subscription.

 

[IvyKing]

Maybe this will encourage Apple to finally invest a bunch to make pages, numbers, and keynote a tier one office software to directly compete with MS

That would be my hope as well!