Troubled development, 2011 launch rumored for Apple's Final Cut Studio

A new rumor claims that Apple will release a new version of its Final Cut Studio suite in 2011, but that the project has suffered setbacks in the development process due to "fundamental differences of opinion."

According to French Apple site HardMac, Apple initially hoped to launch the new Final Cut Studio in 2010, but the project has allegedly been delayed until 2011. In addition, it is rumored that the scope of the project has been reduced from its original, more ambitious plans.

In May, AppleInsider reported that Apple was working on a significant makeover of its Final Cut Studio suite, in an effort to better target the software toward mainstream users rather than high-end professionals. In response, Apple quickly issued a statement in which it said the next version of Final Cut would be "awesome," and that professional customers would "love" it.

According to HardMac, originally Apple hopes to have a unified interface with the Final Cut Pro suite, but that has been abandoned. Citing a source, the report alleged that the separate teams working on Shake and Motion could not reach a compromise.

"Some fundamental differences of opinion about the ideal interface have hamstrung this part of the project which has now been deferred to the next version, in 2013," the report said.

It also noted that a "structural issue" has caused problems with the development of Final Cut Pro, as Apple has allegedly reassigned a "significant number of its most qualified engineers" to concentrate their efforts on the booming iOS mobile operating system which powers the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple TV. The report claims that Mac OS X and associated applications are now considered "less urgent" within Apple.

Final Cut Studio was last updated in July of 2009, adding more than 100 new features to new versions of Final Cut Pro, Motion, Soundtrack Pro, Color and Compressor. The No. 1 professional video editing application also saw its price reduced $300 to $999, while upgrades for existing users are available for $299.

Recent rumors reported by HardMac have missed the mark, with the site claiming in July that Apple would soon add USB 3.0 to its Mac Pro and iMac desktop machines. Eventually released later that month, the new Mac Pro has USB 2.0 and FireWire 800 ports.

Apple Insider