Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iLife, Software
David Pogue on iMovie '08: "What the [bleep]!"
iLife '08 buyers have spoken, and Apple has listened: the new iMovie '08 is a major disappointment in some key areas. So much so that Apple decided to provide iMovie '06 as a free download, but it's almost as if they knew this was going to happen, because iMovie '06 is the only iLife app that gets preserved in a backup folder when installing iLife '08. Adding his influential voice to the crowd, David Pogue has penned a new article blatantly titled Apple Takes a Step Back with iMovie '08, and you get three guesses as to how he feels about the new changes. Throughout the article, Pogue repeatedly slams Apple for doing something no other company has in recent memory: update a mature, popular application with a new version that retains almost no resemblance to its predecessors. Pogue even goes so far as to recommend iMovie '08 to have been given a different name, such as FlyMovie, ByeMovie or WhyMovie.
Though he does briefly praise the app for a few of its new features - such as skimming (despite its tall resource requirements), unparalleled color correction tools, YouTube sharing and the ability to truly delete portions of a clip you won't be using to reclaim hard drive space - Pogue still tosses his hat into the ring with disgruntled iMovie fans (especially since he's been using it to create all his videos for the New York Times) in asking Apple: "What the [bleep]!"
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Barrald said 12:17PM on 8-17-2007
What if this is all a sick, twisted plan to drive people to Final Cut Express? Get everyone hooked on Timeline editing and then SEE-YA it's gone and you have to get FCE to get a decent editor?
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SSteve said 12:26PM on 8-17-2007
I think the main reason they made iMovie 06 available was for those of us still limping along with our dusty, wheezing G4 machines. The fact that it means we can still make movies with timelines was just a happy accident.
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David Chartier said 12:26PM on 8-17-2007
#1: I honestly wouldn't be surprised if that's really at the heart of this change, but I'm sure you'd be hard pressed to see Apple actually fess up to that. At best I think they might release some PR jargon along the lines of "increasing value and diversity among their lineup of consumer and professional video editing solutions."
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Mystic said 12:26PM on 8-17-2007
Well thank god Pogue doesn't work for Apple because I absolutely LOVE iMovie '08.
BTW I can't stand people who don't like change and feel it necessary to continually whine about it.
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error said 12:27PM on 8-17-2007
I think Apple just wanted to create a bigger gap between iMovie and Final Cut Express. The development of the previous version of iMovie was turning into a 'Final Cut Express Light'. I guess Apple just wants a low-level video editing tool for quick and silly youtube-movies. If you want more? Buy Final Cut Express or Pro.
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David Chartier said 12:28PM on 8-17-2007
#4: I don't think this is so much about change but about taking away features that were previously in the app. iMovie '08 is truly a completely different app from iMovie '06. Tons of editing tools have literally been thrown out, effects are gone, fine editing is gone.
Usually when a company updates a piece of software, they add and refine features. They don't throw out nearly all the established, popular features in the name of a few new ones.
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Stephen Antonucci said 12:30PM on 8-17-2007
iMovie '06 is mainly made available free to iLife '08 buyers as iMovie '08 ONLY runs on Intel and G5 Macs! Not due to Apple thinking people would not like the new re-written version. iMovie '08 actually has some really nice features for putting together a fast polished video. Better than iMovie '06 in this regard. I have been editing video for 25 years and have used FCP since version 1. I actually like iMovie '08 especially when using the newer flash based video cameras. Faster movie I ever put together. Most iMovie users NEVER used all the features of iMovie '06 anyway.
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Whiplash said 12:38PM on 8-17-2007
I personally like iMovie '08. I made a movie with it the other night and it was fast and easy to use. Yes I'd like the timeline back, but other than that, I have no complaints. Of course I have FC Express if I want to get nuts. But most of the time I just want to cut some family movies together and that's what this program does well.
As for lack of transitions, etc.... all I have to say is there is a boatload of gawd awful video productions out there. Apple did a lot of untalented people a big favor. ;-)
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Hawkman said 12:42PM on 8-17-2007
@7: I'm sure there couldn't possibly have been more than one reason :-)
Will iMovie 08 even install on a G4? Because if not, then the fact that 06 gets preserved blows the 'it's because of G4s' argument out the water.
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joseph said 12:48PM on 8-17-2007
imovie 06 is available simply because the new version does not run on older machines, plus, old projects aren't easily edited in the new version.
I think one of the best features of iMovie 08 is that it brings the "Library" concept to your movies, where before it was the only iApp that just dumped all your files into a folder, now you have a movie library ala iTunes and iPhoto
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bluelight said 12:48PM on 8-17-2007
The new iMovie should have been called YouMovie.
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Chad said 12:56PM on 8-17-2007
It is a much better app once you use it.
They way it gets the movies out of iPhoto is wicked!
The only thing missing is the video effects, like earthquake!
bring those back, and I will be completely satisfied.
-C
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Thomas said 12:57PM on 8-17-2007
I think they should rename it iVideo, include iMovieHD and people can stop whining.
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henrrik said 12:57PM on 8-17-2007
Final Cut Express is due for an update (last version came out in May '06). I wouldn't be surprised if they lower the price a lot.
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PsychoClown said 1:14PM on 8-17-2007
I agree with #5, Apple wants to make a video editing app my mom or dad could use - *VERY* simple. If you want to do more, move up to FCE. I think it's kind of brilliant, personally.
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Dave said 1:18PM on 8-17-2007
Count me in as another vote for the new iMovie '08. The interface for iMovie '06 was so daunting to me that I had DV tapes piling up on my desk. In the past week, I have used iMovie '08 to knock out movies that had been waiting for over a year. I'm really liking it.
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Nathan Hesson said 1:24PM on 8-17-2007
I think Apple is going to throw a big update at the iLife suite with the relase of leopard, especially Core Animation. I don't understand why they would release a product a couple of months before a big operating system update. Use the better stuff and wait a couple of months.
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Larriveejp said 1:24PM on 8-17-2007
FCE requires 500MB for apps and 16GB for Soundtrack and LiveType stuff. It's not a suitable replacement for iMovie.
Claiming that people who enjoyed the features of '06 are whiners who should pony up $300 for a program that is insanely complex is weak at best.
The loss of rubberbanding/waveforms is a big deal. If I hated '08 entirely i wouldn't care at all. I just think it could be a lot better if they add some things back in (specifically rubberbanding/waveforms/splitting audio in a timeline).
Doesn't make me a whiner, and it doesn't mean I should have to use FCE (which I own but never use because it's huge and cumbersome). The gap between iMovie and FCE is not the tiny baby step that people make it out to be.
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Charles said 1:31PM on 8-17-2007
I want $16 back from Apple since it can not be used in anything less that a 2.0 Ghz machine. Oh, might as well make that $32 since iWeb is an app I'll never use. Maybe $48 cuz I'll never use GarageBand.
I'll take $64 back from Apple since I'll never use iDVD cuz the old one is better.
Crap, I want my money back since the only app I'll use is iPhoto and it's not worth $80!
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krye said 1:37PM on 8-17-2007
You make it sound like Apple knew iMovie 08 would be a flop so that's why iMovie 06 is kept on your drive. Not true. You need a G5 or better for the new 08 verison. So those with a G4 or less would be stuck with iMovie 06, thus the need to preserve iMovie 06 after installation.
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