If you use Emagic products read this thread..

[nezpierce]

Apple Acquires Emagic

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2002/jul/01emagic.html

Emagic’s Windows-based product offerings will be discontinued on September 30, 2002


ouch!



nP

[skippy]

Yes, I saw that on GearSlutz earlier. Apple is clearly drawing a line in the sand here, and focusing on Europe (where Logic is arguably the industry leader). Glad I decided to go with Cubase rather than Logic... A lot of people are going to be very unhappy with this, I think.

However, now I can tell that I'll need to find a replacement for SoundDiver (sooner or later). Anybody have knowledge of a MIDI librarian/patch editor that is not scheduled to become an orphan in 3 months?

[TexRoadkill]

I guess they just made my Logic Plat vs Cubase SX decision for me.

[barefoot]

Sounds like and exceptionally stupid move to me. No less brilliant, however, than Apple's decision to never licensee their technology - firmly placing their otherwise great products in the expensive "nitch market" category.

Hope it's not true.

barefoot

[Rev E]

Apple is a company full of idiots. I love Logic Audio and will continue to use Logic 5 until I absolutely have to switch. I don't foresee switching anytime soon, because Logic 5 does all that I need to do (24-bit, 51 plug-ins, great MIDI, great Audio processing, etc...).

I can't imagine why a company would want to slice off 35% of its userbase. What a bunch of idiots.

E

[nezpierce]

when you think about it, it's a very Bill Gates-ish move. Buy a company that has software that you can't/won't make, repackage it to your users only and ignore the other platform(s).

It is rather wierd though to see PC users being denied software...

what's next Digidesign? hehe

nP

[skippy]

Yup- when you are faced with an implacable, soulless monopoly as your primary competitor, the easiest way to survive is to act like one yourself... (;-). This sort of a move is long overdue on Apple's part: looks like they've finally realized that they don't have the manpower to come up with all the good ideas all by themselves. They need to fight dirty and go strategically buy out the point solutions they need to increase their market share, and take them private: because the opposition has been doing it for years.

I remember back when I used to use Macs in the mid 80s. I watched as application after application I needed became "PC only", even when 30-40% of the user base for that application was Mac based. WordPerfect, Quickbooks... the list goes on and on. For a while there, one vendor a month was dropping Mac support, often by being swallowed or dismantled by Microsoft. The software vendors didn't care about the users they lost- it was strictly a business decision. That finally forced me to get my first PC, and I still hate PCs for that reason: that lack of choice has pissed me off for 15 years. So it really is amusing to see one go the other way, even though it has caused a lot of grief for the users.

It's not going to make anyone who is hurting hurt any less, but the fact is that this process has been going on for years, and it isn't going to stop. I really do feel for the folks who just bought into Logic, only to find out that it was an orphan- happened to me with QuickBooks in about 1996, and I couldn't afford that hit either, at that time.

Anyway, Cubase SX beckons, and it is a very good program. The crossgrade program they've rapidly announced is a very viable thing, and is worth looking into if you're a disenfranchised Logic user. There are alternatives out there: vote with your pocketbooks.

[barefoot]

skippy,

No doubt microsoft is evil, but like I said, Apple hurt themselves tremendously by keeping their platform to themselves.

Before about Win95, the Apple OS was undeniably superior to Windows. Had Apple made their platform open like the PC, I have little doubt they would hold least an equal share of the OS market as miscrosoft. Just like the PC there would be scores of Mac manufacturers and maybe Apple would still sell their own hip and cool high end versions like they do now. Plus, due to the extra competition, microprocessors and chipsets might even be more advanced than they are today since Apple probably could have got Intel and AMD working in their camp as well.

Anyhow, what's done is done - though I don't think it's too late.

Still, this would be a stupid move on Apple's part. If someone owns a PC DAW and has tons of other PC audio apps and plugins besides Logic, do you really think they're going to buy a Mac? - highly unlikely. More likely, they're going to switch to a new app and Apple will loose that business altogether.

Damn, now is the time! The tech economy is for shit and everyone is clamoring for potential revenue. Apple should open their platform now. You can bet your ass there would be hungry little companies running at the opportunity to sell their own version of the Mac.

barefoot

[nezpierce]

Originally posted by barefoot
skippy,

No doubt microsoft is evil, but like I said, Apple hurt themselves tremendously by keeping their platform to themselves.

Actually, they did.
Mac licensed the OS for use in the mid 90's.(pre the return of Steve Jobs)
Companies like UMAX, StarMax(motorola I believe) and Power Computing made mac clones that were quite good. In fact the UMAX S900 with it's 5 PCi slots was a music makers dream machine (the best AV macs only had 2). The problem was the guy running Apple (into the ground) at the time thought the OS alone would save him.
BUT---
people liked the clone machines better because Apple was making crappy computers at the time
(pre g3 Powermacs that were too much money for not enough stuff...)
so Apple lost a ton of money. They cancelled the OS licensing idea really quick which was too bad cuz I got stuck with a clone that stopped at Mac OS8.

The marketplace burns us all the time my friends....

nP

[JimH]

Not to turn this into a Microsoft bashing thread, but you reminded me of something that happened several years ago. There was once a time when Borland competed equally with Microsoft in the development tools market. In fact, Borland’s C/C++ compiler was better than Microsoft’s (for reasons that are irrelevant to the point). Then at one point I read a law suit that Borland filed against Microsoft claiming that Microsoft had lured employees away. I don’t remember the exact numbers anymore, but they said that over the course of 30-some months Microsoft hired around 40 key engineers away from Borland. They cited occurrences like limousines being sent to pick up Borland employees for lunch and other such courtships. I never found out who eventually won the lawsuit. But maybe it doesn’t matter since the damage was done. It seemed to me that Microsoft’s compiler took the lead after that.

I guess it’s a matter of business ethics. One more way that Microsoft screws its competitors.