Apple brings Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro to iPadOS App Store via Subscription Fees | Most iPads unable to run Final Cut Pro

[AlTech]

Summary

Apple has announced that they are bringing Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro apps to the iPadOS App store and are charging subscription fees for each. But don't get too excited just yet, your iPad probably can't run either app (or at least not Final Cut Pro).

 

Apple says Final Cut Pro requires an M1 or M2 powered iPad Air or iPad Pro and that Logic Pro requires an A12 chip or newer.

 

This means that these devices can handle Final Cut Pro:

• iPad Pro 12.9" 5th generation or newer (M1 or newer)
• iPad Pro 11" 4th generation or newer (M1 or newer)
• iPad AIr 5th Generation (M1)

 

And these devices can handle Logic Pro:

• iPad 8th Generation or newer (A12)
• iPad Mini 5th generation or newer (A12)
• iPad Air 3rd generation or newer (A12)
• iPad Pro 12.9" 3rd generation or newer (A12X)
• iPad Pro 11" 1st generation or newer (A12X)

 

The subscription fee for each app is $5 per month or $50 per year EACH. If you want both it'll cost you $100 to $120 per year + Tax depending on billing options.

 

The apps are expected to produce projects that are somewhat or mostly compatible with the Mac equivalent apps.

 

Quotes

Quote

Apple announced today that it's bringing its flagship professional creative apps to the iPad for the first time. The Logic Pro audio-editing software and Final Cut Pro video-editing software are making the jump to the iPad with multi-touch-optimized interfaces and Apple Pencil support.

Both apps will be available on the App Store starting May 23 for either $5 per month or $50 per year. Each will also have a one-month free trial available.

Both apps have more stringent system requirements than the GarageBand and iMovie apps. Logic Pro will run on any iPad with at least an A12 Bionic chip, including the 8th-generation iPad, the 3rd-generation iPad Air, the 5th-generation iPad mini, and newer models. Final Cut Pro is more demanding and requires an iPad Pro or Air with an M1 or M2—presumably, it's the small amount of RAM included with older iPads that keeps them from running software that much slower Macs have managed to run for years.

 

My thoughts

I'm kinda surprised Apple had the courage to go for the Subscription price for both apps since many FCPX mac owners likely would not subscribe to FCPX if it was a subscription instead of a one off purchase. Personally I wouldn't mind Apple switching FCP and Logic Pro for Mac being subscriptions that cost the same amount as the iPadOS subscription price or a higher price that gives access to the iPadOS app and the macOS app.

 

Technically speaking I wonder if Apple will switch the macOS app to a Catalyst app for both FCP and Logic Pro and unify the codebases for both apps so that there's one Catalyst app distributed through both app stores rather than separate apps. It could save Apple a bunch of engineering time and effort (which is money) and would ensure both apps have the same features.

 

Sources

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/05/apple-brings-final-cut-pro-and-logic-pro-to-ipad-as-50-per-year-subscriptions/

[Commodus]

The subscription model is somewhat unexpected, although I look at it this way: if you can afford an iPad Pro and need apps like Final Cut or Logic for your work, $49 per year is peanuts. You'll easily make that back if it helps you finish a video or song on location.

 

I also wonder if Apple isn't playing the long game and using this to flesh out touch-native versions of FCP and Logic before those rumored touchscreen Macs in 2025. If they're undercooked right now, Apple doesn't have to worry about alienating the Mac's creative pro customers.

[mecarry30]

Not surprised about the stringent requirements for FCP, considering that most iPads without the M-series chips have 4-6 GB of RAM. The M1/M2 models all have 8/16GB, so it makes sense that they can handle the video files with the effects and stuff more.

[AlTech]

4 hours ago, mecarry30 said:

Not surprised about the stringent requirements for FCP, considering that most iPads without the M-series chips have 4-6 GB of RAM.

Actually a fair few supported iPads rn have 2GB or 3GB of RAM.

 

Most don't have even 4GB.

 

Kinda surprised that the 6GB A12Z iPad Pros are getting left behind tho.

4 hours ago, mecarry30 said:

The M1/M2 models all have 8/16GB, so it makes sense that they can handle the video files with the effects and stuff more.

 

[porina]

How's the Mac version licensed?

 

I've seen similar on other mobile software. The sub model is kinda needed on mobile platforms as you in effect keep getting updates as long as the software is maintained. There isn't a way to time limit updates or lock you to a particular old version, short of creating a new separate product offering in the store.

[AlTech]

27 minutes ago, porina said:

How's the Mac version licensed?

Perpetual license for FCPX (prior versions also has their own licenses). If FCP 11 comes out I think Apple would either charge users for that version or change to a subscription model.

27 minutes ago, porina said:

I've seen similar on other mobile software. The sub model is kinda needed on mobile platforms as you in effect keep getting updates as long as the software is maintained. There isn't a way to time limit updates or lock you to a particular old version, short of creating a new separate product offering in the store.

Yeah. That does seem to be the favoured method by the Mobile App Stores.

[jasonvp]

11 minutes ago, AluminiumTech said:

If FCP 11 comes out I think Apple would either charge users for that version or change to a subscription model.

 

I'll bet money they'll see a sharp decline in the user base if they move to a sub model for the Mac software.  And Blackmagic will see another surge of new users, all on Macs this time.  I'm sure the BM guys are all rubbing their hands together, anxiously waiting for Apple to shoot themselves in both feet.

 

[dalekphalm]

Just for a cost comparison, Final Cut Pro for Mac costs around $400 CAD (No idea what the US Store price is). Logic Pro is $250 CAD.

 

So, not totally unreasonable costs - but for that subscription, it should also include the Mac version.

 

IMO this is fine, especially as the Mac version still has a perpetual license option - if that changes, all bets are off.

[LAwLz]

2 hours ago, porina said:

There isn't a way to time limit updates or lock you to a particular old version, short of creating a new separate product offering in the store.

That wouldn't be hard to do though, so Apple could do it if they wanted to. 

 

 

I think it's super cool that they are finally bringing Final Cut Pro to the iPad, but I am not a big fan of the subscription model. 

Final Cut Pro for MacOS costs 300 USD, so at 50 dollars a year it is actually a really good price. People only start being charged more after 6 years of use. If you stop using it before those 6 years are up, you benefit from the subscription model.

 

 

I am not really surprised that it requires the M1. They had to do the cutoff somewhere and it seems like a fairly good place to draw the line. Besides, if you are actually planning on using Final Cut Pro, chances are you got the money to spend on a new iPad if you need to upgrade. The iPad Air which starts at 500 dollars (although with a pitiful 64GB of storage) has an M1.

[leadeater]

On 5/10/2023 at 7:39 AM, Commodus said:

The subscription model is somewhat unexpected

How is it unexpected? Literally what everyone is doing or wants to do (while trying to figure out how to not piss off current customers). I would have been floored if it wasn't subscription based.

 

At least it's reasonable fee, both are superb quality applications. Adobe Creative Cloud.....

[TetraSky]

Welcome aboard the subscription bandwagon, eh...

More "software as a service, forever". Can't even have anything in perpetuity anymore.

I suppose the price is "affordable" and not completely ridiculous like some competing solutions from the likes of Adobe.

[DrMacintosh]

The iPad needs this software, however I already own a license to Logic and Final Cut Pro (I got the education bundle) and I rarely use them. I'm sure some people will get great use out of these apps, especially those using their iPads as alternatives to laptops. 

[hishnash]

13 hours ago, AluminiumTech said:

Kinda surprised that the 6GB A12Z iPad Pros are getting left behind tho.

18 hours ago, mecarry30 said:

I expect this is down to some Metal features that they need and media engines.  The A12z has a very much cut down encode and decode but it could also just be that the SSDs in A12z iPads and older are much much slower so caching stuff on disk or using SWAP is not as good a UX. 

[hishnash]

35 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

The iPad needs this software, however I already own a license to Logic and Final Cut Pro

In the end the entire apps UI will have had to be re-writen for iPad in an app like this that will be well over 95% of the code so this is a major re-write, if they did a re-write that large on the Mac version your existing license would also not apply. It would be a big version update and you would need to pay to use the new version.  

[DrMacintosh]

4 minutes ago, hishnash said:

It would be a big version update and you would need to pay to use the new version.  

I'm not interested in the iPad apps specifically because I have the Mac versions. 

[hishnash]

 

12 hours ago, jasonvp said:

I'll bet money they'll see a sharp decline in the user base if they move to a sub model for the Mac software.  And Blackmagic will see another surge of new users, all on Macs this time.  I'm sure the BM guys are all rubbing their hands together, anxiously waiting for Apple to shoot themselves in both feet.

If they charge $50/year like this iPad version (I expect it will infact be the same sub) then they will not see a large decline in users at all.  The current price of $300 for FCP is 6 years worth of subscription, for any pro level software if you buying an one of license that is for a given version of the software, and when the next big version comes around you will be expect to pay to upgrade and the old version will stop getting support for new hardware and operating system versions.  Paying $300 for a 6 years of updates is a very good price. 

[hishnash]

1 minute ago, DrMacintosh said:

I'm not interested in the iPad apps specifically because I have the Mac versions. 

I expect sooner rather than later there will be a v11 of FCP on Mac that will move to this pricing model, sure you can continue to use your clines for v10 but your existing v10 license will not extend to v11 (this is normal). 

[LAwLz]

4 hours ago, hishnash said:

I expect this is down to some Metal features that they need and media engines.  The A12z has a very much cut down encode and decode but it could also just be that the SSDs in A12z iPads and older are much much slower so caching stuff on disk or using SWAP is not as good a UX. 

My guess is that they had to draw the line somewhere, and in terms of performance there is a pretty big gap between the A12z and M1 so it was a fitting place to draw it. 

 

I really doubt there is some technical reason for it. The A12z is most likely very capable of running Final Cut Pro, but "M1 and newer" is a cleaner segmentation than "A12z and newer".

[hishnash]

2 hours ago, LAwLz said:

I really doubt there is some technical reason for it. The A12z is most likely very capable of running Final Cut Pro, but "M1 and newer" is a cleaner segmentation than "A12z and newer".

For sure they could get it to run but it might require a LOT of work and in the end the UX would not be good enough, as you said there is a big perf jump. 

[Commodus]

15 hours ago, leadeater said:

How is it unexpected? Literally what everyone is doing or wants to do (while trying to figure out how to not piss off current customers). I would have been floored if it wasn't subscription based.

 

At least it's reasonable fee, both are superb quality applications. Adobe Creative Cloud.....

Apple has typically favoured one-time purchases for creative software. With that said, Apple is much more into services these days and clearly isn't gouging users at $49 per year.

[hishnash]

11 hours ago, Commodus said:

Apple has typically favoured one-time purchases for creative software. With that said, Apple is much more into services these days and clearly isn't gouging users at $49 per year.

 $50/year that would be the same as 6 years of the current price of FCP, not to mention users how buy the current FCP likly also find they need to buy compressor as well. So more like 7 years of FCP.  

Apple never promised to not charge for big version updates of FCP (and in the past they have charged for such updates) in the end moving to subscriptions will mean more users, and better product for them.   

As a developer selling apps on apples platforms the last thing any of us want is apple to start subsidising pro apps (making them free) from unit sales as this would destroy the market for anyone else to make a pro app on the platform. $5/month is cheap but it is not free, it costing something (and not costing $300 up front) means users are both pulled in to the possibility of using the devices for these tasks and not expecting everything to be free.   A high upfront perpetual (well it would not be perpetual it would be until next be V) entry point would not attract users to consider the platform and thus not help with the market for the rest of us.