Apple has this week unveiled Final Cut Pro X, a new installment of its successful video-editing software that will be made available in June at a cost of $299.
The revamped software, previewed at the 2011 National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas, is set to replace the $199 Final Cut Express and offers a collection of new features over the existing release, Final Cut Pro 7.
Chief among the upgrades is support for larger quantities of system RAM, with Apple confirming that version 10 has been rebuilt from the ground up using the Cocoa API to offer native 64-bit support. Calling on other OSX technologies, Final Cut Pro X will also leverage Grand Central Dispatch to allow the software to utilise up to eight CPU processing cores.
The performance enhancements introduce support for the emerging 4K video standard, as well as background rendering and the ability to make edits while footage is being imported.
In addition to the performance boost, Final Cut Pro X will also usher in a revamped user interface that borrows design cues from Apple's entry-level editor; iMovie.
And, like the consumer package, Apple's upcoming professional solution will offer automatic face detection and a magnetic timeline to help keep audio and video in sync.
Apple is yet to confirm whether or not the Final Cut Studio software suite will continue to run alongside the upcoming standalone package, but added that it "wanted to greatly simplify the pricing structure and make it very easy for you if you decided that you wanted to get a copy of Final Cut Pro".
