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Apple looking into resuming Final Cut Pro 7 enterprise sales after FCP X backlash

After "revolutionary" changes in Final Cut Pro X caused an uproar among industry professionals, Apple representatives revealed during a recent briefing in London that the company is looking into allowing existing enterprise clients to purchase additional copies of Final Cut Pro 7.

Attendees at the private briefing, which took place on Wednesday, reported that Apple is looking into the legal ramifications of reopening enterprise licenses of Final Cut Pro 7.

Although industry professional Sam Johnson (via alex4d) originally claimed that Apple would definitely resume licenses "in the next few weeks," company representatives quickly contacted him to set the record straight, saying it is only "looking into" the possibility at this stage. Blogger Peter Wiggins has noted that Apple's issue is a legal one.

The Cupertino, Calif., company did confirm at the meeting that Final Cut Studio 3 has been discontinued. Wiggins noted that Color and all the other apps have been "killed off." AppleInsider exclusively reported last month that Final Cut Express, Server and Studio had been marked "end of life" by Apple.

The main purpose of the gathering was to present a working demo of Final Cut Pro X to attendees. According to Wiggins, the software "for the first time looked pretty good with somebody working it…who knew what they were doing. Very slick compared to some of the recent 'stumblethroughs I've seen."

During the briefing, Apple promised a range of updates in coming months, with XSAN support arriving in "the next few weeks." Some of the updates will cost money, while others will be free. The addition of multicam support will reportedly be a free upgrade, though Wiggins noted that Apple's employee may have said it "accidentally."

Final Cut Pro X launched late last month and immediately sparked a controversy over drastic changes to the software and missing features. Since then, Apple has taken a variety of tactics to mitigate concerns over the release. FCP product managers responded to some initial complaints and the company has posted a list of frequently asked questions. A number of dissatisfied customers have reported receiving refunds from Apple.

But, in spite of Apple's efforts, a growing number of video professionals have dubbed the software "iMovie Pro" and disavowed it. AppleInsider was first to report last year that Apple planned to scale Final Cut to better match the needs of "prosumer and advanced home users."

As dissatisfaction with the application has grown, Adobe, which makes the competing non-linear editing software Premiere Pro, has jumped at the opportunity. After launching a PR offensive, the company announced a "switcher program" that offers Final Cut Pro users a 50 percent discount on the company's Creativev Suite 5.5 Production Premium or Premiere Pro CS5.5.