I'm not sure about the theory that Apple is aiming at Avid/Digi necessarily. Everything that Apple does is designed to sell Apple hardware, whether it's a Mac, iPod, or iPhone. If Apple has been investing heavily in creative software packages (and making them stupidly affordable over the last few years, I suspect it's because they had high concern that existing packages from eMagic, Digi, Motu, and Adobe either weren't paying enough attention to the Mac market (thus contributing to lower sales) or that the products offered had enough problems that they didn't provide a compelling alternative to Windows apps.
(Please note: this is all speculation and I'm not singling any company out).
The reason I don't think Apple is necessarily targeting the Avid/Digi crowd is that the industry that buys into PT doesn't really consider price much of an issue. Price is important, but stability, quality, familiarity, and workflow throughput are far more important when working with multi-million dollar properties like major label releases and films. PT enjoys success because it's relatively stable, and continues to reap the benefits of its early reputation for quality.
Most importantly though, PT shares Windows' key asset: everybody uses it because it's what everybody's using. The fact that there are better and/or cheaper alternatives isn't always the main consideration. Apple's Keynote kicks ass and I get compliments on my presentations, but people always want me to give them an exported copy in PowerPoint format.
There's a reason OMF export is important.Instead, I think Apple is focusing on retaining/regaining it's position as the platform of choice for creation of content, especially for the entry-level, hobbyist, prosumer, or indie crowds. If I have a $50,000 budget for my indie flick and can get a Mac with software to edit the film and score the soundtrack for under $5k (that would have had a total cost closer to $20k a few years ago), I'll probably choose that over the Pro Tools system.
But this is a MOTU board and I'm actually writing this because I wanted to point out a few things that have been touched on, but that I think are very important to MOTU and DP's future. Protools can probably weather a value-laden package like Logic Studio - MOTU may not be in such a good position. At least, MOTU software may not. I suspect that MOTU has an opportunity to remain in that sweet spot between low-end budget hardware and Apogee/Digi stuff. Hardware probably has better margins for them as well.
My first MIDI sequencer was on the Commodore 64. I then moved to Dr. T's KCS on an Amiga, then to Studio Vision Pro, then (just a couple of months before SVP imploded) completely revamped my studio to all MOTU hardware and software. I tend to be "loyal" though that isn't necessarily the right word - I find something that works and stick with it. DP was far and away the most musical, useful, and affordable DAW I could find. It was a fantastic value.
But over the last 5 years or so, it's gotten harder and harder to stick with MOTU for me. The company had never been overly communicative, but it seemed to shut down almost entirely. Then I started having hardware problems with my 24i/o and MTP-AVs. By itself, this wasn't a problem - these things happen - it was trying to deal with MOTU that was a problem. It was like pulling teeth to get an RMA. Then I had to send multiple messages to get a status update. One time, they even forgot they had one of my units!
I'm not a fanboy, but I'm not overly fickle either. You have to do a lot to get me to the point where I start thinking of changing platforms or switching brands. Unfortunately, MOTU has had me thinking that way for over a year now, and the Logic Studio release doesn't do anything to help that. If I pick up the package (and I probably will) it won't be to immediately replace DP as my DAW of choice. But my increasing familiarity with it (especially if the interface is as improved as it looks) makes it easier and easier for me to stop using DP in time.
As I see it, MOTU has a few serious problems:
1. Their position as the best DAW value is (at least for now) gone. They have to either improve quality, lower price, or increase value (if not all three).
2. MOTU's customer service either needs to step up to the plate, or there need to be some serious purges in Massachusetts. If I had to guess, I'd say that the purges need to happen pretty high up the food chain because there's no way they could have degenerated to their current levels if the top held customer service as a priority.
How many times have you seen people on this board griping that they never get an answer, or that they're getting a busy signal from the tech support line. A BUSY SIGNAL! It didn't take long for me to figure out that this board (and before that the mailing list or newsgroups) were much better and faster for getting tech support.
And the web-based system is, at best, a pain to use. Why do I have to register hardware for MOTU to even open a ticket. It's HARDWARE! Software registration I can understand, but it's not likely that anyone's trying to pay $75 to have their pirated hardware repaired. Similarly, why doesn't MOTU know that I own software that I purchased directly from them? (NOTE: These are merely rhetorical/illustrative examples. We don't need to discuss them in this thread and I don't want to be responsible for a threadjack.
)You can get away with crappy tech support and customer service, at least for awhile, if you're the overwhelming leader in a space. MOTU doesn't have that luxury.
3. MOTU needs to make immediate efforts to keep its core user base happy. This has already been discussed in this thread, but it's a lot cheaper to keep an existing customer than to find a new one. They need to capitalize on the fact that most of us really do love DP. It's comfortable, in many ways it's the best of its kind, and we all have a lot of time and money invested in it.
But that goodwill only goes so far. When you're ignoring the people who are most likely to provide good word of mouth, there's something wrong.
4. MOTU needs to do some serious evaluation of its product line and figure out what its core competencies are. I don't think it's going to have the luxury of having fingers in lots of different pies with products like Logic Studio or Apple's new relationship with Apogee. And once it figures out what it should be doing, it needs to get some marketing people in line with its objectives. It's asinine that the V3HD isn't even mentioned on the MOTU web site.
5. MOTU needs to decide if having DP remain a Mac-only product is still in its best interest. I know this is close to heresy for me to even mention, but how many Mac-only companies survive when Apple enters their software space, especially when it's a full suite of applications selling at the same price as a single piece of MOTU software? This may be absolutely the wrong move, but it's something that needs to be looked at.
6. (Optional) Lose the dongles. They make a lot of us mad. Go back to an unobtrusive serial number scheme. In defense of your dongle choice, however, at least you chose a popular one instead of something entirely proprietary like the XSKey. Ever notice that's an anagram for KY Sex? Dealing with dongles makes me feel like they forgot the KY.
I know some of these things aren't pleasant to contemplate (especially given that last analogy), but business decisions sometimes need to be ruthless if the company is to survive, much less prosper. Despite the overall tone of this post, I'm really pulling for MOTU in all of this. I like having Unicorns in my rack. I love DP. My studio sounds great, runs well for the most part, and I'm very pleased with the results I get out of it.
For that matter, I wouldn't have taken the time and thought write this if I didn't want MOTU to do well and for DP to remain a major player in the DAW segment.
But as a business owner who relies, in part, on MOTU hardware and software to make my living, I have to look seriously at MOTU's corporate behavior, determine if I think that behavior bodes well for its long term survival, and then make platform decisions based on that. At the moment, I'll be buying L8 Studio as a hedge.
