Rumor: Apple to Update Final Cut Pro at NAB SuperMeet

The Apple Crystal Ball
Apple will be “taking over” the tenth annual SuperMeet event at NAB this month to unveil a new, unannounced update to Final Cut Pro (FCP), according to a report from ProVideoCoalition.com. Citing a mishmash of unspecified rumors, unnamed sources, and public changes to the SuperMeet, the site said that SuperMeet organizers had canceled all presentations from other parties because Apple has demanded presentation exclusivity to announce the update.

SuperMeet is an annual gathering within NAB (National Association of Broadcasters trade show) held by the Final Cut Pro User Group Network (FCPug), a coalition of digital editing user groups. The organization bills SuperMeet as, “The largest gathering of Final Cut Studio, Avid and Adobe editors, HDSLR filmmakers and digital content creators and Gurus on the Planet.”

Companies have long used sponsored presentation time at the event to unveil new products, introduce new technologies, and to show the assembled video professionals their wares. This year’s presenters included Blackmagic, Autodesk, Canon, AJA, and other heavy hitters in the industry, but Apple has (if the story pans out) tossed them all out on their ears in order to use the event to announce the next version of FCP.

SuperMeet isn’t talking publicly about the change, but an Avid spokesperson told ProVideoCoaltion.com that SuperMeet unilaterally canceled Avid’s sponsorship at the event, reportedly because, “Apple doesn’t want anyone to have stage time but them.”

Canon also confirmed that its presentation had been canceled, though director Philip Bloom may still possibly be a part of the event as a guest of Apple on behalf of Canon. Black Magic wouldn’t specify what was going on, but acknowledged that something is going on with its sponsorship. Autodesk confirmed that it was no longer going to be presenting on the main stage at the event, but would participate in the SuperMeet Digital Showcase.

The SuperMeet website hasn’t changed, and still reflects Autodesk, Avid, Blackmagic, and Canon as “Platinum Sponsors,” wile AJA is still listed as the sponsor of the live video stream that will be offered during the event, despite the above-mentioned sponsorship cancellations. Apple is not listed as a sponsor.

To summarize, something major has disrupted existing presentation plans and sponsorships at SuperMeet, and some industry sources are saying it’s because Apple will be using the event to present something. That something is rumored to be Final Cut Pro, which hasn’t seen a major upgrade since July of 2009. SuperMeet and Apple itself aren’t yet talking to the press about the rumored changes.

NAB takes place from April 9th through April 14th at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas. SuperMeet will rake place on Tuesday, April 12th, at Bally’s Event Center in Las Vegas.