Fabrizio Fracassi left Final Cut Pro when Apple made a left turn back in 2011 with the release of Version 10. Happily, Apple addressed the criticism it received from that release and Fabrizio is back in the fold.

Apple was quick at responding to the early criticism and making up leeway, and when I got involved in a project that required me to learn Media Composer, I kind of realized what Apple had achieved with their rework of Final Cut Pro. There is a segment in Disney’s Fantasia named the Firebird Suite (composed by Igor Stravinsky). It is the story of the spring sprite who accidentally awakes the firebird, a malevolent spirit in a nearby volcano. The firebird proceeds in destroying the forest, and seemingly the sprite. But the sprite survives and sets about restoring the forest to an even lusher state; an occurrence that can also be observed in nature. Volcanic eruptions cause much damage, but when magma cools, it breaks down to form some of the most fertile soils on earth. On a broader view, one can say that death is the greatest invention of life, because it leaves room for the next generation and enables animate beings to evolve. And that’s exactly what Apple has done with Final Cut Pro. It has dropped its legacy software and launched an entirely new set of tools that will carry the product line well into the next decade. It has recognized that, among other things, innovation stems from a willingness to fail, and for those reasons Final Cut Pro X is a great step forward.

Great analogy.