Don’t forget: Apple is a hardware manufacturer
Comment on IT Broadcast and Digital Cinema: Apple: Let ProRes Go Pro: Such wishes (“[..] maybe a few development dollars towards a cross-platform, public release of ProRes [..]”) forget about Apple’s success-proven strategy of campaigning to offer “High-end Pro” software solutions (which are priced way under worth) but in truth aiming at hardware sales at the gazillion times bigger “Pro-sumer” market:
ProRes is a good reason for one-man / small shops to use FinalCutPro on Mac hardware for onlining in HD without the need of huge SAN or RAID infrastructure and help them create image quality nearly not distinguishable from uncompressed workflows. But releasing ProRes for Windows for free would not help them to sell one more Mac in that market.
Avid in contrary has to promote their software platform with availability of compatibility components such as the DNxHD codec on every platform in their target market. Apple would hurt themselves if they would.
Understanding that doesn’t make Apple look friendlier, but helps to predict their roadmap quite well.
