Apple Demos Final Cut Pro X at NAB 2011, Ships in June for $299


The rumors were true. Apple did take over the on-stage portion of this year's Final Cut Pro User Group SuperMeet and used the venue to present the next version of Final Cut Pro. The new version of Final Cut Pro has been renamed to "Final Cut Pro X" and is described as a complete rewrite of the original application.

For a detailed list of new changes see our keynote coverage or see PhotographyBay for their play-by-play.


Video by @robimbs

Final Cut Pro X will be a 64-bit application with Grand Central Dispatch support, allowing it to scale and use all available cores for background rendering. Comments from those who watched the demos indicated that background rendering was a big feature (no more waiting) and lots of real time effects and high performance. Final Cut Pro X will be available for $299 on the App Store in June. There was no mention of Final Cut Express or the rest of the Final Cut Studio.

Update: An Apple rep told LoopInsight to stay tuned for news on the rest of the suite:

"Today was just a sneak peak of Final Cut Pro, stay tuned"

Loop Insight also managed to get a few screenshots.

014726 fcpscreen 500
Click for larger.

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Deliver Next-Level Battery Life

Friday February 6, 2026 5:14 am PST by
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker. Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...

Top Rated Comments

lifeinhd Avatar
194 months ago
This is what iMovie after iMovie '06 should have been, if only because it has a PROPER FRICKIN' TIMELINE!

Was really hoping for $199, but $299 isn't bad. I might just upgrade from iMovie '06 (I'm not really a 'pro' editor, but I love my timelines!).
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CoryTV Avatar
194 months ago
They should have just called this iMovie pro, because that's what it is. So, Apple Color is left to die the death of Shake, huh? Wow, crazy. I bet Avid is pretty thrilled with this. It's almost like they said "Let's leave the big installs to Avid"
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Full of Win Avatar
194 months ago
So this is basically a jazzed up Final Cut Express and the pros have been shown the door. Why am I not shocked about this. :mad:

Someday I'll tell my kids that Apple was the company for pros to which they will laugh in disbelief; kind of how I do now when old people tell me that American cars were once high quality.
Score: 0 Votes (Like | Disagree)