Brian, yeah, that’s one way you could interpret things. But I think it’s also worth pointing out that even Microsoft didn’t include the ability for users to play back a standard DVD movie in Windows ’95, ’98, ME, 2000 or even XP! It wasn’t until Vista that they finally incorporated it. Companies like Toshiba and Dell were always pre-loading 3rd. party DVD movie player applications before that, since they knew users expected to have that functionality.

Final Cut Pro X might make a good topic for another article. But personally? I think what you’re really seeing is technology advancing to the point where the consumer can start playing with video technologies that used to be relegated ONLY to the “pro” segment of the marketplace. Apple sees an opportunity there, building “prosumer” type tools to work with HD content, cameras that save photos in RAW format, etc. – while making all of it reasonably accessible to the average user.

I mean, just 10 years ago, video professionals would have laughed if you told them consumers would be experimenting at home with “blue screen” technology to superimpose their images on looped background video. Now, it’s a built-in special effects feature in iChat!

The problem for Apple is figuring out how to address this growing, new market segment. It seems to me they have a general goal of making one product that’s suitable for BOTH the high-end pros AND the prosumers out there. Unfortunately, it’ll probably take a while to hammer such a thing into shape, and FCP X is just the very first experiment with doing that to their video editing product. I don’t know if the “pros” will jump ship before Apple can succeed in pleasing them or not?