“It is no secret that I wasn’t a fan of Aperture 1.0. From the outright broken things like 8-bit TIFF export and EXIF data stripping on output to the Zen take on a manual (there is no documentation”), everything about Aperture 1.0 pointed to an unrealistic deadline and a QA department with their monitors off. While the EXIF bug was fixed with the OS X 10.4.6 update, the problems I saw in Aperture 1.0 were sadly only the tip of the iceberg and eventually users’ different workflows exposed numerous additional flaws, some nastier than others. After inconsistent responses to some angry customers who wanted their money back, the whole thing got even uglier,” Dave Girard writes for Ars Technica. “By all accounts, the Aperture 1.0 launch was a big fart with Apple doing its best to light PR matches wherever it could.”
“It is very nice seeing Apple reduce the price from US$500 to US$300, but it’s even more encouraging that they have offered a US$200 ‘e-coupon’ to those who bought Aperture 1.0. Besides the obvious need to stick an ‘e-‘ in front of something concrete, Apple needed to send a message to their professional customers that said ‘this won’t happen again and yes, we were at fault.’ Giving people money back was the best way of sending exactly that message,” Girard writes.
“I have to admit, I was very skeptical that Apple could whip together professional-quality RAW conversion for numerous camera models in a few months. Their competitors have been honing their technology for years and reverse-engineering your way into the subtle differences in manufacturer’s RAW formats is not a matter of ticking the’unsuck’ radio button. Either they bought some existing technology we don’t know about or there are some seriously overworked software engineers getting some much-needed sleep right about now. But who cares? The plain fact is that Aperture 1.1’s high-quality RAW processing says ‘we can move quickly in areas where we’ve had little experience’ and the discount/refund says ‘users won’t be expected to beta test at their own expense again.’ Everybody is winning here, even those professionals who were frustrated for shelling out for the lackluster 1.0 version,” Girard writes. “As it stands, Aperture can now genuinely claim to be among the better RAW converters and when you combine that with the serious workflow benefits the program offers with its now-cheaper price tag, you have a serious professional photography companion as well as a tempting upgrade for iPhoto users. Apple’s managed to pull an about-face on many levels here and I’m happy they did—my flame-retardant suit was starting to give.”
The comprehensive review – a must-read for those considering purchasing Aperture – here.
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Related MacDailyNews articles:
Apple: Rumors of Aperture’s demise have been greatly exaggerated – May 05, 2006
Apple releases Aperture 1.1.1 Update – May 05, 2006
Rumor: Apple axes bulk of Aperture team, app’s future in doubt – April 27, 2006
Apple releases Aperture 1.1 for $299; free update for early adopters of Aperture plus $200 coupon – April 13, 2006
Apple calls on pro photogs to provide RAW photos for Aperture improvements testing – February 02, 2006
Ars Technica: Apple’s Aperture ‘a big, expensive misfire’ – December 05, 2005
Apple’s revolutionary Aperture: will all Mac applications work like this someday? – October 21, 2005
Apple’s Aperture more revolutionary than you might think – October 21, 2005
Apple’s new Aperture signals that Photoshop is no longer invulnerable – October 20, 2005
Pro photographers see Apple’s Aperture as complement to Adobe Photoshop – October 20, 2005
Does Apple’s Aperture threaten Adobe’s Photoshop? – October 20, 2005
Apple’s revolutionary new Aperture software a must have for every professional photographer – October 19, 2005
Apple introduces Aperture, first all-in-one post production tool for photographers – October 19, 2005