Apple Issues Rebates On Final Cut Pro X--Disgruntled Users Jumping The Gun?

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It’s been something of a fact for a while now that Final Cut Pro X has proven disappointing to a lot of professionals out there. It’s one of the lowest-rated apps in the App Store, and in a bid to keep the user base from revolting outright, Apple has begun offering refunds. That’s a huge step back from Apple’s normal policy, but even in this, are the users jumping the gun?

Apple almost never gives refunds on software. In fact, it’s part of the terms of service that all sales are final when it comes to software sales. But Final Cut Pro X has proven to be something of a different animal, garnering a whole lot of negative publicity and getting the user base sufficiently up in arms to demand refunds on a mass scale. Apple, for its part, is responding quickly in the face of a whole lot of angry professionals, and that’s probably the best move. But there’s evidence to suggest that those very same professionals are moving entirely too fast on this one.

See, when you go rummaging through the Final Cut Pro X code, what you find is that a lot of the features that had been left out of the current version are actually there…and they just haven’t been activated yet. Things like importing Final Cut Pro XML are actually in the current version already, just needing to be turned on. And there’s word that you can actually do it yourself, if you feel like mucking around in released code of a product that cost $299. Many, likely, would not.

It is a bit of a surprise that Apple focused on release timing over functionality here, but that’s seemingly what they went with here. A lot of people are quite upset about this, and Apple’s unprecedented response of refunds illustrates that point very well. Still though, it’s good to see them paying attention to what the users are saying on this, even if the issues in question may just be a patch away from repair.

What do you guys think? Did Apple push a bit too hard to get this product out? Are the users of Final Cut Pro X jumping the gun by taking refunds on a product that seems to have what they want, just not usable right now? The comments section is waiting for you below, so no matter how you feel about this, head on down and tell us what’s on your mind!