El Capitan is Avid's big test

[DarkandKurious]

I have been thinking about the debacle* that is Avid's transition from a goods supplier to a service provider. I'm sure many here have been thinking about it. El Capitan is a litmus test for the stability of Avid's ability to actually BE a service provider: how soon they Avid can supply compatibility will provide proof of the value of their service.

Having set themselves up as a service provider, whose business is providing support and compatibility, the speed at which they deliver El Capitan compatibility, and the smoothness of the roll out will be quite revealing.

[Darryl Ramm]

Avid has not become a service provider, it's become a billing provider.

[grayter1]

Originally Posted by DarkandKurious

El Capitan is a litmus test for the stability of Avid's ability to actually BE a service provider: how soon they Avid can supply compatibility will provide proof of the value of their service.

Truth.

[Obsidian Dragon]

Did something change? Avid has always taken their time to release updates to be compatible with Apple's frequent OS updates. Their testing cycle is extensive and often it takes months. In some cases, they simply give up and abandon that version (PT10) and put their development resources to newer versions. If you are looking for a DAW to keep up with Apple's latest OS, Avid may not be the right platform for you. The software and the company is just not as nimble as some others. This is not a jab at Avid but just a fact of their business model and history. Those who can stick with an older OS and compatible version of Protools tend to be more satisfied with their DAW. Those that feel the need to get the latest-greatest versions, end up being frustrated with Avid. Don't expect Avid to suddenly be the poster child for customer service and being a service provider. They are a software (and hardware) company trying to make a profit from your investment in their products. They will ride this "we are the industry standard" train for as long as the public allows. You should expect more of the same in the future.

[Wall2Wall]

UA, considered one of the great customer service companies, has taken about 4 months to update drivers for each regular major OSX update. Who cares about El Capitan if you have a working, stable system.

[DarkandKurious]

I don't care about El Capitan per se; I am still on 11.3.1 with Mavericks (and it is working okay, despite the bugs, which I just have learnt to shrug and work around). Yet Avid have made their subscription/support model about keeping current. It's not like El Capitan was dropped on them a week ago, they've been working with the beta ...or they are not serious about what the support plans pay for.

Avid have to get better at their compatibility releases for there to be any value in their subscription/support model. That is what has changed, by their own doing. Now that they charge an annual fee for updates, they need to show they are serious about keeping the software current for the support plans to have any value. Expecting the customer to keep an up to date yearly fee, while not providing timely releases will simply damage their reputation further.

[jesele]

+1

[Wall2Wall]

Originally Posted by DarkandKurious

I don't care about El Capitan per se; I am still on 11.3.1 with Mavericks (and it is working okay, despite the bugs, which I just have learnt to shrug and work around). Yet Avid have made their subscription/support model about keeping current. It's not like El Capitan was dropped on them a week ago, they've been working with the beta ...or they are not serious about what the support plans pay for.

Avid have to get better at their compatibility releases for there to be any value in their subscription/support model. That is what has changed, by their own doing. Now that they charge an annual fee for updates, they need to show they are serious about keeping the software current for the support plans to have any value. Expecting the customer to keep an up to date yearly fee, while not providing timely releases will simply damage their reputation further.

You can't count the beta. Apple and Windows add stuff and change API's that break functionality right up until the night of the final release. This happened with both EL Capitan and Windows 10. Most companies wait for the final rather than waste resources for months. Apogee rode thru the beta incarnations, UA and others waited for the Final.

[deanrichard]

+1

Supporting the latest OS is not a litmus test for Avid. They have enough trouble just doing bug fixes right now, and they are many months late on releasing long promised new functionality. It's been so long, I wonder, does anyone even remember what Avid Anywhere is? They have far bigger problems than OS support.

Originally Posted by Obsidian Dragon

Did something change? Avid has always taken their time to release updates to be compatible with Apple's frequent OS updates. Their testing cycle is extensive and often it takes months. In some cases, they simply give up and abandon that version (PT10) and put their development resources to newer versions. If you are looking for a DAW to keep up with Apple's latest OS, Avid may not be the right platform for you. The software and the company is just not as nimble as some others. This is not a jab at Avid but just a fact of their business model and history. Those who can stick with an older OS and compatible version of Protools tend to be more satisfied with their DAW. Those that feel the need to get the latest-greatest versions, end up being frustrated with Avid. Don't expect Avid to suddenly be the poster child for customer service and being a service provider. They are a software (and hardware) company trying to make a profit from your investment in their products. They will ride this "we are the industry standard" train for as long as the public allows. You should expect more of the same in the future.

[Cliffy_Boy]

True we'll see if the subscription has any value at all.

The problem with El Capitan seems to be in t he MIDI implementation. It also broke S3 screens.

I rushed to get my new computer last week before it would be pre-installed with El Capitan. But if Avid doesn't get everything working soon, it means no one can upgrade their MAC's anytime soon.