December 1, 2001: Apple Announces Final Cut 3.0

Final Cut was an Apple smash hit. The program was under development by Macromedia when the company decided to sell off the asset and focus on web- based efforts. Apple bought the rights and hired the key players.

When the team came to Apple they got to work and a made a shockingly good nonlinear video editor. People raved about the program and Hollywood piled on the awards.

Of course, good software is like collecting interest from the bank. A few tweaks and an upgrade charge nets the publisher a lot of cash for little more than waiting. Final Cut is no exception, and version 3.0, featuring more robust color correction tools among other things, was released this week in 2001.