Apple slashes Aperture team
Apple Computer has slashed the
development team for Aperture, its professional image software for
RAW-format work flow, the insider news Web site Think Secret has
reported.
The team's engineers have been absorbed by other
departments or completely let go, according to the Web site.
The move is not entirely a surprise, as the
software has seen a host of problems. Software glitches, such as an
initial incompatibility with Intel-based Macs, have plagued Aperture
since its release.
Apple was unavailable for comment.
Aperture was also challenged by Adobe's release of
comparable RAW-image work-flow software.
RAW is one of the image formats available on some
advanced digital cameras. RAW images are large, usually uncompressed
files that, unlike JPEGs, are not processed by the camera and retain
all their original data, ideal for those who plan on editing their
pictures with image-editing software because they often require special
software to turn them into a more common format like TIFF or JPEG.
In February, Adobe began offering a beta version of
Adobe Lightroom, Aperture's chief competitor, for free. Before the
Aperture 1.1 upgrade, many online-forum posts had reported that the
beta version of Lightroom performed better than Apple's pricier
software.
In early April, Apple released Aperture 1.1, an
upgrade that is compatible with both PC and Intel Macs. The price of
Aperture was lowered from S$988 (US$727.42) to S$588 (US$432.92). Owners of the earlier version
were offered a S$400 (US$294.50) coupon to the Apple Store, in addition to the free
upgrade.
Apple also addressed many of the glitches with its April upgrade, but
by then the Adobe Lightroom beta had been freely available for months.
The reported team change for Aperture could be a
reaction to last week's announcement that Adobe will be releasing
Photoshop and Creative Suite on Mactel (Intel-based Mac) systems next
year.
Adobe Lightroom and Aperture are both work-flow
complements to photo-editing software, such as Photoshop.
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