Apple announces Final Cut Pro for iPad (with no shortage of caveats): What you need to know

Access to pro-level video editing software will cost $49 a year. Is that a good deal? Will you go for it? Let us know in the poll below. Photo credit: Apple

You’ll soon be able to use Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro on your iPad, according to Apple, that is, as long as you have one of the latest models and are willing to spend $4.99 a month per app (or $49 a year).

Up to now, the video editing software Final Cut Pro and the audio editing software Logic Pro have been available on macOS desktops/laptops, with this update they both are coming to Apple’s tablet. But what do these tablet-specific versions offer over their non-subscription-based desktop counterparts? And what does this move to subscription pricing mean for the future of Apple apps, including the desktop versions?

FCP and Logic Pro for iPad – features

Both iOS apps have been enhanced to make the most of a touch-based interface and offer support for Apple’s range of multi-touch gestures. They also include a few new features. FCP for iPad, for instance, offers a new ‘jog wheel’ to help speed up edit time and footage navigation.

FCP for iPad supports Apple’s range of multi-touch gestures. Photo credit: Apple

FCP and Logic both also support the latest version of Apple Pencil. In Final Cut Pro, the pencil can be used to skim through footage by hovering over the timeline. It can also be used to draw and write directly on footage using a feature Apple calls Live Draw. In Logic, the pencil can be used to annotate tracks or make precise edits.

Touchscreen features aside, Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for iPad offer very similar capabilities to their desktop versions. So how do they compare price-wise?

The dreaded subscription model

Ah, the dreaded subscription software model. While FCP for desktop can be downloaded for the one-time fee of $299 and Logic Pro for $199, you’ll have to continue ponying up month over month, or year over year for the tablet versions. There is no way to buy either app outright.

Depending on how you use it, it may be an undo expense or it may end up making sense for you. At $49 a year, it’ll take you a little over six years to match the cost of the FCP for desktop. Or, if you opt for the monthly payment, it’ll take you about five years. In the end, it’s going to come down to your needs if you opt to do iPad, macOS or none of the above.

Limited compatibility

While Logic Pro for iPad is compatible with a wide array of recent iPad models, FCP only works with M1 iPads and newer. Photo credit: Apple

Another serious limitation of these dedicated tablet apps is compatibility. Final Cut Pro will only play nice with M1 iPads and later. This means that even if you have the latest iPad Mini or standard iPad (10th generation), or a pre-2021 iPad Pro, you’re out of luck. Only the newest iPad Air, and 5th and 6th generation iPad Pros can run it. Logic Pro, on the other hand, is compatible with a much wider range of models.

Signs of things to come?

Subscription model pricing for apps is nothing new, even for desktop. Despite grumbles from longtime users, Adobe successfully switched over to the subscription-based Creative Cloud model years ago. And it is possible that Apple’s move with FCP and Logic Pro for iPad is very much a test of whether users will embrace this payment model as well.

Assuming consumers do, what might Final Cut Pro for desktop cost in the future? $9.99 a month seems likely or $99 a year, while Logic Pro may perhaps cost $7.99 a month or $79 a year. Doesn’t that sound fun?

The wrap

So, what do you think? Are you excited about Final Cut Pro for iPad? Or do the subscription model and hardware limitations turn you off? Let us know below.