Apple needs to be more forthcoming on Aperture 1,1 slip.

Question

I'm committed to Aperture and firmly believe ALL digital photographers will benefit from viable competition between Aperture and Lightroom. These products are redefining the digital photography workflow to our ultimate benefit.
While I'm disappointed that Aperture 1.1 has slipped, I'm more disappointed with how Apple announced the news. Surely the loyal Aperture supporters deserve more than a small paragraph -- almost a footnote really-- in a news release on availability of UB Final Cut Studio. We have, after all, toiled through the imperfections of 1.0.1 and watched with concern the massive Lightroom counter-offensive from the industry that surrounds and supports Adobe) .
Seems to me that Apple could at least announce more details on the reason for the slip and the expected (not committed) release date -- in some timeframe a bit narrower than "April". An email to all registered users with the rationale and expectations would be even better.
Apple, if you are listenting: I believe you have a better workflow concept and application than Lightroom. But right now your Aperture initiative is getting pounded by the Adobe PR machine. Time to be a little more proactive in speaking to your base and to your intended base -- before the battle for hearts and minds is over and Lightroom is the marketplace winner.
(Of course all this may be mute if software update suddenly downloads 1.1 this weekend. But I don't expect that given the vagueness of the delay announcement. In fact, the vague, low key nature of the delay announcement COULD be construed as indicating that Apple is not even very confident of the April date)
Mike
Dual G5 PowerMac 2.0Ghz, 4GB Memory; MacBook PRO 2.0GHz   Mac OS X (10.4.5)   Also Powerbook G4 and iMac G4 in household

Answer 1

Dear LM,
I heard Steve Jobs say on stage that Apple's pro apps will be Universal Binaries by March 2006, he said that, not me. This is after Apple released a pro app for Photographers that when used to print contact sheets or prints, does a really terrible (IMHO) job.
Sure it is great at sorting, cataloguing, and loads of other great new ways to use your photographs, but if I want to create a top quality print, then hey I will have to wait and see if they fix it.
So did Apple release Aperture knowing it had these weakness's, or did they not know pro photographers would require a better quality print engine? Either way it isn't what I expected from Apple, why release before the product is stable and fully functional.
You are willing to give Apple the benefit of the doubt, and it seems you would wait for Apple however long it takes, for them to fix a product that shouldn't have been released when it was.
So basically you are saying I can't trust Apple to release a product that is fit for purpose, and it is up to me to make sure they have delivered on their promises before I buy and spend money with them, now that really would be silly.
Thanks for your reply, and all the best,
Anil K Solanki
PS. I thought you were going to give the forums a break for a few weeks to avoid the whining people stuck on the road for two months with brand new cars that don't work?