Just splurged on the Pro Bundle, as the Era-D is really the most insane product in there – you get similar noise reduction as other good noise suppressors, but WITHOUT ANY artifacts (some tinny-ness sure, but no digital warble). Granted, only been using it for 2 days on maybe 3-4 different clips, but so far, so so good.

More, I'd assume. Especially when you factor in all the modifiers.

Hmm, it's all in the clip – he started at Zoetrope as PA, got recognized for his VFX skills, went to Industrial Light and Magic, had a hit commercial for the cancer society and THEN tried to make it in LA. So, a semi-established commercial director when he starts his own company with 3 other guys – which was billing 2-3 million $ a year AS A PRODUCTION COMPANY. That's not so much – what you bill is not profit, that money goes straight back into the business, keeping the lights on.

The reason it looks like iMovie, is because Apple used iMovie to test out the new features planned for FCPX, while they were still officially backing FCP7.

That is a strange comparison. Select-reels are inherently one-dimensional, that is, only operating on one search criteria – and once they reach a certain length, searching through the select-reel becomes its own headache. Whereas keywords can be combined into searches –  exterior / character-name / interview / GOOD – and then you instantly get everything at that particular search-intersection. It is frankly an obviously superior, metadata approach to organization. And much cleaner looking.

Also, what you are describing requires an added layer of refinement, of pre-selection, which not every project has the time or need for. Sometimes you just need to edit the clips that you've got – and then FCPX is miles ahead. The FCPX film-strips are just so much more visual and immediate and "tactile" than scrubbing through a (pancake) timeline. FCPX excels at giving you a (scalable) overview of your footage.

This is the kind of step-by-step article/breakdown I've been itching to write myself, because the core innovations of FCPX are just so good that they turn you into an FCPX evangelist. The trackless, magnetic, easy-scrubbing, keyword goodness of FCPX is the future, whether it's in Final Cut or some future software.

And while I agree that an appeal to authority is not a true logical argument, it can get you a hearing with people. So before people call me a youtube editor, I've edited feature length films on FCP7, FCPX, Premiere, and been an AVID assistant. FCPX is my one true love.