Cloud mania strikes again! There are rumors that Apple is moving iMovie, among other applications, into an online format. Seems like a strange idea to me. An online application for dealing with content that is local sounds like a bit of a mismatch; after all, along with the rise of things like the Mino and Zi6 for shooting straight to YouTube, real HD video workflows are getting simpler and closer to home as well. And if your content is to large to be stored or distributed online, why would you want the tools for editing it to be web-based?
Video is going in two directions at once currently, and it’s hard to say what will be a winning solution. 720p and 1080p video is increasingly easy to create and edit, but storage is difficult and so is distribution. On the other hand, poorly encoded streaming video like most of YouTube’s content is easy to edit and easy to distribute. Somehow we need to combine the benefits of HD with the usability of streaming video, but putting the editor online doesn’t seem like a step in that direction at all. And since the latest iMovie and online developments by Apple haven’t been exactly well-received, I wouldn’t hold out too much hope for a truly amazing cloud app.