The History of Aperture
Even here in 2018, RAW files can be difficult to deal with due to their size. In 2005, they were all but impossible to manage. Aperture set out to fix that, as Apple’s website said[…]
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The specifications for Aperture 1.0 were as steep as the price. Apple created a free “Aperture Compatibility Checker” application to help determine if your system met the requirements.
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No doubt the program struggled to shake its early reputation. The performance woes and underwhelming feature set in the first version tainted people’s opinions in a way that was hard for Apple to shake. I have no doubt that some who paid that initial $499 price tag were disappointed by their investment.
Despite persistent rumors that it would be cancelled, Aperture improved through its two major revisions. Apple added much-needed tools and features, all while making the software more responsive and less frustrating to use.
Another interesting tidbit is that Aperture was probably Apple’s highest profile early use of Core Data, but it was then rewritten to use SQLite directly (as does Lightroom).
It ended as a damned fine product. I still rely on it. Left a gulf in Apple’s product lineup
Even today, I am a reluctant Lightroom user; I can’t tell you how much I wish Aperture were still around, with support for iCloud Photo Library. For all its faults and bugs, I always got a kick out of editing my photos in Aperture. In Lightroom, it feels like a chore.
Previously: Aperture Migration Plan, Apple Stops Development of Aperture, Aperture, Capture One, and Lightroom Walk Into a Bar.
