Avid recently announced that they will sell their Pinnacle PCTV product line and related assets to Hauppauge Digital. The deal is expected to close before the end of 2008. Pinnacle Systems was acquired by Avid for $462 million in 2005.

Millions of media enthusiasts worldwide use our award-winning line of Pinnacle consumer products to create and share digital content. As we transform Avid’s business, our strategy in this sector is to increase our focus on software applications that not only meet consumer demand – but also complement our broader portfolio of video and audio solutions. PCTV is a compelling standalone hardware product and a better fit for Hauppauge, a recognized leader in the TV-viewing hardware market.

While I’m by no means knowledgeable about Avid’s situtions to say if this is the truth literally, I am experienced enough to say that this is corporate yada-yada for “we’re not doing well and need to get rid of shit and make some money”.

This is, unfortunately for Avid, only the tip of the iceberg. You see, according to Boston.com (via Gearslutz), Avid plans to cut 410 full-time employees, according to the same source this is “15 percent of its workforce”. The article also says Avid’s “dismissing another 90 contract workers, and selling off its Softimage 3-D game animation software business”. Softimage is being sold for $35 million to Autodesk.

While cutting down in the US, Avid has, according to masshightech.com, partnered with Dextrys is establishing a global engineering center in China. We all know the reason for why China: low cost and market.

What about Digidesign? The first one who says “I think they should be sold to Apple” should consider the following:

• Apple has, for as long as I can remember, been totally ignorant when it comes to upgrading their music software. They’re a company that couldn’t give a rats-ass about bugs and their software in general. OK, I admit, I don’t know that for sure, but that’s the way it seems, and that’s the way it has seemed ever since they bought Logic. I don’t want that kind of company to control Digidesign/Pro Tools.
• If history repeats itself, Windows users will be left in the cold like when Apple bought Emagic (which might add, was when I was a PC Logic user myself!).
• A big corporation making all kinds of things is not something I would like to see in control of my DAW of choice. This is opposed to a company that has a clue about the business and is to some extent a great innovator of it.

I haven’t heard anything about Avid selling Digidesign to Apple, or Digidesign being sold at all, but as soon as Avid’s losses comes to the table there’s always a few who suggests “the Apple way” so I thought I should ventilate my opinions on the matter.

Personally I wouldn’t mind if Digidesign continued on it’s own, withouth Avid, if it’s financially possible.