After days of rumors, it's official: according to Apple, "a limited quantity of Final Cut Studio [are] still available through Apple telesales to customers who need them for ongoing projects." What's the big deal? Apple had previously pulled all copies of FCS from the shelves, and this represents a capitulation to the ongoing demand for their two year-old NLE in the face of negative reactions to FCPX. I thought Walter Biscardi put it best:
[twitter https://twitter.com/#!/walterbiscardi/status/109432475587059713]
Of course, if you look at FCS's release history, the vast majority of the old version of Final Cut Pro's codebase is significantly more than two years old. Meanwhile FCPX retails for 1/3 the price -- and there's no talk of any upgrade pricing. So if you're going to buy Final Cut Studio 3, you'd better make it pay for itself on the first few jobs. To do so, you must call 1-800-MY-APPLE and talk to a rep; it is not available online or on store shelves. Oh, and if you're a student, you can get it for $899, though I wouldn't recommend any students learn the old version at this point; commit to FCP X, or switch to Adobe Premiere Pro (which is 50% off until the end of October).
[via Richard Harrington]
