[TLarvenz]

I can't imagine it will be too long before Apple dumps PCIe (introduced in 2004!) which will make the current crop of yet-to-ship cards unusable. Looking at the upgrades from a long term perspective, I'll have to skip this release as I don't believe that upgrading cards is smart at this point, the software price is flat out crazy. I'm happy-ish with my rig although I'd be happier if it lived on Lion and was 64 bit to better handle VIs for scoring. It's sad because it could have been a no-brainer upgrade with a price in line with what they'd established. They're in business and don't run a charity. I believe that all reasonable users understand the need to charge for upgrades. I also believe that Avid missed a huge opportunity. It's decisions like this that make me question the long term viability of the company. They've got an industry leading DAW and yet manage to alienate or ignore the needs and requests of their users. There are so many missed opportunities for growth that illustrate a clear disconnect between management and their market. They need to put someone in charge who has been in the business, understands the needs and expectations, and is able to make sound business decisions that can satisfy both shareholders and users. There is a middle ground. At this point Avid seems like a stalled airplane in which the pilot decides to pull the nose up instead of pushing down to get the plane moving again.