[nst7]

You could just transfer V.7 with the 003, and inform him that you've already used the serial number for the PT9 upgrade. And you can keep PT9.

No one's really going to care.

However, he can still buy the full version of PT10.

He could also use the 003 with other DAW's. However, that would be a waste of time for them because they can't use the control surface features with other DAW's, so they'd be paying extra for a feature they can't use (vs. just buying the rack version, or a 3rd party interface).

The Mbox Mini still uses the old mix knob/direct sound method. I think it only goes to a buffer of 128, regardless of computer platform (it's USB 1.1).