Apple Shipped Universal Final Cut Studio 5.1, Universal Aperture 1.1 Delayed to April

Apple is now shipping the first Universal version of its Final Cut Studio video production suite, v5.1. The Intel-based Final Cut Studio 5.1 delivers up to 2.5-times the performance when running on an Intel-based MacBook Pro notebook computer. Final Cut Studio features state-of-the-art tools that complement Final Cut Pro 5 including: Soundtrack Pro, a revolutionary audio editing and sound design application; Motion 2, the world's first real-time motion graphics application with GPU accelerated 32-bit float rendering; and DVD Studio Pro 4 for professional DVD authoring.

"Final Cut Studio continues to set the standard in the new era of HD production,” said Rob Schoeben, Apple’s vice president of Applications Marketing. “Now with the incredible performance of Final Cut Studio on a MacBook Pro, customers can work more efficiently wherever they are."

Aperture 1.1, the first Universal version of the revolutionary all-in-one post production tool for photographers featuring greatly improved RAW quality and impressive performance gains on both Intel- and PowerPC-based Macs, will ship in April.

Final Cut Studio 5.1 is available for $1299 or at a bargain crossgrade price of $49 or $99 depending on the software for which one is currently a registered owner.