Apple today announced that it is now shipping the first Universal Binary version of its Final Cut Studio video production suite that “delivers up to 2.5x the performance when running on a MacBook Pro notebook computer,” says Apple. “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 that makes video projects sound as good as they look; 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.” The Universal version of Final Cut Studio is available now for a suggested retail price of US$1,299. Registered Final Cut Studio customers can crossgrade to the Universal version for $49. Existing customers of the standalone versions of Final Cut Pro, Soundtrack Pro, Motion, or DVD Studio Pro can upgrade to the Universal version of Final Cut Studio starting at $99.