I agree with this, but I am curious - because the unit is out of stock at retailers, but still listed, is Avid still making them, or is there a large supply in storage they are clearing out?

I would like to upgrade my computer, but am running old versions of both Pro Tools (8) and Eleven Rack. I am more than happy with both and see no need to repurchase both, but if computer/Windows compatibility becomes an issue, in a worst case scenario I may.

So I searched Sweetwater and this is what it says on their 11R listing:

We have already placed orders for this new item, and ensured that they are prioritized to take advantage of the manufacturer's earliest shipments. Place your pre-order now to reserve yours, and your order will ship in the order it was received. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ElevenRackAS

One thing I dislike is this 'new product' comes with a one year subscription to Pro Tools. So that's perhaps the new twist - they want us paying for software annually, which is essentially an invitation for me to try different software.