Where can I find Final Cut Studio retail?

Question

As a graduate of Media hoping to get into the industry as an editor, I find myself in the difficult position of trying to find a retail copy of Final Cut Studio. Every retailer I've searched no longer stocks the software. I'm worried that I may not be able to get hold of a copy and will be forced to download Final Cut Pro X, despite the fact it has recieved terrible reviews and would rather get the older, better software.
Has Apple phased Studio out of retail because if they have, that's not something I wanted to hear.

Answer 1

In the technology world, especially in the world of video with an ever increasing number of codecs being introduced each year, it would be a reasonable assumption that software that's already two years old (FCP 7) and will never be developed or updated in any way, will only be good for about two to four years.  And that's assuming that you have access to the hardware that supports the older software.  It's my personal prediction that Apple will drop the MacPro line of desktops within the next couple of years.  With their move to iOS and consumer gadgets and software, coupled with the fact that it is generally the video and audio professionals that use beefy desktop system, and the fact that Apple is clearly shifted its focus away from the professional crowd, what will you do when you need new or replacement hardware to run this old, EOL software on and Apple has nothing to offer?
Since you're just starting out, my advice to you would be to start learning actual professional editing software and I'd further strongly suggest that you do that on a different platform than a Mac.  If you can find FCS 3 and have a decent system to run it on, great; you can use that as well.  But I'd plan for an Apple-free future if you want to make a living in video post-production.
I don't make these statements lightly; after all these years using Apple products, I find it's just a sad fact.
-DH