from:
C G SM Poser technical Support:

"but this iteration of Poser Pro will stick pretty closely to the Poser 7 look and feel (flaws and all.) It's good to hear from people who are actually using Poser 'out in the field' though, so we'll know what areas to concentrate on!"

there is more to conversation but that remains private.
So Mr Xenophonz, next time you feel the need to blatantly accuse me of being a rumour monger or a liar just keep your trap shut.
Now you can choose not believe me: and I can choose not to listen to you.

I don't speak ill of SM, its just they got handed a bit of a lemon from EF and they are making the best of things. They knew that the bodystudio plugin (poser fusion) was very much a lemon product, and have abandoned that line of development (which shows how smart they are). I think poser is in better hands now, and I don't want to see it die. But SM have a tough battle ahead of them convincing people to buy.

And sure: if I could make my money back from the additional value of poser pro and it made my life easier - I would spend $20,$200,$2000,$20000. I managed to do it with both Poser and 3ds Max. Its still a hobby, but one that pays its way.
Raj