It is probably a little early to be trying to answer this question, if only
because I think this release has been a bit premature. They clearly aren't
quite there yet on the development front - and some of the objections people
have to it are slated to be dealt with later (such as the UI which we are told
will have a developer kit released). The central reason for release at all is
the new Genesis figure which is still rather basic and looks to remain so until
the release of the V5 etc products. Given that this standard edition is set to
remain free for some months, it is not immediately clear why they have released
this early.

One explanation that comes to mind is that they want to have DS4 sitting on as many
computers as possible so as to maximise the number of potential customers for
V5 - and if they want to charge for that product independently of Studio, then
an interval between releases would make some sense.

Some concern has been raised about the cost of Studio but if I remember correctly,
DAZ are obligated to have a reasonably functional version available for free in
order to avoid having to pay rather a lot of money to licence the render
engine, a cost that would have to be reflected in the cost of Studio. (If the
new generation of figures is soon to be released, then that would also go some
way to explaining their making the 4th generation bases pay for items rather
than free - which did seem a little like shutting the barn door after they had
all bolted. If there is a free alternative, then new customers will most likely
go for that and many may stick with it for some time but if there is a choice
between which base product to pay for, then they are most likely to buy the
newest one)

It is particularly hard to judge the impact of Studio and Genesis until we know
what is happening in Poser 9 - and for that we shall have to wait for its
release. If there is a significant gap between the release of V5 and Poser 9,
then the principle and first impact will be on the early sales of V5 and of
support for it. Poser users who might be swayed from Poser to Studio for the
new figure are still likely to play 'wait and see' until P9 shows up, which
means that, if all Studio users take up the new figure, its potential customer
base could still be as little as half of that for V4, so that initially most
third party support will remain with the older figures and the larger customer
base.

If Poser 9 can support Genesis (and despite what they say, given how it is
embedded within the DS4 installation, DAZ will have to cover some of the ground
to meet SM with a Studio independent installation) then, assuming DAZ have also
released the various planned versions of Studio, we can try to meaningfully
compare them. But not until then.

On the other hand, if Poser 9 cannot support Genesis, then there might be some
migration to Studio but comparisons of the two might be less meaningful. Of
course, if SM manage to pull a rabbit from their hat, providing base figures
that can compare to the DAZ range, then we will have a whole new ball game.