I am an avid user of Finale NotePad 2008 and jumped on the 2009 update. Same features for $9.95, but the price isn't too unreasonable.

The product is essentially the same as 2008 with the exception of XML support and some funky changes to the sound output. Took em awhile to actually get sound out of it, and I have to reset it with each new startup. That needs to be worked out.

A warning to people who want to install this on a MacBook or MacBook Pro: The registration process is broken and you should expect the program to forget that it's registered. As a result it will revert back to its demo mode. There is no way to easily reset your registration with the registration server, and as a result you need to call their support line or open a support ticket to have them reset the server so that you can register the program again. With version 14.0.r1, this happens all of the time. As of 10-14-2008, there is no workaround.

I think the program is a step in the right direction, but the registration woes and the lack of significant features from 2008 to 2009, I would suggest holding off on this update.