I just saw this on youtube

If you are thinking about getting a cutting machine the Silhouette is the best to go with. This looks like the same machine, but allows for a 12" cut. You can still use your 3rd party software and the Silhouette Studio program is also great to work with.
On a side note, I have a 12" Cricut and I use my Silhouette, not the Cricut. I have not found the more narrow cutting size ( 8" ) to be a problem. I roll my gum paste out to 6" using my KA mixer and the icing sheets I use fit perfectly with the Silhouette I have. The Silhouette was very reasonable in price, so it will be interesting to see how much the larger machine sells for.