Adobe no longer providing boxed software

[Darkwing]

Basically adobe is going the AM route from now on.

 

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/right-click...-201052406.html

[Rodney]

Twas inevitable but I have to say that I didn't expect it quite this soon.

It's nice to see that Adobe isn't waiting for the competition to lead the way.

 

Hopefully the price will remain low and/or go even lower so that everyone can subscribe and use their impressive applications.

[Darkwing]

Yea, though it looks like there's initial backlash, but that's to be expected.

[higginsdj]

I am suspect about Adobe. Here in Aus, with the $A above parity with the $US, we were still being charged 3 times the cost of the product as sold in the US - for the download only version. Thats when I first started subscribing to it as it was less than 1/2 the price of the 'boxed' version as sold in the US.

[largento]

Adobe is doing an all-or-one scheme with this that is over-priced in my opinion.

 

I won't be jumping on board for it and plan to hang on to my existing apps as long as I can.

 

I think what they are doing is questionable legally and is an abuse of the monopoly they've been allowed to set up.

 

I won't be paying $600 a year to use software that I normally paid $300-$400 every other year to update. It's not a bargain for me. They claim that the cloud services make up for the price increase, but I didn't want those services.

 

Given that they are the only real game in town, there will certainly be those people who have no choice but to go along with it, but I can tell you from working at several small agencies, that they weren't keen on upgrading software very often and it was usually a year after an upgrade (when we'd start getting files we couldn't open) that they would agree to an upgrade. Telling them they have to pay every month on an annual contract for every single designer isn't going to go over particularly well with them.

 

The bigger agencies will probably not balk at the pricing, but will have a problem if there's any issue with installation validation. I gather it doesn't check that often, but if the network just happens to be down the day that it does try to verify and shuts off, they are not going to appreciate the extra headache.

 

You can't compare this to what A:M is doing. A:M offers a discounted price for their subscription and still offers the physical version as an alternative. The equivalent would be if A:M were to have announced that they were no longer selling the physical version and the annual subscription was going to be $500.

[Rodney]

I won't be jumping on board for it and plan to hang on to my existing apps as long as I can.

 

Adobe pays some pretty smart folks a lot of cash to figure out how much they can charge and what you are saying here is surely factored into their equations.

They know for a fact that a large section of people will not transition right away and so they have to keep the price high to make up for the difference. What they also know for a fact is that the price will... like water seeking its own level... average out over the years.

 

If I recall correctly I believe you opted for the Master suite of applications?

I can certainly see folks balking at paying $2000 a year for access to the same basic applications.

Their various suites were no doubt a similar effort to maximize return on investment in as short a time as possible.

Keep in mind that these companies work at the strategic level which has their long term strategies working outward to twenty five years at least.

They are doing the best they can at predicting the future when that future is very uncertain.

 

Now consider... what is the difference between $2K and $699 a year.

Answer: For both them and their customers, a whole lot of cash.

Adobe will be able to charge less (per unit) as more people opt in.

 

Now, I can already see objections raised but this again goes back to a very old equation that has to do with innovation.

How can a company continue to innovate when their products are already superlative (even to the point of never needing to be upgraded again for the majority of users) and yet while being held to an even higher standard for future technology? The answer is rather simple. They must transform from a product based system into a services organization and focus on those customers who are able and willing to pay for the software they are -going- to make.

 

From the article:

the less discussed reason that is likely also motivating the move is the rampant piracy that has long been associated with Adobe products. A look at various lists of the most pirated software in the last year tends to see the latest Adobe Creative Suite software consistently within the top three.

 

This is the real bug-a-bear behind the scenes.

Folks are not willing to pay for the software they use and yet still expect service at an increasingly demanding level.

People don't (and won't) like this move but it demonstrates the reality of the situation.

It's that ol' "You can't get blood from a turnip" theme all over again.

 

Moving to the cloud service fully like this is risky but they've calculated the risk they are taking.

 

$49 a month for access to every Adobe product is not an exorbitant price to pay.

We just have expectations that are built around 'owning' products that were never ours to own in the first place.

 

What is funny about this (in an almost tragic way) is how much people are willing to pay to 'not use' software today.

The fact that Adobe has a monthly plan for using all of their products is telling and (I think) very fair.

For the budget conscious it just requires a little strategic planning as well.

[zandoriastudios]

I will not be upgrading personally (CS6 Master Collection). The only reason that the company I work for upgraded in the past was that we received files that we couldn't open because they were from a newer version--now we will just request that they resend in a legacy format or send a print-quality .pdf --there has been nothing feature-wise that is worth the cost of the upgrades....

[robcat2075]

I did one of my VAMP lectures in the cloud version of After Effects and now if I want to re-edit it I have to resubscribe. It's very awkward for occasional users like myself who don't use these things every day or every week.

[largento]

I don't have the master collection, Rodney, but if I had, the upgrade cost was $525 every 18-24 months (assuming you upgraded), not $2000 a year. And still less than $600 a year.

 

There is no scenario where this is a bargain, unless you are a new user who plans to kill themself in the next few years.

 

They are forcing their customers into having to pay for apps they don't want and charging even more for services they can't opt of.

 

A print shop only needs four apps, yet now they are being forced to pay for apps they'll never even install or open.

 

Quark once believed their dominance of the market made them bullet proof and for years they refused to offer upgrades, instead making their customers pay full price. Guess what? Virtually nobody uses Quark Xpress anymore.

 

My beef is entirely with the pricing. I bought an A:M subscription within a few days of it being offered. I was never onboard with those people who scoffed at the model.

[robcat2075]

I guess the old price is the old price and the new price is the new price and that's just the way it is.

 

I see you can still do a single app for $19.99 and they have some other discounts for current CS suite owners.

[largento]

As a current CS owner, I received an email from Adobe offering me a code to get the service for $19.99 a month. But that's for one year. $240 a year, I'd be okay with ...even if that limited me to a half dozen apps.

 

Seems curious to me that the people who seem to like this aren't current users and the ones who don't are.

[robcat2075]

Seems curious to me that the people who seem to like this aren't current users and the ones who don't are.

 

Maybe it's because the cost-of-entry (previously the full box price, the reason they aren't users) is now lower even though the lifetime cost could be higher.

 

It's like financing a car or a house. It is more expensive than paying cash up front, but you get the car or house now for much less initial sacrifice.

[largento]

Let's do an informal poll:

 

Who is planning on signing up for an annual subscription for Adobe CC?

[robcat2075]

I don't need the whole thing but I am likely to do the one-app plan

[John Bigboote]

I don't know what to think... I suppose I am as confused as when Martin decided to go subscription route... it all turned out well, I think it is better for the software manufacturers having a renewing source of income. I just know there are times I will 'get caught' when you come in one day... the client is sitting behind you, you boot-up A:M or Photoshop whatever... and SLAMMO, you need to get out your credit card and punch little numbers into a form and crapola like that. What is it, like $60 per month for the entire package? Gah! another 'utility' bill... maybe I can cancel my TV subscription...

 

I will HAVE to have it though.

[Rodney]

Let's do an informal poll:

 

Who is planning on signing up for an annual subscription for Adobe CC?

 

I am planning to sign up but I'm also planning to have projects that require usage before doing so.

That requirement for usage will proceed requirement to activate the Adobe plan.

 

So is that a 'Yes'?

 

Any plan such as this can (and IMO should) be augmented with other software (mostly of the open source variety).

 

My situation is a little different (for now) because I standardized on Corel's products over ten years ago.

If they move to a similar distribution method (and they have been leaning that direction) that will be a decision I'll have to make.

 

In the long run the price of software will come down* as demand increases.

This is a flipping upside down of the old world 'law of supply and demand'.

 

*Note: The price of products might not come down so much as inflation/cost of living will rise which in effect causes the price of the software to drop in terms of tomorrow's dollars. This is something that consumers don't understand but which companies have to deal with because they get caught in this cost differential perception trap where if they raise the price of their product there will be potential loss of sales and yet if they don't raise prices they will eventually go out of business. Because of the bottom line with regard to purchasing power... consumers have neither the vision or ability to effectively consider this. And why should they... they just want the product.

 

There is going to be an interesting set of dominoes fall because of moves like this.

I speak mostly of the those who will remain with the older products, the hackers (both good and bad) that adapt to the new distro model and the innovators who will see opportunity to fill niches with new competing products and services. It will be interesting to see how all of that plays out.

 

Edit: I should add this... for those who are using Adobe's products in the commercial world the cost of the software must be passed on to the client. Clients should know that they will be paying for the artists' use of the software. Failure to factor this in will be detrimental to all parties.

 

Seems curious to me that the people who seem to like this aren't current users and the ones who don't are.

 

It's not a matter of liking but of recognizing the market factors behind it.

There is also a trade off in that going the subscription route you are investing in tomorrow's technology.

Adobe could make this more difficult and costly for everyone by dragging this out and keeping both old and new models but I'm impressed that they are going with the 'all in' model. They know something we (collectively) do not and that is where the future of their products are aligned. Getting in sync with this is important -if- you expect to be a user of their products. To the hobbyist this is a tougher decision but to the commercial artist it's the cost of doing business and charging a reasonable rate for products. With software prices in freefall and expectations rising the choice by Adobe was entirely predictable because of where market factors and technology dictate they must go with their products. Anyone who thinks these companies just randomly set out to screw their customers needs to take a course or two in real world economics; the first rule of which is to stay in business. All other business decisions hinge on that underlying prospect.

 

A typical response with a shortsighted view (on both the future and economics in general) will be "Their last product was so good we don't need to upgrade."

If we consider this for only the merest of moments we'll see why Adobe and other companies have to move to this new model.

[Vertexspline]

I think a poll here on subscriptions will be swayed a little as folks are used to it here and have not found any troubles with it. Of course AM 's yearly rate divided by 12 would be significantly less than adobe's single app price but still I think most here are comfy with subscriptions and all the issues involved.

 

Personally, aside for Photoshop and After effects most other items I can do without. But I must say the whole library for a 1 yr commitment at 49.99 a month seems fair to me.

[Rodney]

Of course AM 's yearly rate divided by 12 would be significantly less than adobe's single app price

 

While there is a good case for arguments sake to suggest that A:M is underpriced* I believe all will agree that access to all of Adobe's products should cost significantly more than access to A:M. Of course, the products aren't directly comparable because they do too many different things. I do think that Adobe's line of products perfectly compliments A:M.

 

I must say the whole library for a 1 yr commitment at 49.99 a month seems fair to me.

 

It does. (and it still would be even if Adobe wasn't improving/enhancing their products/services on a daily basis)

I haven't stared at it enough to know where all the major cost savings for the consumer could be achieved but I would guess that a schedule could be designed that would easily cut the cost in half through product management and scheduling. I realize you would pay more if purchasing monthly but an example of this (mostly for the hobbyist) might be to schedule a month's preproduction planning just prior to initiating the subscription. Then when the subscription is activated you are in the 'full execution' phase; taking the raw plan and bringing it into realization. This would (in theory) bring about higher productivity rates as well because folks tend to stay in that preproduction/planning phase even after launching the production phase. This is detrimental to the production because of the excess costs generated. An added benefit is knowing that in X amount of time that subscription will end. This very effectively establishes a deadline for the production phase. Cost overruns then have to be borrowed from somewhere else and since all the budget is likely already spent that additional support is likely going to come from out of the post production phase.

 

*I can live with A:M being underpriced. It's much easier on the wallet.

[itsjustme]

Let's do an informal poll:

 

Who is planning on signing up for an annual subscription for Adobe CC?

 

I don't use any of Adobe's products...unless you include the free Acrobat Reader (and I don't really need that either).

[thejobe]

i got the adobe Cloud. trying it for 1 year. seems to be pretty good. the new photoshop is amazing especially with the 3D added features.

i tried a few thing already and its quite amazing that this is done in a photo program.

[Rodney]

i got the adobe Cloud.

 

It's good to hear from the voices from inside the cloud because that view is going to be very different than that of those outside and/or wondering what is going on. It will also take some time for everything to gel and for Adobe's services to be perfected. I'm am not surprised to see that there are few complaints about the product... most of the complaints are about the cost of using the product.

 

There is a reason Adobe has such a good name in software and if I could have afforded the Master Collection I would have jumped at it as soon as it was released.

Now... it seems that I can afford it but I'd like to think I'm a little wiser than before and I know I should have a solid project (or at least a compelling need) before spending the money. Without that compelling need I might as well supply my needs with one of the many alternatives available or use brute force methods from a variety of different programs to simulate the results of Adobe's products. I know that eventually I'll want to use programs such as After Effects and Premiere (if Lightworks doesn't pan out).

[zandoriastudios]

I know that eventually I'll want to use programs such as After Effects and Premiere (if Lightworks doesn't pan out).

 

So why not shop for an OLD version of After Effects and Premiere? It would do the job just fine, and wouldn't expire...

[Rodney]

So why not shop for an OLD version of After Effects and Premiere? It would do the job just fine, and wouldn't expire...

 

This is what I meant by my 'bottom feeders' comment.

For many years to come there will be folks that will sell and trade old versions of Adobe's products.

Those older versions will be pirated to the nth degree as well.

These are the 'dominoes' that I suggest are going to fall.

 

But licensing issues notwithstanding...

I would mostly forego the old versions because they don't have the throughput (power, features, options) the newest releases do.

This is also why I'm leaning toward products like Lightworks which are promoting the following distribution model:

 

A 'free' version will 'all' the bells and whistles of the 'paid' product.

A 'paid' subscription with additional support and features that must be paid to other parties/patent owners through licensing (this is primary license fees for specific/proprietary codecs).

 

Aside: Some folks don't understand that last part and yet it's one of the reasons why A:M can't easily add some features as adding those would cost a considerable amount in annual license fees from Hash Inc.

[robcat2075]

I think our time will better spent worrying about A:M than Adobe. Adobe can afford all the highly paid worriers it needs.

[Rodney]

Interestingly...

 

I just now received (and completed) a survey from Corel.

The final question had three queries, the last of which was to ask if I was aware of their annual subscription.

I had to confess that I didn't. I believe they are calling it their 'CorelDRAW Standard and Premium Memberships'.

I believe there is also a bare bones monthly/annual subscription.

[Darkwing]

i got the adobe Cloud. trying it for 1 year. seems to be pretty good. the new photoshop is amazing especially with the 3D added features.

i tried a few thing already and its quite amazing that this is done in a photo program.

 

That's actually something that's not as good as it seems, mainly because After Effects removed certain 3D functionality (such as importing 3D models I believe) in CS6. I believe the goal is for the user to purchase the Element 3D plugin in order to have that functionality restored. AE6 does have an incredible 3D motion tracking system though, but without native 3D import and no real way of exporting the tracking data, it's essentially useless beyond maybe title effects and visual effects that you'd do using AE (which begs the question of why have a 3D motion tracking system when the 2D one worked just for for in-house AE stuff).

 

Now I haven't looked into it much, nor quite grasp how this works, but I think this is their attempt at helping to reduce pirating of their software. Again, I'm not sure how that works and I'm only saying it because the article mentioned it. I've always heard that Adobe isn't so concerned with regular folks and casual users pirating it because they are not Adobe's target audience. From what I gather, Adobe has always been targetting the big design companies, those where 2000 dollars is pocket change (stupid if you ask me). Problem is, a lot of design firms pirate the software as well. So I'm thinking that this is in some way to help prevent design companies from pirating the software, or at least from this point forward. But unless they make some hugely innovative CS7, CS6 and earlier offers pretty much anything we could imagine needing and there are plenty of torrents available of those.

[largento]

Rodney, Corel is already jumping on the anti-Adobe bandwagon. They issued a blog post about how they believe their customers should have a choice and not be forced into something they don't want to do. :-)

[Rodney]

Corel is already jumping on the anti-Adobe bandwagon. They issued a blog post about how they believe their customers should have a choice and not be forced into something they don't want to do. :-)

 

(I'm reading through Corel's response now to glean the most important parts)

 

It's an interesting move on Corel's part but... what alternatives did they really have?

They couldn't very well complement Adobe on their bold move.

It's smart business to move quickly though so they can take advantage of the fact that others are looking for alternatives to Adobe.

 

A little background:

Corel has always been the more business faced entity whereas Adobe has always pressed for a more personal facade (with the hard edged business decisions being softened by a well paid PR staff). This has mostly worked against Corel in the past (Corel has been seen as cold by many in comparison to Adobe) but opportunities like this allow them to reinvent their corporate persona. While they will certainly try, will they be able to take full advantage?

 

If I was conspiracy minded (read: more business savvy and rational) I'd say that Corel's response was somewhat likely to have been precoordinated with Adobe in behind the scenes negotiations. It'd be somewhat like the fairly recent collusion between 'arch rivals' Disney, Dreamworks, etc. who agreed not to pilfer each others talent (which would drive the cost of labor up for all). Lest everyone should think I'm daft... do a little research on the so called Adobe vs Corel competive marketshare. Remember the old saying, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend"? That axiom holds true in graphics software as well.

 

Corel products have always thrived primarily in the margins where Adobe products didn't have a foothold/stranglehold.

Where the jury is still out (for me) is where Corel will make the move to fully digital distribution themselves... barring some strange turn in technology, something they'll eventually have to do. My guess is they will plot out the opportune moments and then when the moment spin the decision as a truly beneficial to everybody.

 

Disclaimer: The fact that I personally prefer CorelDraw/Photopaint over Illustrator/Photoshop has little to do with my views here but I want to make sure this personal bias is known. For those looking to toss Adobe aside... Coreldraw and Photopaint are fine products but they haven't been able to keep up with the full onslaught of Adobe applications. But Corel has been purchasing other companies at an alarming rate in an effort to (presumably) stay competitive. Their recent efforts to communicate directly with their users even convinced me to become one of their beta testers. My personal preference for CorelDraw/Photopaint is primarily due to the principle of 'First learned, best remembered'. Because of that I get lost in the Adobe interfaces too easily to sufficiently compel me to make the transition.

[Rodney]

Here is the response from Corel (with emphasis added from me):

 

As you've probably noticed, big changes are underway in the high-tech industry at large, and more specifically in the graphics software world. Earlier this week, Adobe announced that it will discontinue the boxed version of Creative Suite and move exclusively to a subscription-based model (AKA Creative Cloud). This means that going forward, the only way to keep up-to-date with the latest offering from Adobe will be by paying monthly fees. When you stop paying, your products will stop working. Looking at it from the outside, one could argue that it feels like forcing users down a specific path they might not be ready to go down.

 

At Corel, we strongly believe in giving users the choice to purchase your software the way you want. For many of you, we know that the preference is to purchase a box or download version of our products in what is called a "perpetual license", i.e. in a way that gives you the right to use the product forever without having to pay anything extra. You then have the choice, if the new features and benefits make sense to you, to purchase and upgrade to a new version.

 

At the same time, we understand that some of you are looking for the flexibility to rent your software as needed, so you can reduce the capital costs for your businesses and have an operating expense that is much lower in the short term.

 

There isn't one solution that will work for everyone, and we have different offerings for different products in our portfolio.

 

You have options!

 

To make it as easy as possible for you, our professional-level graphics package, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X6, is available to purchase as a box, an electronic download, through volume license or by subscription. If you choose to subscribe for no up-front cost, you simply choose a monthly or yearly fee to continue using the software as long as you need it. (continute to pay for it)

 

There are differences between traditional box or download sales and the subscription model. The traditional software offering, where you buy a box and then wait a few years until the next major version is released to decide if you want to upgrade or not, has limitations when it comes to releasing smaller updates more frequently. Subscription does make it easier for us to deliver more regular updates, but there's still a significant portion of users around the world who aren't ready to rent their software. That's why we've introduced our Membership program.

 

Not ready for subscription? We have an answer!

 

When you purchase your box or download version of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X6, it comes with a Standard Membership at no additional cost. Standard Membership gives you access to the latest performance and stability enhancements, as well as unlimited access to a large content library of over 10,000 clipart images, 1,000 high-resolution stock photos and 1,000 fonts, for example.

 

For those who want the best of both worlds, we also offer Premium Membership where you get all the benefits of subscription, but you still own a perpetual license of the product.

 

For a yearly fee, Premium Membership adds to the Standard level by including regular feature updates to CorelDRAW Graphics Suite, as well as exclusive high-quality content. In addition, Premium Members automatically get access to the next major version(s) of the suite. Yes, all Premium Members will be amongst the very first to get access to the latest version at no additional cost when Corel officially releases it. In other words, by adding a Premium Membership to your box / download version of CorelDRAW, you have the benefits of what you would get with a subscription (always up-to-date, exclusive content and more) combined with the perpetual usage right of the product you purchased.

 

What's next?

 

For the foreseeable future, we will continue to sell the box version of Corel software in stores, through online partners and on our website - www.corel.com. You can also purchase a full download version through our website and through selected channel partners. Both the box and the download version are perpetual licenses, i.e. they will never expire and you can keep using them forever (we do not commit to compatibility with future operating systems or hardware though).

 

And as stated above, you can add even more benefits to a box / download version by signing up for the CorelDRAW Premium Membership, for which a free trial is available to any Standard Member from within CorelDRAW / Corel PHOTO-PAINT. Alternatively, if you're looking for a cost effective or short-term solution, you can subscribe to CorelDRAW on an annual or monthly basis (subscriptions are available from Corel or selected resellers). The choice is yours!

 

Give us a try!

 

If subscribing to software from Adobe is not your preferred choice, don't cloud your judgment... give CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X6 a try. We do offer a 30-day free trial version, which includes extensive learning materials, and you can even set your workspace to the Illustrator mode to feel more at home.

 

Happy CorelDRAWing!

 

Note: Words that I've added are bracketed in red.

 

Read through with only the Bolded text to see where Corel is being directed.

The last line made me chuckle... in essense it's the same as saying, "If subscribing to software from Adobe isn't your preference, subscribe to us!"

[Rodney]

This if for those not wanting to weed through the text here is my bolded extraction:

 

Big changes are underway in the high-tech graphics software industry.

Looking at it from the outside, one could argue that Adobe's move feels like forcing users down a specific path they might not be ready to go down.

There isn't one solution that will work for everyone.

 

Our professional-level graphics package, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X6, is available to purchase as a box, an electronic download, through volume license or by subscription. To subscribe simply choose a monthly or yearly fee to continue using the software as long as you continute to pay for it.

 

The traditional software offering has limitations but does make it easier for us to deliver more regular updates.

(We regret?) there is still a significant portion of users who aren't ready to rent their software.

But that's why we've introduced a Membership program.

 

Still not ready for subscriptions?

 

Standard Membership gives you access to the latest performance and stability enhancements, as well as unlimited access to a large content library of over 10,000 clipart images, 1,000 high-resolution stock photos and 1,000 fonts, for example.

 

Premium Membership grants the benefits of subscription but with a perpetual license.

 

For a yearly fee, Premium Membership adds regular feature updates and exclusive high-quality content.

as well as access to the next major release(s) of the suite. Yes, Premium Members will be amongst the very first to access to the latest version.

By adding a Premium Membership you have the benefits a subscription (always up-to-date, exclusive content and more) and of perpetual usage.

 

What's next?

 

For the foreseeable future, we will continue to sell box versions.

Both the box and the download version are perpetual licenses and never expire.

Disclaimer: We do not commit to compatibility with future operating systems or hardware however.

 

Need more?

Add even more benefits to a box/download version by signing up for the CorelDRAW Premium Membership.

Subscriptions are available from Corel or selected resellers as well. The choice is yours!

 

 

If subscribing to software from Adobe is not your preferred choice, give us a try!

 

There are several telling words/phrases in the Corel response that suggest why Corel is or may continue to delay their move to digital distribution.

Note that Corel Products are sold in boxed packages in stores.

Adobe has largely pulled their physical products (beginning years ago?)

 

The answer to this problem is pretty simple... and I expect Adobe has the ability to push such a thing forward.

The stores can still carry the software but now it need only be in the form of a smartcard, USB or other innovative product (profiting with point of sale returns for pennies on the dollar).

 

While over all the digital revolution is transforming everything this does not mean that physical products are not still important.

[largento]

I think you are reading way too much in this.

 

It's Pepsi trying to get market share after Coca-Cola introduced New Coke.

 

I'm just waiting for my Adobe Classic to come out. :-)

[robcat2075]

If subscribing to software from Adobe is not your preferred choice, don't cloud your judgment...

 

Hardee-har-har...

[Rodney]

I think you are reading way too much in this.

 

I read way too much into everything.

Then adapt as necessary.

 

I'm just waiting for my Adobe Classic to come out. :-)

 

It will be interesting to see what happens when the pendulum swings the other way.

The future. Hard to see is.

[thejobe]

from my perspective. i have access to software that was originally completely out of my price range.

it was the same with Hash i use to skip versions before subscription option came out.

 

i get access to the latest software at a much more reasonable price.

however you guys want to look at it, it a win win situation for me.

[largento]

Jason, here's the scenario that bothers me.

 

Let's pretend I'm a new user and sign up for an annual subscription for $50 a month. I've been laid off from my job, but I've got some freelance client that has guaranteed me I'll be paid $850 a month. Not a lot, but it will just cover my bills and I need the software to do the job. Three months in, my client unexpectedly goes out of business and I don't get the check.

 

Uh-oh.

 

I was counting on that money to pay for food and keeping the lights on. There's no way I can pay the $50, so I call up Adobe and explain the situation and they tell me I can cancel as soon as I send them $225 (50% of the remainder of the subscription). Desperate, I rush out and borrow $225 from a loan shark.

 

Now I'm in danger of having my kneecaps broken. I've paid $375 to Adobe and I don't even have the software to use to try to get another freelance job.

[robcat2075]

Here's a more realistic problem.

 

New versions of Adobe products can't always open old version files. If you owned the old version you could at least install it to rework old projects.

 

But with "the cloud" you're always using the current version and there's no way i know of to go back to a historical version if the current version stops supporting your old files.

[largento]

Here's a more realistic problem.

 

New versions of Adobe products can't always open old version files. If you owned the old version you could at least install it to rework old projects.

 

But with "the cloud" you're always using the current version and there's no way i know of to go back to a historical version if the current version stops supporting your old files.

 

You can have multiple versions on your computer, so if you owned CS4 and CC, you could still open up your old copy and use it. That's assuming, of course, you still have it.

 

What's probably more likely is that the cloud versions will stop supporting saving backwards to non-cloud versions, meaning you can't work in CC and then save back to an old CS version you owned.

[jakerupert]

Theres great alternatives to adobes cloud.

 

Firstly from adobe itself:

 

Adobe procreate cost 6,-€ and Adobe ideas is free for vectorworks on the move on my i-pad.

Just wishing for a doublesized i- pad or an android alternative with wacom pressuresensivity for the future to make this workflow perfect.

 

That combined with my old ps and ai works perectly fine.

 

For lineworks Mangastudio about 160,-€ does a much better job then ps anyway and with the new

Version coming up this summer i will most probably have to open up ps just for videoworks any longer.

 

O.k. Aftereffects in conjunction with the new close cinema connection is a temptation.

My Maxon MSA is the only subscriptionlike model i do at the moment, because i don't wanted to loose

My startinvestment by not following the upgrade-path , this was the best solution.

 

But I will stay back and watch the development for the time being.

 

Adobe and autodesk are offering great products and as sure as most pros will/must follow into the cloud,

Adobe runs the risk to loose their base in the longer run and make their competition stronger.

Time will tell.

[Rodney]

There are thousands (bajillions?) of 'what ifs' in this world but few that don't have some sort of workaround.

Both Robert and Marks have mentioned some serious concerns... but ones that aren't as serious as they are dressed up to be with proper workarounds.

 

Number 1: Don't borrow money from a loan shark.

Work toward building a little nest egg to fall back on.

Don't cancel your subscription. This is the reason you don't want to subscribe to something that you pay for *after*.

For security's/sanity's sake pay ahead whenever possible. (Added: This cautionary note extends to accepting any type of credit)

 

Number 2: Wherever possible, save your files (and the resources they reference from) into non proprietary formats.

Files can generally be moved forward but more rarely translated backward.

They can usually be regenerated from their original sources in other programs.

This is similar to the solution for the hardware conundrum, "What if new technology/hardware no longer supports access to my files/application"?

 

The more advanced workarounds take a little longer to type out.

 

Jost said:

Adobe procreate

 

Cool! I hadn't even heard of that product.

[robcat2075]

You can have multiple versions on your computer, so if you owned CS4 and CC, you could still open up your old copy and use it. That's assuming, of course, you still have it.

 

But could I go back to an old cloud version that I needed? I suppose it would be like how I can still run v15 with my current A:M license?

[largento]

I don't think so, Robert. My impression is there would be no versioning in the cloud. It would stay CC, presumably over-writing itself with each update.

[thejobe]

well the money problem i solved already since i was saving up for CS6 anyway. so what i did was create a second bank account with close to $1200 in it and its only purpose was to pay for CS6. i got an initial starting price of $29.99 ($32.50 after taxes) per month for the first year (yes i finally went back and read that part). so after the first year if im still in need of the products i will continue with the subscription if not i will end it before the next year cycle.

 

The backwards compatibility problem so far i dont have any. my photoshop files are working fine in my friends CS5 (except for 3D of course) and after effects and premiere i havent had it long enough to see a problem.

ill keep you guys up to date if any of that changes.

[robcat2075]

My compatibility problem is After Effects. Current After Effects versions can't open my AE5 projects.

[robcat2075]

Here's something I just noticed that Adobe is getting into. It's not end-user software like Paint programs... it's marketing?

 

Adobe Marketing Cloud

 

They are going to be like a Google Ads but somehow more effective?