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Adobe has revealed that Creative Suite 6, including Photoshop CS6, will be the last edition of the suite to be sold as a physically packaged retail form. You won't even be able to buy the next release as a download to own for ever. Instead, you will have to take out a subscription to Adobe's Creative Cloud service.
Adobe says it has already attracted a half a million Creative Cloud subscribers and by moving away from a cycle of developing and releasing new versions of the Creative Suite every 18 months or so means new features can be released to users without having to wait for the next release.
However, the news - revealed at the annual Adobe Max conference yesterday - has generated widespread criticism among the Adobe faithful. Many regard the change in strategy as self-serving for Adobe and not in the interests of many of its users. Many seem to be asking why the choice of a version of the Suite or one or more of its components as an owned product has been taken away. Many CS owners are still contentedly using versions several years old, which may not be that surprising considering how expensive it is to buy in the first place. Now, for continued use of the product you will need to maintain a subscription. Regardless of whether or not this may be better 'value', the fact that Adobe has removed the option of being able to own a version of the suite for ever is a big gamble.
There is no shortage of alternatives to Adobe's Creative Suite programs. There is no doubt that Adobe sets a very high standard for its software, but its rivals are not that far behind. Only time will tell, but this Creative Suite news could end up being a major opportunity for Adobe's rivals.
Using their proposed service has me concerned. Let's say I'm operating remotely and don't have access to the cloud. Does that mean I can't use PhotoShop?
I do have the "free" CS2 installed on my Windows 8 laptop, but it still feels sluggish compared to almost every other piece of software I use. Do Adobe make their software bloated on purpose?
Other than the cost of the subscription model, this is the main concern I have. If Adobe decides that my machine isn't powerful enough for the latest version of the desktop software, I would be stuck with using an older version while paying the same price as those who are able to run the newest version. At the moment, if I don't upgrade to a newer version it doesn't cost me anything. Why should I continue to pay for [I]not[/I] using the newer version? The only alternative would be to replace my hardware every time Adobe decides my kit isn't up to the job - thus increasing the cost of using the software even more. It's already the case that much of the Adobe Cloud won't run on your machine if you're still on 32-bit.
I see why Adobe is doing this because they want to ensure a steady stream of cash and they think it will appeal to users that can't currently afford to pay the big wodge of cash required to buy the latest CS version. But this speaks more about how over-priced their software is and how much more they want to fleece their customers than it does about maintaining a loyal customer base. In the long run, I can see a lot of people just using an alternative - particularly new and future users that haven't yet "bought into" the Adobe eco-system.
Much of the software I use these days is free open source (and portable). I only pay out when either I have to or there's sufficient enticement. For instance, I recently upgraded my Serif products - that I rarely use. I wouldn't have upgraded except that they were running a special offer to upgrade to the newer versions for £10 each. The same with my Office software. I wait until the upgrade price drops to under £20 before I upgrade.
Adobe expects us to spend £46.88 [i]per month[/i] - over £550 per year. If I don't wish to commit to the whole year, then it's £70.32 per month - a staggering £843 per year. If that wasn't bad enough, the very idea that they could stop me from using the software on their whim, or if there's a technical fault on their server, or they go out of business, or for any one of a dozen reasons, just doesn't sit right with me. I'm still using Macromedia Fireworks 4 [i]from 12 years ago[/i] and it hasn't cost me a penny since the day I bought it. It still works just fine. If I'd been using Adobe Creative Cloud for that long, I would have paid Adobe £6,600 (or an amazing £10,126 without the yearly committment) and they could still prevent me from using it on a whim.
Is anyone out there really going to fall for this?