Then I’ll hold my breath until a clear alternative emerges. I’ll bite the bullet and score a copy of Adobe CS V6 Standard edition collection. I’ve been an Adobe devotee since Photoshop V2.5. Many, many Adobe customers have said this is the ‘end of the line’ for them and so it will be for me.
It’s been in the works for a long time.Īt some point the CS software will fail to open newer RAW files, it will fail compatibility with your OS (operating system), or become incompatible with new computer hardware. This is not something they just jumped into. So what does this mean for us freelancers and hobbyists?Ĭreative Suite Photoshop V6 (as well as the entire CS collection) will be the last one you can own outright unless Adobe relents under public pressure, but I would be surprised if they do.
Adobe needs to hear from everyone, from all sides of the issue. For some alternative perspective, here are a few links related to Adobe’s Debacle:ĭon’t forget to check out the comments and leave your own 2¢. Microsoft has had to do that in the past. They will most likely be forced to create ‘localized’ versions to accommodate different legal jurisdictions. I also don’t think it will go though without scrutiny by the FTC or the European Union, especially France and Germany who have strict consumer laws on the books. The Adobe Creative Cloud scheme seems ripe for a ‘class action’ lawsuit. I do not expect this new model for marketing to go unchallenged. The idea that it’s safe and secure or that you will always have access to your files is a myth perpetrated by marketing. Using ‘their’ Cloud entails an additional expense.Īs far as ‘Cloud Storage’ is concerned, I will never, ever trust my images to it. The ‘Cloud’ is only used to monitor whether you are current with your payments. Where is the incentive to improve their products? I don’t see it.Īnother point worth bringing up- The software under this new Adobe plan does not reside in the ‘Cloud’, but on your computer, just like any other software you have. They got rid of the ‘Carrot and Stick’ form of motivation. Will that change under this new model? If anything, they will no longer be pressed to innovate since they now have a steady source of income.
What’s more, many of us skip every other update because of costs.
I have never been able to upgrade my software as soon as a new version came out. Though this ‘subscription’ marketing model would work for small companies, corporations and hobbyists with deep pockets, it’s a real issue for the struggling free-lancer or smalltime hobbyists like me. “Basically, it’s a last ditch effort to avoid hemorrhaging more customers.” I also think it means Adobe has reached its innovative peak and feels the only way it can compete in the market is by ‘locking-in’ as many of their user clients as they can, before viable alternatives emerge. A marketing ploy to stem the decline in gross revenue.
As far as I’m concerned, this is nothing more than corporate greed taken to a new level. This is a new twist on a bad idea, the Software Industry is watching very closely. Any other subscription based software simply ceases to automatically update, but it does not disable itself if you elect to stop paying.
I’m not in Adobe’s pocket so I get to speak out.
So from their perspective, this marks a natural evolution in software marketing. In their opinion, it never was yours in the first place. The issue here is that Adobe does not consider the software ‘yours’. In case you have not heard, Adobe announced plans to abandon selling software outright and setup a subscription only model.Īs such, you will have to continue to pay, every month, to not only use ‘your’ software, but to access and work on the files you have created.