Adobe moves to subscription based software!

Adobe moves to subscription based software!

"Adobe's decision to discontinue the boxed version of Creative Suite and move to a subscription software-based model (also known as the Creative Cloud) has stunned many customers."

After nearly 10 years, Adobe abandons its Creative Suite entirely to focus on Creative Cloud. Adobe first launched Creative Suite 1 back in 2003, and now, ten years and six versions later, the company is taking a left turn: Adobe is abandoning its Creative Suite entirely to focus efforts on Creative Cloud.  

There will be no Creative Suite 7 (CS7). It will now be called Creative Cloud (all of the applications) or Photoshop CC.

Things to consider:

• The new system means that you have to subscribe and pay monthly with an annual contract
• This does not currently affect PS Elements
• The advantage of the monthly subscription is that you will always have the latest version of Photoshop, no more waiting 18 months for a new version to come out. One  disadvantage is that you now have another monthly fee with an annual contract! The other disadvantage is that when you stop subscribing you no longer have a program to use.
• If you own CS5 and would like to "purchase" CS6 you should do so now.
• https://www.adobe.com/products/catalog/cs6._sl_id-contentfilter_sl_catalog_sl_software_sl_creativesuite6.html?start=20 $199 or 
• $179 for NAPP members https://www.adobe.com/products/catalog/cs6._sl_id-contentfilter_sl_catalog_sl_software_sl_creativesuite6.html?start=20
• The new system means that you have to subscribe and pay monthly with an annual contract. You can view the plans here: https://creative.adobe.com/plans
• Special pricing for existing customers:
• CS3 and later get Complete for $29.99
• CS6 customers get Complete for $19.99
• CS3 and later get Single App for $9.99
• All offers require annual commitment
• If you own CS3,4,5,6 you can "rent" Photoshop for $10 a month (annual contract) for one year, then after one year it goes up to $20 a month.
• This monthly fee is similarly priced to the $200 you would spend for an upgrade, assuming you purchase every upgrade, which not everyone does. 
• If you do NOT own CS3,4,5,6 you can "rent" Photoshop for $20 a month (annual contract)
• This would be cheaper than purchasing Photoshop for $699.
• If you want access to ALL of the applications that Adobe has to offer then your monthly subscription is $50 a month.
• Read Scott Kelby's take: http://scottkelby.com/2013/my-take-on-adobes-announcements-yesterday-at-the-max-conference/ He does dispel many rumors. The announcement has caused a major fury of comments, myths and opinions!

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/05/08/Adobe-photoshop-cc?utm_source=notification&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=generic

How do you justify the price increase to photographers?

Last year we actually cut the price of Lightroom in half in order to open it up to a broader market of photographers.

What assurances can our readers have that Lightroom will not become a subscription-only option?

Lightroom is for photographers. And the Lightroom team is very aware of the reaction by photographers to Photoshop CC. We don't have plans to make Lightroom a subscription-only option but we do envision added functionality for CC members using Lightroom.

What support can CS6 users expect?

Barring something unforeseen from Apple and Microsoft, we plan to update Photoshop CS6 for the next Mac and Windows operating system releases. Once Camera Raw 8 is completed for Photoshop CC, we are going to release a version of it for CS6 that includes any new camera support but without any of the new CC tools and features.

What can you say to users concerned that a subscription model removes their option to at least stick with an older version of software if they no longer want to continue paying for it?

That's the trade-off for the benefits of a continuously updated application. At the time you decide to stop paying for it, yes you lose access, but after, say 12 months, you've ended up with a different product than the one you subscribed to, because of the new features that have been added. And for existing perpetual users, Photoshop CS can co-exist alongside and independently from Photoshop CC.

One final point I'd like to address is the misconception that you have to be continuously connected to the Internet to use a CC application. Monthly subscribers can go for as long as 30 days without connecting to the Internet for license validation. Users with an annual commitment can go for as long as 99 days.