Adobe Acrobat 9 Released, CS 3.3 Available

[SwiftLives]

I remember back in the day when we all moaned about how Quark had the monopoly and would release craptacular updates to their software (when they ever got around to releasing updates). At least Quark releases were fairly solid.

Then Adobe trotted InDesign out the door, and suddenly Quark started paying attention. One could even say that competition from Adobe did Quark a world of good.

This is why I was adamantly against Adobe purchasing Macromedia. Photoshop and Illustrator no longer have any viable competition. And now we're just beginning to see the results of that complacency spill over into other Adobe apps.

It's going to get worse. We'll be noting more and more little annoying bugs in Adobe apps, which won't be fixed until the next paid update 12-18months later.

I personally think the best thing for Adobe would be if Quark (or even Apple) rolled out something to compete with Photoshop at the very least....or even for Adobe to (*gasp*) sell off their DTP suite.

Many people have moved on and are not looking back at Adobe.

Moved on to what? I don't see many viable alternatives out there.

 

[clevin]

But what Adobe forgot to notice is that

1. The web isn't for computers anymore. People want their web in their pocket... and Adobe technologies are too heavy to carry on an ARM processor.
2. People don't want to use Windows. Especially not now that new computers come with Vista.

Apple's webkit platform (and more broadly, AJAX) competes with Adobe's Flash platform, but needs no special tools to make or to use. It can run on an underpowered iPhone, a MacPro, a Linux workstation, and a Windows PC without anyone having to configure anything.

what adobe technology you are referring to? acrobat? flash?

web may extends its reach, but "not for computers anymore"? Thats not even close to be true

"people don't want to use windows?" .... Please stand objectively and don't just pick up apple's false talking points. Its simply untrue.

webkit is not competing with flash, nor is AJAX. Do not exaggerate what js can do. Try play a video for me with js. for start.

Apple has taken the opposite approach, making a completely distributed architecture that can be called from other applications. That's why little, cheap/free apps like pixelmator and ImageWell can compete with gigantic, incredibly expensive apps like Photoshop.

thats why it is called an OS, linux, windows are the same, what did apple do that is so special that developing for OSX is drastically easier and more powerful than for windows and linux?

Pixelmator can't replace photoshop because it can't do all photohop can do.

and Pixelmator, for whatever it can do, you shouldn't be attributing it to apple alone, the pixelmator is built on top of imagemagick, which should take 75% of the credit if not more.

 

[Toe]

But they don't, they're not even in the same league. With Pixelmator, can I produce a proper duotone that's going to separate properly? No.

This constant refrain I hear from people implying that these small apps are a direct replacement for Photoshop, misunderstand what the application does, what you can do with it and ultimately, who it's aimed at.])

Yeah, I have to admit I over-claimed there. I myself can't break the Photoshop habit. ImageWell certainly wasn't giving me the same fix. I haven't tried pixelmator yet, but it looks like it is worth giving a go. But overall, as is said later in the thread...

Moved on to what? I don't see many viable alternatives out there.

There is an odd lack of competition for Adobe in their core strengths. Photoshop/Illustrator has such a long-time monopoly and has knocked out so many competitors that everyone seems to have given up on competing, at least at the top-end.

I am still a little hopeful that people can come up with distributed apps that have the same level of functionality without all the extra fluff.

While Apple seems happy to compete with Adobe on every other front, they seem to be unwilling to touch the holy grail of direct manipulation of pixels and vectors.

 

[Prof1950]

Mac limitations in Acrobat 9

1. It appears that you cannot grab sections of webpages with the Mac, but the Windows version can.

2. The Windows version includes something called "PDF-Maker" that appears to play an important role in converting many file formats into PDFs, so that you can maintain things like fields and links. I could not find anything in their documentation that makes it clear what level of conversion you get on the Mac.

As usual, Adobe is treating as second-class citizens. Whoever said "Adobe for Windows (on a Mac)" came real close, but I'd make it "Adobe for Windows, on a Mac, sortof".

 

[clevin]

1. It appears that you cannot grab sections of webpages with the Mac, but the Windows version can.

2. The Windows version includes something called "PDF-Maker" that appears to play an important role in converting many file formats into PDFs, so that you can maintain things like fields and links. I could not find anything in their documentation that makes it clear what level of conversion you get on the Mac.

As usual, Adobe is treating as second-class citizens. Whoever said "Adobe for Windows (on a Mac)" came real close, but I'd make it "Adobe for Windows, on a Mac, sortof".

maybe because OSX has PDF capability already, there is less demand....still...

 

[Toe]

thats why it is called an OS, linux, windows are the same, what did apple do that is so special that developing for OSX is drastically easier and more powerful than for windows and linux?

Any Leopard-savvy application can create a photo browser, create a video browser, create an audio browser, tap the AddressBook, interact with iCal, tap the system spelling function, speak text, and so on and so on... all with the simplest of toolbox calls.

Adobe provides toolbox calls between their applications, but hardly to other applications. The same goes for such tools within either Windows or Linux. For example, what universal Windows feature can a developer tap to bring up any Windows user's universal photo collection? There is no telling what any particular Windows user is using to manage their photos; while Mac developers can successfully operate under the assumption that their base is using iPhoto.

 

[clevin]

Any Leopard-savvy application can create a photo browser, create a video browser, create an audio browser, tap the AddressBook, interact with iCal, tap the system spelling function, speak text, and so on and so on... all with the simplest of toolbox calls.

while Mac developers can successfully operate under the assumption that their base is using iPhoto.

yet how many immature video browser, audio browser with same inside and different shells do we need? with none of them being unique and really useful?

I dont see why ical or iphoto or addresbook is such a big deal for a professional image manipulating app. Not to mention photoshop can detect what other app or hardware a user have and set up interaction during installation if necessary on windows.

Not to mention OSX users are stuck with such an aweful app like iPhoto with no real alternatives... I don't know thats such a good thing at all.

 

[lssmit02]

Ocr

Does anyone know if they have improved the OCR in this version? I have never been able to get it to work properly in 8.1.2 - it won't show me OCR suspects.

 

[137489]

So Let me get this straight......

Acrobat 9 Pro for the Mac lacks what Acrobat 9 Pro for Windows has.

There is no Acrobat Reader 9 yet , so anyone who gets one of these PDF's can't use them unless they have the full version.

it is $160 if you can upgrade, and you are really only getting the ability to use FLV flash, everything else is the same.

$500 (you must buy a new full version) if you have lower than acrobat 6 because the upgrade is not supported.

There has been mixed responses on whether or not someone who just bought cs3 can get a free upgrade or not.

Cs4 is right around the corner, so why this 3.3 release and why just not give a free upgrade to cs3 users and release Acrobat 9 for retail to non-CS users. it is the CS users who are the heavy power hitters who pay alot for the software.

Also, why wasn't this another 8.x update if it only added one feature?

Now I see why people are upset, questioning adobe, and are all around confused.

I hope when reader 9 comes out, it is not like when reader 7 came out. reader 7 broke some stuff and we had to tell people not to upgrade, else they could not read the PDF's that were being created. We also told everyone to downgrade to 6. I don't work for that company anymore, so I am not sure if they ever got it straightened out.....

But as for me. I am not upgrading until there is a reader available, and I am not sure if I can really justify the $500 right now.

 

[skellener]

When Adobe apps become first class citizens on OS X I will consider a purchase. I doubt we'll ever see them create true Cocoa/Core Technology OS X native apps though.

 

[Bern]

This upgrade is worth it, as far as what I've found. I purchased it and downloaded it today and gave it a spin. I'm not an Acrobat expert, but it's indispensable in my situation. Here's what I found so far that's improved over version 8:

1. A bug in version 8 when combining multiple files has gone away completely. This is worth it alone.

2. On my Intel iMac, it seems to work quite a bit faster than version 8. (MUCH MUCH faster than version 7 was since 9 is also a universal binary).

3. Printing is also MUCH improved in this new version.

4. When switching from version 8 to 9 while in the middle of a project, the files made with version 9 appear to be a bit smaller and leaner with no loss of quality.

5. The crash/error messages I used to get when quitting version 8 about a third of the time have vanished. Version 9 quits faster with no fuss.

6. The little watch that replaces my cursor when I start version 8 has vanished (to my delight) in version 9.

7. Overall stability is MUCH improved.

This is very much worth the upgrade price.

So a couple of hundred dollars for a few bug fixes? Nice one Adobe

 

[Chromako]

You see, the problem is you describe a bunch of bug fixes for Leopard, basically. of your 7 "improvements" that are "worth the price," 6 of them are fixes for things that are broken in Pro 8. Broken. So three months ago when I bought an 08 Mac Pro and a copy of the Creative Suite with Acrobat Pro 8, what exactly was I buying? A beta version of Acrobat 9? Why should I have to pay 169 dollars for bug fixes in an application that I just paid over 2,000 dollars for? I have constant problems with Acrobat Pro 8 and Leopard that I didn't have with 10.4. Unfortunately, going back to 10.4 isn't a workable option when you're using an `08 Mac Pro.

You really do have a good point there. Adobe has been doing so much recently (making student purchases near impossible just to start) that it's making me hate them. Of course what makes them different from M$ is that their products are actually pretty good overall and have no competition for what I want. As much as I love Gimp, it's nowhere near PS or Illustrator. Not yet, anyway. Perhaps someday, with the way things are going. bleh. Boo Adobe.

 

[oldwatery]

You don't have to "update" your suite. It's "this is what the suite now looks like". If you want the difference between them (ie: Acrobat 9), then you pay $X for the upgrade. Ignoring the rest of the suite, if you wanted to upgrade from Acrobat 8 to 9, you would have to pay for it anyway. If you don't want to upgrade to Acrobat 9, then don't. It's just a running change.

You obviously work for Adobe if you think this is cool
I say boycott the sob's.
I'm done with their rip-off upgrades and distain for Apple users.

 

[deputylove8]

true ..that's ever so true.

 

[Zoowatch]

i am rather shocked to find out the for a CS3 license holder... acrobat 9 upgrade is not free... even Microsoft don't charge for their service packs... neither does apple... and the bigger insult is that those who are buying CS3.3 directly from Adobe now will get Acrobat 9 at the same price we all paid for...

and having to troubleshoot a bug found in illustrator 13 recently... i have just found out that most of Adobe's flagship apps install 100s of files all over your Mac... so when they need an update, you can see lots and lots of patching... and a clean uninstallation is quite a nightmare... this is so "windows"...

 

[snugharbor]

Those who said there are no new features except Acrobat 9.0 seems to be contradicted by the info below (Web Premium version) although one can debate how significant those changes are.

http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/web/upgrade/?upgradeTabs=newfeatures

New features in Web Premium (CS3.3)

Powerful integration
Fluidly move assets across Adobe Photoshop® CS3 Extended, Illustrator® CS3, Flash® CS3 Professional, Dreamweaver® CS3, and Fireworks® CS3 software. Use Adobe Version Cue® CS3, Adobe Bridge, and Adobe Stock Photos to manage assets. Prepare content for mobile devices with Adobe Device Central CS3. Make your PDF documents come alive with video and audio content or applications created in Adobe Flash software with Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro.

More expressive interactive design
Explore new dimensions in digital design with new features in Flash CS3 such as the Pen tool, shape primitives, new filter effects, and advanced video support. All these come alongside renowned interactive video, animation, and graphics capability, plus high-quality text rendering.

Unrivaled image editing power
Perfect your images with new capabilities in Photoshop CS3 Extended designed specifically for web professionals, including 3D editing, animation support, a new timeline, and more.

Powerful, flexible graphic design
Create editable and scalable vector artwork for web, mobile, and interactive design. Illustrator CS3 now features improved drawing performance and tools to help you apply and experiment with color.

Rapid prototyping
Use Fireworks CS3 to rapidly prototype web designs. Leverage a common library of prebuilt graphic symbols with customizable properties. Move designs to Flash CS3 and Dreamweaver CS3, or leverage an extensible API to integrate with Adobe Flex™ software.

Emerging technologies
Prepare for the next generation of web technologies while applying best practices. Develop dynamic user interfaces with CSS and Ajax, add interactive video with FLV, and incorporate new standards-based user elements.

Mobile content authoring
Use Adobe Device Central CS3 to design, develop, preview, and test content for a wide range of mobile and consumer devices. Easily show your work in numerous mobile device skins through built-in and regularly updated device profiles.

Browser and platform compatibility
Ensure your experience is consistent across operating systems, browsers, and platforms using the new Browser Compatibility Check in Dreamweaver and the Adobe CSS Advisor website, an invaluable source of user-contributed solutions to CSS issues.

 

[Toe]

Do they mention which features they removed?

Every previous version seems to downgrade some features, move some others to different menus for some reason, and strip some functionality out of yet other features. Yet the never seem to mention that stuff on the "What's New" page...

 

[cminshew]

I bought Adobe CS3 Design Standard less than three weeks ago. Adobe allowed me to upgrade to 3.3 for $5.95. Just wondering if anyone else had that same experience.

The reason I bought CS3 and am not waiting for CS4 is because it was a discount when purchasing my MacBook.

 

[kaiwai]

I bought Adobe CS3 Design Standard less than three weeks ago. Adobe allowed me to upgrade to 3.3 for $5.95. Just wondering if anyone else had that same experience.

The reason I bought CS3 and am not waiting for CS4 is because it was a discount when purchasing my MacBook.

Personally I think that the 3.3 is a rip off; then again, Adobe has turned shafting end users into an art form which brings a twinkle to Bill Gates's eye.