Buying decision for CS6 - what are you doing?

[netnothing]

So I currently have CS5 Design Premium. I didn't go to CS5.5. I will be going to CS6....I'm just trying to decide what to do.

Adobe does have a deal to get CS6 cheaper!

I noticed that for me to upgrade from CS5 Design Premium to CS6 Design and Web Premium, it would cost $749 since I'm coming from CS5 not CS5.5.

HOWEVER, right now through May 6 they are offering an upgrade from CS5 to CS5.5 for $399....AND you get CS6 for free. They mail you a code 10 days after the release.

EDIT: just noticed in the terms for this offer they say:
Offer is not available retroactively and excludes future Creative Suite software version updates. -- does this mean in the future I don't get upgrade pricing FROM CS6 but from CS5.5?

If I decide to do this.....I might go this route.

However, I'm up in the air on whether to do Creative Cloud. I like the intro pricing of $29.99/month for the first year. I don't really like the $49.99 regular price.

I guess I'm having the most trouble understanding if Adobe is going to tailor new releases to the cloud subscribers....and the regular upgraders will be on a 2 year cycle.

I mean.....for creative cloud....normally it's $600 bucks per year. If they don't come out with a new release each year.....that can be a bad deal, since an upgrade is usually $799, but you only do it every two years.

Thoughts? What are you going to do?

-Kevin

 

[robgendreau]

I believe the caveat might limit you in the future if you were trying to do a multi-version upgrade (in other words, from their point of view the last purchase you made was 5.5, not 6). So when 7 comes, maybe they'd consider you're coming from 5.5 (which probably won't change anything).

The Creative Cloud (CC) thing is new...they say cloudies will get upgrades sooner, but I would think that bug fixes and stuff wouldn't be held back. If you were up in the air about what products you'll need in the next year the cloud thing would be a great idea; more flexibility than say buying into a product you might not need. It also has a bunch of collaboration tools, etc. I'm not sure about the web hosting, Typekit access, and other functions factor in, and what the costs are. But if I were a designer who regularly had to spring for the whole Master Collection I'd be all over the $30/mo thing. Quite a deal even at $50.

And consider they throw in Lightroom 4...so if I were going for Lightroom instead of Aperture 4 (which I assume will be $79 to upgrade), and needed just PS and Acrobat it might still be better to do a year of CC at $360...but 2 years at $960 would be too steep for just Design Standard, which is what I use. If one needed more, then you might already be paying $600/yr for Adobe software (BTW, the academic price for CC stays at $30; kudos to Adobe for supporting students).

 

[netnothing]

I believe the caveat might limit you in the future if you were trying to do a multi-version upgrade (in other words, from their point of view the last purchase you made was 5.5, not 6). So when 7 comes, maybe they'd consider you're coming from 5.5 (which probably won't change anything).

The Creative Cloud (CC) thing is new...they say cloudies will get upgrades sooner, but I would think that bug fixes and stuff wouldn't be held back. If you were up in the air about what products you'll need in the next year the cloud thing would be a great idea; more flexibility than say buying into a product you might not need. It also has a bunch of collaboration tools, etc. I'm not sure about the web hosting, Typekit access, and other functions factor in, and what the costs are. But if I were a designer who regularly had to spring for the whole Master Collection I'd be all over the $30/mo thing. Quite a deal even at $50.

And consider they throw in Lightroom 4...so if I were going for Lightroom instead of Aperture 4 (which I assume will be $79 to upgrade), and needed just PS and Acrobat it might still be better to do a year of CC at $360...but 2 years at $960 would be too steep for just Design Standard, which is what I use. If one needed more, then you might already be paying $600/yr for Adobe software (BTW, the academic price for CC stays at $30; kudos to Adobe for supporting students).

Called Adobe and the rep told me that statement was mainly so people with older versions don't think they can upgrade for free.

Wasn't real clear on in the future do I upgrade from 5.5 or 6, since I got 6 for free.

Since I mainly use Design Premium....not the Master Collection.....I think I'm just going to upgrade. Can't take the chance after the first year of paying all that extra money for apps I don't use.....and not having a path to "get out" and back into the retail upgrade channel.

-Kevin

 

[24Frames]

I think that the cloud option is much better. Last year Adobe announced that they were moving to an annual update cycle from the previous 18 month upgrade cycle. I am sure they will deliver on this, if for no other reason that their big customers will insist on it.

The thing is that with Adobe and also Autodesk you can not sell the software if you decide to stop using it, as this is against the terms of the license agreement. This means that software that you have spent 1000s of $ on is worthless, much better to be renting it. In addition with the Creative Cloud you have a little more flexibility within the terms of the 12 monthly agreement.

I also think that they will want to move all users to the cloud, as it will lower their distribution costs in the medium term.

I note that you can now install the software on OS X or Windows, or for that matter one or each, so you are no longer tied to a single operating system. This is great news for professionals as by it reduces the barrier to switching operating system it might provides a greater incentive for Apple to consider the interests of professional users in future hardware revisions and versions of OS X.

I am against educational discounts. I believe that they encourage the development of monopolies in the software industry, such as we see with Photoshop and therefore discourage innovation. They are also effectively a tax on other users who have to pay the full price, which doesn't seem very fair.

 

[netnothing]

I think that the cloud option is much better. Last year Adobe announced that they were moving to an annual update cycle from the previous 18 month upgrade cycle. I am sure they will deliver on this, if for no other reason that their big customers will insist on it.

The thing is that with Adobe and also Autodesk you can not sell the software if you decide to stop using it, as this is against the terms of the license agreement. This means that software that you have spent 1000s of $ on is worthless, much better to be renting it. In addition with the Creative Cloud you have a little more flexibility within the terms of the 12 monthly agreement.

I also think that they will want to move all users to the cloud, as it will lower their distribution costs in the medium term.

I note that you can now install the software on OS X or Windows, or for that matter one or each, so you are no longer tied to a single operating system. This is great news for professionals as by it reduces the barrier to switching operating system it might provides a greater incentive for Apple to consider the interests of professional users in future hardware revisions and versions of OS X.

I am against educational discounts. I believe that they encourage the development of monopolies in the software industry, such as we see with Photoshop and therefore discourage innovation. They are also effectively a tax on other users who have to pay the full price, which doesn't seem very fair.

Interesting take. I think IF Adobe can stick to a 12 month cycle for upgrades, then the cloud starts to make more sense.....it will force everyone using the cloud to spend every year instead of skipping a generation, like from CS5 to CS5.5.

If the major upgrades slip from 12 to more like the 18-24 month cycle they are used to, then the cloud makes less sense unless you need access to ALL the apps.

For me I spent $799 on CS5 in 2010. I skipped CS5.5 as there were not enough new features in Photoshop for me to upgrade. If I was in the cloud, I'd be pissed having to spend all that money each year for no major upgrade.

-Kevin

 

[24Frames]

The previous upgrade cycle of major updates every 18 months or so made little sense. The life cycles of the various applications are not synchronised. Some applications need much more frequent updates, for example the web development applications, other applications, for example Photoshop, are quite mature and don't need updating annually except for minor updates for new OS releases. In addition the cost of supporting users over multiple versions is higher. This is one reason that Apple try and get everyone on the current release, it is easier and cheaper to support.

The subscription model is much better, because they just release updates when they are ready instead of when they have enough to convince people to spend money on an upgrade. The difficult bit for Adobe is the transition period as it destabilises their revenue.

My problem with Adobe is that the only application in Creative Suite that I really need and can't easily substitute with something else is Photoshop, why pay for the whole suite when you only use PS / Pr / AE and could use Final Cut and Motion in place of Pr / AE at much lower cost?

 

[robgendreau]

24Frames is making me reconsider...the subscription is looking better and better. Say, for example, I decide I need more for video. Buy FCP? Well no...I've got Premiere right here if I want, even if for just one project. And if Apple never updates the Mac Pro no problem, just use it on a Windows box.

Adobe would let you switch licenses from version to version, but this looks easier. And they allow you to use CC software on two computers, just not at the same time.

This makes sense because although users tend to think they buy say PS on a disk, they don't: what you're really buying is a license to use what's on there. It's just delivered by disk or download. Averaging out your overall costs, I bet this is cheaper per seat than what many places are paying now. And it gives Adobe more flexibility: new features won't have to be delayed to be packaged in a major paid update. They just come out as needed.

I do wish they'd have perhaps a smaller subset for people who use just one or two products. I'd rather pay a monthly fee for Lightroom, PS and Acrobat than have to buy those every couple years as upgrades come out; I'm sure they could find a price that would work. This might even drive a subscription model for other software, like Office. Even for Apple stuff: I'd rather subscribe to Aperture for $4/mo than pay $80 every couple of years if that meant Apple kept it's pedal to the floor in upgrading it.

And as to academic stuff: ALL education is subsidized by others. I'm sure Pixlemator is sore that Adobe gets into classrooms but they could (and may) do the same. At least Adobe is multiplatform. And it beats piracy. Apple is worse: I signed up for a class at a local community college and notice that a suggested prerequisite was a class in iLife and Macs in their Mac lab. At least the Adobe software was available, but not a semi-requirement.

Rob

 

[4God]

Well I'm no genius but here's how I see it:

Over the past 11 years I've paid 10's of thousands of dollars for software I can no longer use due to OS updates or hardware changes. I paid the $300 for FCPX and Motion but I still need to use After Effects for finishing and would like to use Photoshop for cool graphics. I also would like to use Premiere Pro for more complex projects too. Not to mention that I could then grade in Speed Grade and also author DVD's/BluRays/Web DVD's in Encore. Oh, and then I could use Illustrator and InDesign as well. Yeah, the Creative Cloud makes very much more sense to me at $600 a year. I could still use FCPX and Motion as I like but also add this amazing arrow (or arrows really) to my quiver.

EDIT: and with the jobs I already have booked for this year, the CC is basically paid for already for the next 5 years.

 

[netnothing]

Good thoughts so far. Might have to consider the cloud.....especially for the discounted first year. And considering I have CS5 now....even if after the first year decided to bail....I should be able to buy back in with discounted pricing.

I really wish they created individual subscription prices and bundles. So you could subscribe to what you wanted and get some small discounts for bundling.

-Kevin

 

[netnothing]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I went ahead and signed up for Creative Cloud. The reduced pricing is a great deal and since I already have CS5....I figure that I can re-evaluate my decision in 12 months. Even then I'm sure I'd still get upgrade pricing if I wanted to back out of the cloud and get back into the suite. I have a feeling that's why they are offering the reduced pricing.

-Kevin

 

[Bear]

I've actually made the decision to see if I can live without Adobe Photoshop. There are many other photo editing tools out there.

Adobe's direction in pricing seems to be a slippery slope to get more and more money from us for the same amount of software.

 

[netnothing]

I've actually made the decision to see if I can live without Adobe Photoshop. There are many other photo editing tools out there.

Adobe's direction in pricing seems to be a slippery slope to get more and more money from us for the same amount of software.

In my eyes, Adobe makes Pro software. Most of us make out living using it. While I don't always agree with their pricing, in general I think it's fair.

If you want a non-Pro tool....use Pixelmator.

-Kevin

 

[diane143]

I've actually made the decision to see if I can live without Adobe Photoshop. There are many other photo editing tools out there.

Adobe's direction in pricing seems to be a slippery slope to get more and more money from us for the same amount of software.

What are you thinking of switching to? I make a living off Illustrator, not PS. I have PS CS so no real upgrade path. I'm reevaluating my software choices. PS is great, but not so sure I can afford it anymore if there are other decent photo editing options, and that's all I really use it for.