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There's no end of this subscription crap. I guess it's the new reality. The thing that steams me is that the tiniest app now has a subscription. I don't mind paying a subscription for some complex program like Photoshop that was enormously expensive before the subscription model and is actually cheaper by the month/year. But a monthly fee for a metronome???

You've got to be kidding.
You can now get Windows 10 as a subscription :(
 
It’s the same as the person above saying office 365 is good value because it would take 10 years to recoup the costs. I’d expect a piece of office software to last much longer than 10 years!
Microsoft did a major upgrade on Office every 3-4 years. Apple does an operating system every year with serious breaking changes every 3-4 years. Not sure how you expect MS office to last longer than 10 years with no upgrades.
 
Well that is part of the problem. If I stop paying for my Photoshop subscription. I won't be able to work on those files. Sure Affinity Photo exists but its still not perfect importing psd files.
Like many examples it comes down to work flow. If you primarily create/edit your own material or can ensure those with whom you work use the same software, the Affinity Suite is great. Pixelmator Pro is also awesome. My BF uses both (although he prefers Affinity). The integration in the Affinity Suite exceeds anything that Adobe has done.
 
No it has not.
Your Milage May Vary. My BF has been using it since Creative Suite 1. His experience is that it improves a bit and gets a bit worse, but over has been fairly buggy for as long as he has used it.
I was using Premiere Pro and After Effects long before they had subscription models and it was never as buggy as it is now.
As has he. On his Mac Pro, he thinks it is a bit better than it was, not still not perfect.
Most recently, Premiere Pro, Adobe Media Encoder, and After Effects completely freeze up on my computer with an AMD 5700XT.
He has not had that problem with his Radeon Pro Vega II Duo.
Previous version doesn't freeze up, and NVIDIA cards don't seem affected. Yeah you can reply saying I need to get a NVIDIA card, where/how? I tried, even the 10 series is out of stock everywhere.
On what hardware are you running? What OS release? Given how poorly they are supported, I would never suggest nVidia cards. :)
 
(The cost of) FCP and Logic are two of the main reasons I still use a Mac. If they go the way of the sub I won't feel a compelling reason to stick with macOS.
 
I personally detest most subscription software but you can’t deny the reality of it or the profitability. If you look at Adobe, they have had nothing but ever increasing profitability since moving to that model in spite of the hobbyist community, and some pros, bitterly complaining. Perhaps Apple will offer the sensible alternative and have either subscription or perpetual options.
Does anyone (outside of Adobe management) actually think a Creative Cloud subscription is a good thing? It's not like their updates have been more significant or performance changed since changing models. As far as I can tell, it's only been a negative for the industry.
 
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Does anyone (outside of Adobe management) actually think a Creative Cloud subscription is a good thing? It's not like their updates have been more significant or performance changed since changing models. As far as I can tell, it's only been a negative for the industry.

I hear there are more people using Adobe software today than ever before.

And that's with their crazy subscription scheme.

So I dunno... it seems like it's a good thing. :p

Also... Adobe is actually updating MORE OFTEN since they went with subscriptions. They don't have to wait a year to add new features in the next major release.

Here are the most recent updates made to Premiere Pro in particular:

2021 February
2021 January
2020 November
2020 October
2020 September
2020 June

Some are small updates or just bug fixes... but some actually add major features.

I remember one day I didn't have Content Aware Fill in Photoshop... and the next day I did. It just came as an update! And Adobe finally added better support for CUDA cards in Premiere Pro. Encoding and decoding H.264 is much faster and smoother on my Windows machine with an RTX 2070 card.

Those were welcome updates to me!

So yeah... I can see how people hate the idea of subscriptions. But I don't see how the subscriptions have harmed the actual product cycle.

(there are people who think Adobe software has always been trash... so YMMV...) :)
 
one dy - you get a good job and afford to spend 300 - but if is a sub- you don't know- now with COVID I couldn't - please don't change - or keep a 2 way. - permanent with no extra tutorials I know it - and a version with months payment
 
Well, this will be a big push towards Linux and the free video editing software available; for me at least. I was really hoping Apple would stay away from this.

oh how I wish the subscription model pushes developers to create a foss alternative similar or superior to the subscriptions ones
 
Does anyone (outside of Adobe management) actually think a Creative Cloud subscription is a good thing? It's not like their updates have been more significant or performance changed since changing models. As far as I can tell, it's only been a negative for the industry.

I do. The subscription model gives you access for the software at $10-15/m. The other option is pay $500-$1000 for software with no upgrades once a new feature arrives or Apple updates their MacOS now you need to pay to update your pro apps to make it work, so now its another $500.

Subscription sucks for simple software like e-mail app or video player, but for those $300+ apps its an easy access point. It makes sense, since I am pretty sure that any Pro App user make a lot more than $15 a month using that software so its win-win I guess.
 
Not sure how you expect MS office to last longer than 10 years with no upgrades.

You’re right, how about 30?

image.jpg
 
Aside that, I am wondering why software subscription article placed under political news o_O
Because to many of us, it's a political position.
If this provokes faster updates and more features then I'm all for it. I think a £300 value has been great for the last however many years.. but I am not bothered about paying for something that is a critical business tool that would give me more features/stability ultimately leading to more profitability.
Fixed it for you!
Glad that I went with DtaVinci Resolve.
Interesting!
And the landslide of predictable comments begins...
I insist that all these subscriptions PREVENT people from becoming millionaires. Why do I bring this up? Because I want EVERYBODY on this thread to have a chance at becoming a millionaire. It's because of the love in my heart, of course.

Interesting tidbit: There are 10 million millionaires in the US. In a country of 350 million, that is 2% of the population.

Another interesting tidbit: The 3rd most frequent millionaire is (wait for it) "teacher".

Millionaires are NOT who you think they are. They didn't inherit their riches. Mostly they are not doctors or lawyers. They are everyday people who've lived in your neighborhood and bought used cars all their lives. They don't use credit cards for the "miles". Nobody ever got rich on American Express miles card. Oh and they avoid subscriptions. (that last one by me, because I don't need a study to know this is true)

Other interesting tidbits can be found in the book, "Everyday Millionaires" by Chris Hogan, available on Amazon and anywhere you might be tempted to buy a book. I'm not affiliated in any way; it's just an excellent book backed by the largest study of millionaires ever done (over 10,000).

We already have one. Its called paying taxes.
We have a lot of things that operate like subscriptions:

Real subscriptions, such as magazines, paid-for podcasts, music streaming services, teevee access like cable or satellite.

Things that might as well BE subscriptions, such as your electric, water, sewage, internet, phone (if you still have a land line or even a VOIP service), your "home appliance warranty", if you bought one of those, all of your software, access to that guitar training site, what you pay to other training sites, what you pay to your kids' tutors or music teachers, that car extended warranty service you bought last year in the hopes that it'll pay for your transmission when it finally falls out of your car (hint: It won't pay for it!), and that monthly fee you pay to the health club, your pool cleaning service, your air conditioner guy's "family value plan", and that car wash down the street that has the gonads to charge $17 for a single wash so as to coax you into paying $24 monthly.

Almost everything you do is a subscription.

We must fight this. We must be vigilant, and the way to do that is to budget our money and be willing to sacrifice and do without so that we can be financially successful in life. Because if we're not, we will be forever poor, living paycheck to paycheck, with nothing left for kids' college, a rainy day, a financial emergency, or a new car or house.
One subscription that definitely is a better value than purchase is (IMHO) Microsoft 365....
I have that too, but even at $100 per year, I'm not so convinced yet that it's worth the money on my home machines, mostly because it lies unused! Next year, I may move to a free office product.

One side effect of this, if Apple doesn‘t like the politics on the things you are producing they have the ability to pull your “subscription”.
This is a genuine concern. "Cancel Culture" is a real thing, and a lot people are using it to ruin other people's lives, all for just having a disagreement on policy or personal views. This alone is a great reason to reduce subscriptions.

Everyone complaining here keep in mind you used to have to buy upgrades every year to keep up, was basically a janky subscription model with the illusion of choice — yes you could just keep your version as is but then also get left behind...
It's only a subscription model if you buy each new version without questioning whether it's worth it.

I don't buy every version of the Apple Watch, or the iPhone. And although I've bought the last 3 versions of Ableton Live, I've arrived at each of those decisions with intentionality, and only after due consideration. So it's NOT a subscription model.
Apple switched to buy once, update free for life, which was awesome. But I’ve been getting free updates of FCPX for seven years now. That model seems unsustainable to me.
Bear in mind that Apple's hardware is hideously expensive. The reason it was always justifiable was the lower cost on software.

But now iPad software has all subscriptions. Now we're talking about making Mac software all subscription. If the hardware doesn't come down in price, my reasons for wanting a 16" MBP will evaporate, and I'll just do another upgrade on my Windows machines.

Apple has total control here. If they don't adjust the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) to accommodate subscriptions, then they'll effectively strangle themselves.

I'm sure that in the short run companies make more money this way, but...(followed by A LOT OF WORDS)
OMG, dude, paragraphs, please!
As a photographer, I was against Adobe and doing the subscription, now I don't really care. It is what it is.
You're talking about a $10 bill. I call "blindside" on you for that, because Adobe has effectively kept me OUT of their ecosystem by charging an arm, a leg, and three teeth for their whole suite. I say this with love: "eff that!"
Yeah that's what I meant.

Apple has to continually develop and support their software. Paying their employees and whatnot.

So why should a person be able to buy the software once... and then use it for the rest of their lives? That doesn't seem fair to the developer.

At least in the old days the customer would buy software and then pay again for upgrades every so often. Not everyone would upgrade each time... but the developer would get some more income after a while.

But with subscriptions... the developers is getting regular recurring income.
Not if "subscription only" is the only available option, and certainly not if that subscription prices people out of their ecosystem, which is what Adobe is doing with Creative Cloud.

...subscription worked for Adobe because their whole apps where expensive to begin with...
There's always a segment, and I think it's sizeable, who will avoid subscription software just on principle. I'm one of us!
 
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Till Apple changed the Final Cut Pro pricing model, I feel like I am stealing/cheating as all the upgrades are free after I paid $299.99 back in June 2011.
 
If that means more continued updates and innovation, then fine by me for professional software. Apple cant be subsidizing pro software from other sales for too long.
 
You’re right, how about 30?
That version of word will not run on anything current, nor could you exchange documents with anyone, that was the point. I am pretty sure my SE 30 still boots, but I do not would not consider the copy of Word 6 on it particularly useful. :)

If one does not care about compatibility with current versions of hardware/operating systems/software, there is no reason to bother with the paid version of Microsoft’s Office Software. Apple’s iWork suite, Open Office, and Google Docs are all fine for that use case.
 
Bear in mind that Apple's hardware is hideously expensive. The reason it was always justifiable was the lower cost on software.
... you’re telling me everyone and their mom bought a MacBook last year because of the sweet deal Apple gives creatives on their pro apps?
 
Not if "subscription only" is the only available option, and certainly not if that subscription prices people out of their ecosystem, which is what Adobe is doing with Creative Cloud.

Creative Cloud subscriptions have been around for the last 9 years.

I hear there are more people using Adobe software today than ever before.

And that's with subscriptions being the only way to pay.

So I'm not seeing the evidence that Adobe is driving people away from their ecosystem because of subscription pricing. If there was... it would have happened a long time ago.
 
Does that mean we get an option for basic timeline functionality along with other basic features or are they still going to gravitate towards the less demanding crowd making short web content?
 
Microsoft did a major upgrade on Office every 3-4 years. Apple does an operating system every year with serious breaking changes every 3-4 years. Not sure how you expect MS office to last longer than 10 years with no upgrades.
Office 2010 still works perfectly fine on my PC... it isn’t suddenly going to stop.
 
Subscription is one of those things that once you taste it, you can never go back. It's a never ending gold mine for $$$. Won't be long until we need subscriptions for breathing oxygen
From a developer's point of view you are absolutely right. From a user's point of view however, it's a different story.
 
No thanks, Apple. If FCPX becomes subscription based, I will switch to DaVinci Resolve.

I don't care what their reasons for doing it are.
 
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