23 November 2011 | Author: R Wood Media Intern
After announcing significant changes to pricing and subscription plans on Creative Suite (CS) products, Adobe users are fighting back and voicing their complaints.
Earlier this month, Adobe quietly announced changes to its pricing model, introducing a new subscription component for Creative Suite products that will change the way the product is delivered for many users.
Senior Vice President and General Manager David Wadhwani said in a blog post: "Our move to this membership model allows us to keep our customers up to date with the latest Adobe innovations in our tools and related services.
"Creative Cloud will provide maximum flexibility, offer lower cost of entry, and add cutting-edge innovation on an on-going basis to keep our customers ahead of the changing technology and device landscape."
"There is a tremendous shift happening around content creation, distribution and monetization. The Adobe Creative Cloud initiative has the potential to transform creativity as designers and developers look to create the best experiences across devices and platforms, while integrating tablet devices and cloud-based services into their workflows."
Under the new model, Photoshop CS5 users will be able to upgrade to CS6 for a discounted fee - however, Adobe users working with Photoshop CS4 or lower will have to pay full price for the upgrade.
In an open letter to Adobe, president of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals Scott Kelby said: "While I understand that Adobe needs to make business decisions based on how it sees market conditions, I feel the timing of this new pricing structure is patently unfair to your customers (and our members).
"Here's why: you didn't tell us up front. You didn't tell us until nearly the end of the product's life cycle, and now you're making us buy CS5.5 for just a few months on the chance that we might want to buy CS6 at a discount when it's released. Otherwise, we have to pay the full price as if we were never Adobe customers at all."
The full scope of acceptance or backlash won't be clear until the changes actually come into effect and Adobe Creative Cloud launches in 2012 - however, initial unrest from users shows the a move to subscription pricing may be a significant risk for the already-flagging software company, who also made the decision to abandon Flash earlier this month.
Adobe changes upset users
After announcing significant changes to pricing and subscription plans on Creative Suite (CS) products, Adobe users are fighting back and voicing their complaints. Earlier this month, Adobe quietly announced changes to its pricing model, introducing a new subscription component for Creative Suite products that will change the way the product is delivered for many users.
Senior Vice President and General Manager David Wadhwani said in a blog post: "Our move to this membership model allows us to keep our customers up to date with the latest Adobe innovations in our tools and related services.
"Creative Cloud will provide maximum flexibility, offer lower cost of entry, and add cutting-edge innovation on an on-going basis to keep our customers ahead of the changing technology and device landscape."
"There is a tremendous shift happening around content creation, distribution and monetization. The Adobe Creative Cloud initiative has the potential to transform creativity as designers and developers look to create the best experiences across devices and platforms, while integrating tablet devices and cloud-based services into their workflows."
Under the new model, Photoshop CS5 users will be able to upgrade to CS6 for a discounted fee - however, Adobe users working with Photoshop CS4 or lower will have to pay full price for the upgrade.
In an open letter to Adobe, president of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals Scott Kelby said: "While I understand that Adobe needs to make business decisions based on how it sees market conditions, I feel the timing of this new pricing structure is patently unfair to your customers (and our members).
"Here's why: you didn't tell us up front. You didn't tell us until nearly the end of the product's life cycle, and now you're making us buy CS5.5 for just a few months on the chance that we might want to buy CS6 at a discount when it's released. Otherwise, we have to pay the full price as if we were never Adobe customers at all."
The full scope of acceptance or backlash won't be clear until the changes actually come into effect and Adobe Creative Cloud launches in 2012 - however, initial unrest from users shows the a move to subscription pricing may be a significant risk for the already-flagging software company, who also made the decision to abandon Flash earlier this month.
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