Creative Suite is going online ONLY

Levi

Levi

Ultimate Member
Well adobe has just announced that creative suite and photoshop are going to be 'cloud' only software, ie you get to rent the software rather than buy it. Which is great because that means when you stop paying you don't get to keep or use the software....
Am I the only one who doesn't like this, ms office is going this way too albeit not as big an issue and the only thing I can see happening is that once they've roped in the 'main' people who rely on it they go and ramp up the prices, we're basically put into a situation where we have no other option but to pay or we can't use the software and make money...... adobe is that 'important' in the design industry that we're pretty much screwed if this happens.
Why can't they be like my main software which allows me to buy it and then pay a subscription to 'upgrade' when they come out for free (basically the subscription is the upgrade plus access to some extra bits and pieces). If I stop the subscription I can keep the software but not get any updates.
Thinking about it, I can partly see this being the 'clever peoples' idea to stop piracy but they're forgetting something, that piracy is part of what allows them to be the 'defacto' design brand (think about how easy it is/was to get at uni/college/school etc), if they can't get it they'll likely go look for something else instead.... not exactly a good thing in the long term for adobe in my opinion.
 
It is a stupid idea.
I totally see why they're doing it, but I agree with you Levi that it's not going to work. They're just throwing their weight around because they are so dominant in the industry and they know they can essentially do what they want.
I doubt it will stop piracy either. They always come up with new ways of making it harder to get pirate copies, but there's always someone equally clever on the other side of the fence who will happily spend their time making it available for free.
And as you say, if it wasn't for these free ones then kids would never get the software and take an interest in the industry. Professionals and agencies, universities etc will ALWAYS buy legit copies anyway, so personally I don't see the harm in letting students have it for free.
For me it would depend on the monthly price for the subscription (if it becomes compulsory). If they stick with a reasonable price then I won't be too fussed.
 
The Simulator said:
For me it would depend on the monthly price for the subscription (if it becomes compulsory). If they stick with a reasonable price then I won't be too fussed.
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currently it's £50 a month iirc to rent the full suite (there are some shorter/longer term options).... thats £600 for a year rent for a product that sells for around £1000-2000 depending on the one you pick/need. It's usually a yearly refresh too. I can easily see that £50 turning into £100 a month with refreshes every 2 years... why would they bother updating software when they have you over a barrel...
Not sure about everyone else but I don't need to update cs every year, hell I hardly use it and could likely get away with gimp or even elements if it wasn't for the 'industry' standard requirement.
 
I don't like this, at all. I understand their reasoning, but what if your internet goes out or something, are you automatically unable to work?
 
shaunlynn said:
I don't like this, at all. I understand their reasoning, but what if your internet goes out or something, are you automatically unable to work?
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I'd not even thought of that! Yeah that's stupid really.
 
From the adobe FAQ

Your Creative Cloud desktop applications (such as Photoshop and Illustrator) are installed directly on your computer, so you won't need an ongoing Internet connection to use them on a daily basis.

You will need to be online when you install and license your software. If you have an annual membership, you'll be asked to connect to the web to validate your software licenses every 30 days. However, you'll be able to use products for 180 days even if you're offline.

Not such a nightmare after all.

Will it drive productivity? If your paying for CC you might as well get the lot because that's how they price it. Its not worth paying $20 for a single app when the full set is $50. So.....if I'm paying for after effects I'm might as well learn it and premiere pro....

In all honesty I thought it was fairly priced for what you get when you look at a single user licence for solid works or Maya.

If its still installed on your computer it will still be pirated.
 
The current price isn't the issue it's 'what they could do' which is my issue.
And from my own experience comparing solidworks to maya let alone photoshop is like comparing potatoes to oranges.
 
Your worried they could double the monthly subscription to £100?
I think its quite a large jump to double the price of something that has a steadily growing user base, if anything I'd say the price would come down.
I wasn't comparing solidworks to maya, I was talking about the price compared to the CC subscription.
Maya 2014 single user £3840
AutoCAD 2014 single user £3900
Solidworks about £6000
Adobe CC £ 48 per month
Photoshop
After Effects
Adobe Premiere Pro
InDesign
Flash Professional
Illustrator
Fireworks
Adobe Muse
Dreamweaver
Audition
SpeedGrade
Prelude
Lightroom
Flash Builder Premium
Game Developer Tools
Acrobat XI Pro
Creative Cloud Connection preview
Touch App Plugins
Edge Tools & Services
Edge Animate
Edge Code (Preview)
Edge Inspect
Edge Reflow (Preview)
Edge Web Fonts
Typekit
PhoneGap Build
Creative Cloud Files
Business Catalyst
Story Plus
Digital Publishing Suite, Single Edition
Behance
ProSite
 
Adobe just annoys me with their pricing structures. Right, so I can either get one product, or all products... yeah thanks for that Adobe, because no one single person uses either one or all of your products so you've decided to make it better value to opt for the most expensive package. Cheeeeers...
 
balders said:
Your worried they could double the monthly subscription to £100?
I think its quite a large jump to double the price of something that has a steadily growing user base, if anything I'd say the price would come down.
I wasn't comparing solidworks to maya, I was talking about the price compared to the CC subscription.
Maya 2014 single user £3840
AutoCAD 2014 single user £3900
Solidworks about £6000
Adobe CC £ 48 per month
Click to expand...
Those prices are to BUY the software.... you know keep it, adobe cc is renting the software. Plus like I said comparing solidworks, a program I am VERY familiar with to adobe suite is like comparing a potato to an orange, it's not just the 'modelling' package I'm betting you think it is.
And I just don't understand how you can't see how adobe would up the prices.... I never said it would just jump to £100 but I can see it gradually increasing per year and then less and less getting done to the software, it's not like they do a massive amount between versions now. Once they have you in the 'cloud' you have NO OPTION but to pay what they want you to pay because they are the default graphic design company.
With the other CAD software you mentioned there are other options for ALL of them and some of them are better and cost less :rolleyes:
I can mention alternatives that are used in the workplace off the top of my head, some of which are even free, can you do that with adobe software that can still be used in an industry setting ;)
solidworks - autodesk inventor
autocad - turbocad - free cad or archimedes (they're free) - oh and solidworks can do most of what autocad can do too.
maya - 3ds max - modo - rhino - blender (free)
Note: Autodesk do a package deal too and then a subscription for the updates, you continue to OWN the software unlike adobe :eek:
 
The company I'm at bought CS6 a few months ago and the woman at Adobe told me as much.
I *kin hate Adobe. :thumbdown:
 
I'm aware what solidworks is and can do, a few of the metal fabrication factories we work with use it.
I'm just basically saying I don't think its all doom and gloom.
We don't really have a lot of choice anyway.
There are alternatives but they all slightly fall short in some way or another.
 
balders said:
We don't really have a lot of choice anyway.
Click to expand...
this is the point I'm getting at, they have designers over a barrel and can do as they want with the prices.
 
What? It's about looking at the future and how it's going to affect us all. Change isn't always for the better, so analysing things before they happen allow us to increase our blood pressure unnecessarily. How can you not understand this? :D
But seriously, it's going to be annoying for lots of people if this is the only option, especially where principles are involved. So you won't actually be able to outright buy adobe products at all after this has been rolled out?
 
Sean Lee-Amies said:
What? It's about looking at the future and how it's going to affect us all. Change isn't always for the better, so analysing things before they happen allow us to increase our blood pressure unnecessarily. How can you not understand this? :D
But seriously, it's going to be annoying for lots of people if this is the only option, especially where principles are involved. So you won't actually be able to outright buy adobe products at all after this has been rolled out?
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exactly cs6 is the last one you can buy, adobe have said they're leaving this on sale for an undetermined amount of time but everything from now is going into the cloud....
paying monthly isn't exactly the issue here (we do it with mobile phones etc), it's the fact I wouldn't own anything so if they do up their prices and I don't agree with that I'm screwed, I can't just stop paying because I don't have the software.
With the solidworks and autodesk subscriptions you get to keep the software just no longer get updates, you don't get this with adobe and the only reason I can see why they've taken this route is because they've got a long term plan that basically involves less work for them and more cost to us.
Oh and my blood pressure was fine until I got off the phone with t-mobile's 'UK' support centre in India (or close too it).... why can't mobile phone companies get their contracts/bills right!!! Going to go speak to people in the store tomorrow, they should at least understand English properly.
 
I say acquire the current version of whatever you use and keep using it for as long as you can before succumbing to this.
 
Jimlad said:
I say acquire the current version of whatever you use and keep using it for as long as you can before succumbing to this.
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That's what I was thinking; buy the CS6 version (or whatever) and stick with it for as long as you want to. If you're happy with it then I'm sure it's fine to get by with for plenty of time, the upgrades aren't usually all that huge.
 
I'm really not a fan of this, but you do get a sense of inevitability in the air that this will be the model for software across the board in the not too distant future. Main thing that worries me is Adobe's current customer service is horrendous for such expensive software. A while ago I had a licence issue due to my old computer dying and their support refused to offer any help because it was CS3 and they only offered support for one previous generation below the latest which at the time was CS4 and later. Managed to sort it in the end after many hours of frustration but with no help from Adobe.
I can see I'd have to succumb at some point as Creative Cloud programmes like Adobe Muse and Digital Publishing Suite get better. I'm Currently on CS5.5 and already encountering the occasional InDesign file I can't open because it was created in CS6. Will hold out as long as I can though as this grates with me a lot.
 
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