From Wired/Enterprise.com:
Adobe’s move to the Creative Cloud isn’t sitting well with all of its customers. Over 5,000 of them have now signed a Change.org petition calling on the company to keep selling packaged software.
The blowback started on Monday when Adobe said that it will no longer sell new versions of its Creative Suite products — including Photoshop, Illustrator and other iconic applications — for a one-time fee. Instead, customers will need to buy an ongoing subscription to the Creative Cloud service in order to get future versions of the products.
Although pundits see it as a necessary move, many customers are worried that the change will end up costing them more money and give them less control over their applications.
“In the short term, the subscription model looks to be okay, but over time the only entity that is benefiting from this is Adobe,” says the petition, written by Derek Schoffstall of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. “The (no longer) current model: paying a one time fee for infinite access is a much better business model and is better for the consumer.”
3 Responses
As for myself, iIt’s not so much the cost as the operational principles. When my work is saved in an Adobe proprietary (.ai for Adobe Illustrator, as an example) format and the subscription has expired, the file becomes inaccessible since the program needed to open the file cannot be opened. This is a way of holding my own work hostage on my own machine! It’s criminal, legally-questionable and highly unethical.
Kristine,
Thanks for commenting!
I didn’t even think of the situation you outlined. Wow. I also hear that if you’re not on an autopay plan and you miss a payment you lose any discounts you had before and have to pay the highest level.
It’ll be interesting to see whether Adobe pays any attention to the outcry from the design community about this. There’s a petition at http://www.change.org/petitions/adobe-systems-incorporated-eliminate-the-mandatory-creative-cloud-subscription-model. It currently has about 16,750 signatures.
Best,
Nicola
I signed it! 🙂 But at the risk of sounding negative, I don’t have much faith. The reality is that most of the revenue Adobe makes is not from “little guys” – the freelance designers – but from media agencies, entertainment industry and large printers. And they don’t care, because $50/mo. to them is a drop in an ocean. So I kind of feel like we’re just little kids throwing a temper tantrum. Adobe can afford to ignore us. The only way to get Adobe’s attention is when their stock starts to tank. How badly does a brand have to be tarnished before THAT happens?
Adobe doesn’t have enough competition, so they can do whatever they want and customers will comply because the choices are dismal. There ARE alternatives, but Adobe remains the industry leader. And that is what gives them power.
Much as I hate what’s happening, I either have to comply myself, or close up shop. I’m close to retiring anyway, so maybe this will be what pushes me over the edge. But for all the younger designers, it saddens me to see them being…. well, basically railroaded!
Today’s consumer wants choices, they don’t want to be forced into anything. And Adobe, once again, has proven that they don’t listen to their customers wishes. They have absolutely no regard for what the market desires. NOW would be a fabulous time for a strong competitor to sneak up behind them….