Thoughts on Adobe CC
First: I disagree with the rental/subscription based model completely. I like the idea of getting all the new versions and more frequent updates but the cost over many years is way more than if you were someone who stuck with older versions of CS for a long time.
Second: If Adobe think that this will prevent piracy, good luck! I’m reading online that you need to be online to get the apps obviously, to sign up for CC and the first time you log in. But you don’t have to be online to use the apps after that (which would be absurd to do anything otherwise). So if the apps don’t check your account everytime they’re launched, how do they seriously think a random hacker out there won’t figure out a way to get it to bypass the initial account check? That’s esentially what the pirated versions already do! You have to have a serial number (which is basically now your CC account) and each app checks it online before it lets you use it. How is that any different than what it will do with CC?
My opinion on lowering piracy rates on their software: Lower the price overall and then don’t offer a discount to upgrade from one version to the next. Most other programs don’t offer discounts, Adobe does it because they charge such a premium for the full versions in the first place. If it cost $400 for the Master Collection and then $400 for every new version that came out, I bet they would see sales go through the roof.
The problem is that students come out of school and absolutely cannot afford to pay the full price for one of their packages. High school students who want to learn Photoshop can’t afford it. Anyone who couldn’t afford it at some point when they started out gets into the Torrent loop. If you can get it for free in the first place, it’s pretty tough to convince yourself to spend the nearly $2000 later on. “Why would I spend money I barely have when I can just go to this website over here, follow the instructions and spend that money on buying a new machine to work on?”
I believe people should be paid properly for their hard work and Adobe has added some great features to their software over the last few years. But they have essentially eliminated any competition by buying them out (Macromedia being the main one). They pull all the creative industries into their circle of applications and then pull the rug out from beneath us. There are barely any really good alternatives to some of their apps and now people are left with only ONE option.
Hello! Any developers out there see an opportunity for creating some competition? No?
