Yet another unhappy Creative Suite user, Charles Reilly of Lime Productions, posted some very well thought-out observations about The Cloud on his YouTube Channel…
Remember…make sure to head on over to www.change.org and sign the petition to get Adobe to offer us users a choice…they only need a couple hundred more names to hit the magic 15,000 mark!!!
Damn Ugly Photography 
Mr. Reilly says that prior to CC he used to update his software every two years for $400-$600. He then points out that the price of the Creative Cloud will be $600/year or $1200 every two years, a doubling of the price. What he fails to mention is how much he originally paid for his software. Assuming he is talking about Adobe Master Collection, that is about $2150 or 43 months worth of the CC software.
So while Mr. Reilly makes a valid point for current owners of the software, someone just starting out would be better off starting with the cloud. It would take 5-6 years before the CC subscription cost as much as buying the software and upgrading every two years. Not to mention the fact that updates are automatic so you don’t have to wait two years to get the new features. And of course the CC has other benefits like cloud storage, Behance, etc.
I would also argue with his guarantees that Adobe will raise the price in a few years. Adobe is smarter than that. They have no desire to run off all their customers. It is much more likely that they will lower the prices, especially for long time users.
And what about the people who use Adobe products for a year or two and then do something different and have no need for the software? Under the old system, they would still be out their original investment. With the CC they can quit and be done with it.
I hate making the pricing of the new Adobe scheme as the main reason to hate this new plan. But OK…let’s say you have already purchased a complete Suite…going forward with Adobes scheme will never be a ‘good deal’ for you. And sure, if you are new to the products, then the lower price may make sense. None of this negates the downside that you will be always locked into paying for the software to ensure you can access your work, which has always been my main reason for fighting this.
As for guaranteeing Adobe won’t raise prices, you’re on much shakier ground here. My first upgrades to Photoshop cost $79…the last upgrade to CS6 was $200. Adobe has zero incentive to not raise prices once they have already gotten their core users over to ‘The Cloud’, much like they have very little incentive to continue to add value to the applications by pushing more product development. There are very few people who don’t see this as Adobes main reason for moving to ‘The Cloud’ in the first place…they realize the programs have pretty much maxed out in terms of what they can do with them! BT
Hmm… one concern i have with the automatic updates is that at some point one will also have to update hardware to make the most of the software updates. And suppose one is not ready, he might lose out on new features even though they are paying the monthly rent. While right now, whenever people update the software they make sure their hardware is up to the mark to handle the onslaught; its their choice and according to their time frame, not Adobe’s.
And regarding, Adobe being smarter not to raise prices, i completely disagree with Bret. They are in this business to make money. period. If they see potential to increase rent while holding/monopolizing the base market, they will do it in a eye blink.
I share Mihir’s concerns about the hardware upgrades. Some of the best new features in Adobe software require fast hardware to work correctly. For example, video cards with the Mercury Graphics Engine. So I wonder if the new scheme will stifle hardware dependent updates that they might normally make.
I also agree with Mihir and BT that Adobe is in the business of making money. In theory, the CC should greatly reduce Adobe’s production and supports costs, but we all know that those savings are rarely passed onto the consumer.
My point is that they will not make a bad business decision that will disenfranchise their base and cause people to walk away from Adobe products. Some of their base could leave now but let’s face it, Adobe currently has a mini-monopoly on most of the software used for Photography, Design, Video, etc. However, I predict that this is about to change as other companies rush to capitalize on the negative publicity surrounding the CC announcement. So in 5 years, there very well could be more options to choose from, which is good for everyone. Competition is what will keep Adobe’s prices low. Let’s see what happens when a company like Google gets into the game.
I currently use CS5 Production Premium so I am also facing a dilemma on whether to switch to the cloud. The upgrade price to CS6 has kept me from enjoying the newer features of that release. The idea of having access to the latest versions of ALL of Adobe’s software appeals to me, especially with my wife’s Teacher Discount.
But to Brad’s point about accessing old files, even if I don’t go with the cloud my current Photoshop will still work. And it is likely to work for at least the next 10 years even as hardware and operating systems advance. I am betting that whatever hardware and OS I will be using in 10 years will still run this software and I will always be able to access my old files with it. Even in a worst-case scenario like if I couldn’t access my old files and I needed some of them for a project I was working on, I could still simply download the free trial version of Adobe software that they always offer. So that argument falls flat with me. The money argument makes more sense, IMHO.
The only fly in the ointment is that my current Camera RAW will not work with cameras released 5 years from now (unless Adobe chooses to update ACR for free). But I could always use one of the free RAW converters or Lightroom for that.
Thanks to Brad for allowing us to discuss and debate this issue on his blog.
I agree with all the points in your video Brad, thanks for putting them so clearly. In addition to the UK price differential which I have raised on the Adobe CC forum, I have the problem of living in a rural location with a very slow Internet speed. I raised my location as an issue on the forum and the solution suggested by an Adobe employee was for me to go to an Internet cafe to download the software. I pointed out that would be a 70 mile round trip to the nearest internet cafe, that it would require me staying in the cafe for hours and that I need it on an iMac. So it looks like I also need a laptop. Adobe’s final comment was that they would let me know if there was a workaround.
I take issue with Bret who says it will be possible to get into files using old software. Try opening a an Indesign CS5 file in CS4 (you have to open and resave for an IDML file).
Henry, why not open it in Indesign CS5? I don’t know anything about Indesign, but I’ll bet it is backward compatible so any file created in CS4 can be opened in later versions. No software is guaranteed to work the way you mentioned. It’s kinda like me complaining that I can’t open my 5D2 RAW files in an old copy of CS3 or that my VHS won’t play my DVDs. At some point we all have to upgrade. BTW, my VHS will still play my old VHS tapes.
What concerns me about CC is the issue for casual users. Users that don’t make a full time living from Photoshop and want to use it a couple of times per month. How are they supposed the justify the price?
I agree also with the concerns over opening and accessing past work if you don’t need to continue the subscription because you have stopped working or changed to another software package.
I will eat your unborn children