Idea: Ask Adobe to reconsider their new Creative Suite upgrade/pricing policies

I, too, am in agreement with John on this topic. I have made the statement in another forum (NAPP) that if some type of change in this new pricing policy is not made, I will no longer be able to update my my CS5 if I miss the CS6 edition. I WILL NOT pay for a full price program again to get CS7 or any other update. And I will never be part of any subscription plan. Adobe has lost sight of its customers who have been so loyal to them. I'm afraid that this loyalty will slip away and Adobe will go the way of Netflix.

I believe, with the addition of Adobe's payment plans (monthly payment options), upgrading each year isn't too bad anymore. I don't mind the change now that the payment options are in place.

It’s not often I get on a soap box and encourage people to take an active stance against something, but this is just a bad move on the part of Adobe. There are a couple ways you can reach out to Adobe and let them know your thoughts. One NAPP member has started a thread in the Adobe community forums (and from what I gather, they do listen there...), and when one of the senior VP’s at Adobe (Bryan O’Neal Hughes) wrote a guest post on Scott Kelby’s blog, he shared his email address: bhughes@adobe.com. I would encourage you all to use both methods to communicate with Adobe how much you oppose this policy change.

What a neat example of marketing language: »Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Creative Suite: New Choices for Customers« seems to translate to »We have just abolished the policy that our customers have been accustomed to and content with for years and years.«

I will never subscribe to a software package.
Changing the upgrade requirements is a bad move.
If enough customers complain maybe they will revise their decision.

I don't believe Adobe is going down this road. I will not pay a subscription fee for any Software (except antivirus of course) and the change in Upgrade Policy is simply a kick in the face to their customers (except of course the ones that upgrade every single time). I am very disappointed with Adobe. It is like they are trying to blackmail their customers into upgrading every time. Do they not understand that users of their previous versions are also promoting the Software and the Company.

Not happy Adobe.

Well I know for sure of one spectacular thing that will be in CS6 if you upgrade.................... the ability to upgrade to CS7 at a lower cost than full price which is what you will pay if you stick with CS5 and then upgrade to CS7 :). Sorry, just practicing for a marketing job at Adobe :D

And kudos to those that are adding their posts providing customer feedback directly to Adobe.

Adobe certainly is making a strategic move with this pricing change. They are doing their best to pave a smoother path for those of previous revisions to upgrade to CS5 at a discounted price now. Whether this is overall a good strategic move for Adobe only time will tell. What I do know is based on this forum and discussions on about 5 other forums and personal contacts, (and what Adobe may not have intended) "is" that Adobe's move has triggered many small businesses to do some strategic rethinking on their Adobe investments. Alternative software may not be good enough for many of Adobe's customers. These customers are not just looking at alternatives. They are also looking at scaling back on the number of "seats" (licenses purchased) and purchasing fewer suites and just getting individual products where needed. Actually, for cost efficiency, these measures probably should have been done anyways. Adobe's move just brought it to a head. Adobe's new strategy may also create a vacuum for some customers that don't come along for the ride. Nature (and business) abhors a vacuum. If the vacuum is large enough it will motivate ways to fill the hole. We shall see.

Well, well, well! This user-hostile move of Adobe is all the more reason for me not to bother to 'upgrade' from Photoshop Elements to Photoshop, which was far beyond my means anyway! - And indeed all the more reason for me to keep monitoring the development of competing software from sources that show more respect and consideration for their users and prospective users, with the aim eventually to get completely clear of Adobe.

Photoshop Licensing.

I could not find an alternative means to communicate with Adobe. Please pass on to the appropriate channel.

I was just about to purchase a full copy of Indesign. I have been a long term user of Photoshop and Lightroom and to-date I have purchased every update.

I was just about to purchase In Design. Because of the recent change by Adobe on their upgrade policy I have deferred / reversed this decision.

When the new version of Photoshop is announced I may or may not upgrade. It will need killer new features for me to upgrade. I know at some point in the future I will not purchase an upgrade. When that happens I will never re-purchase a license for Photoshop.

I am now nervous of investing in other Adobe licenses, as I am afraid that the same rules will apply.

So, at best Adobe have substantially deferred revenue from me. A more likely scenario is that Adobe may never get any more revenue from me.

This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled
Photoshop Licensing..

Adobe staff, you might want to see these debates.

http://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thr...

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2011/11/...

I am sadden to hear about your new upgrade policy. I am a very small business (1person) that supplements my retirement income using Photoshop. I have been a long time user and currently use CS5 extended. Your new policy of upgrading photoshop every year will force me to either quit what I am doing or find alternative software. Sadly you seem to be more concerned with generating more profits over the needs of your customers.

This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled
more concerned with profits then their customers.

I can summarize my position very simply.

I have spent thousands of dollars on Adobe products for a couple of decades now.

If this policy goes into effect, I will never spend another cent on any Adobe product or service again. To the extent that I have any influence on anybody else, I will do my best to persuade them to do the same.

In my opinion, this would an inexcusable step under any circumstances. Taking such a step when the economy is in such poor shape, and many (most?) are short of money to do immediate upgrades adds insult to injury.

I just learned about the new upgrade policy for the CS Suite. If you sent me an announcement I didn't get it, or it looked like a come-on for an upgrade so I ignored it. This upgrade policy and the way it is being rolled out regarding the timing (so late in the CS 5.5 cycle) has me questioning nearly 20 years of loyalty to your products.

Surely you have heard that there's a recession, which for many of us is being experienced as a depression. My business is down 70% with no assurance it won't get worse. Surely you've heard of the problem Netflix caused themselves, or Bank of America.

Many of us have skipped versions to mitigate the large upgrade fees. Believe me, I'd rather use the current version, but my business does not warrant the upgrade fees that you've been charging. I'm just not able to squeeze my remaining clients for the money to support those fees. Surely you know that not all of your users are rich corporations or wildly successful freelancers.

When Microsoft achieved their monopoly I refused to use their products, now you are abusing your market position and I will look into other options. I've been an advocate for your software for years, but unless you rethink this underhanded strategy I will discourage people from using your software and enlighten them about the alternatives.

I post this with due respect for your products and the loyalty that you earned so far. But I feel that you are now abusing that loyalty and respect, which I think is a mistake on your part. You seem to have made your calculation, but I am concerned that unintended consequences will be your ruin. Netflix and
Bak of America had the good sense to see that they had pushed their customers too far and walk things back. I hope that you do the same. At the very least adjust your announcement so that this policy starts after we have had a chance to upgrade to CS6.

With respect, Kevin

This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled
Egregious upgrade policy change.

My perspective as an individual for whom photography is a hobby (my primary, lifelong hobby, but just a hobby, nonetheless): I could afford the latest version of Photoshop (in the sense that I could budget for it, save for a few months, and then be able to buy it), but there is no way that I can justify it. Especially when I own an older copy (CS2) and it does 99% of what I need.

The bottom line is that Photoshop is too damn expensive in general. I know of no other software package that an individual would buy that costs as much. Sure, there's more expensive software out there (go price Oracle Enterprise Edition if you want some serious sticker shock), but nothing that a single person who may not even be deriving income from it would buy. (And even Oracle will give you a *free* single-seat license for Oracle Standard Edition for non-commercial use.)

I can tell you why Adobe is pushing the subscription model: piracy. I'm pretty sure Photoshop is some of the most pirated software out there.

Now, don't get me wrong on one thing: I believe if you make something, you have the right to charge for it. And you should have the right to set the price. But with software, the incremental cost is negligible. So you can either charge a lot and have relatively few customers, or you can charge less and get more customers. I think Adobe is going the wrong way by charging more. Charge less, Adobe, and many of those people who are using pirated copied *because they can't afford the expense* will be able to buy copies and put more money in your pocket in the long run.

I have been a loyal Adobe customer for many years, having purchased Adobe PhotoShop Elements and then on to PhotoShop CS2, CS3 and CS4. PhotoShop CS5 was the only version that I haven’t upgraded to. I also have and use LightRoom. I’ve been waiting for PhotoShop CS6 to be released so that I could upgrade. I was also looking forward to upgrading to LightRoom Version 4.

I’ve heard recently that Adobe will not be allowing customers who haven’t purchased CS5 to upgrade to CS6!!! Is this true??? If so, I am outraged!!!! It appears people will be required to buy CS5 before they are allowed to upgrade to CS6!!!

My fellow photographers and I have often joked about “making our annual donation to Adobe” since you have frequent upgrades and that it is intensely profitable for you. I have put up with it before, but no longer! We all like to have the latest and greatest technology, but there are limits to our willingness to be gouged and taken advantage of.

I’ve been thinking a lot about PhotoShop CS4, which is my current version, and I realize that it is powerful enough to do nearly all that I need to do, as I post-process my images. If the rumors mentioned above are true, I want you to know that you have driven away a customer. It won’t be worth it to me to be ripped off in this manner. I will continue my photography with my current versions of PhotoShop and LightRoom.