Services, such as streaming, cable, phone, etc are intangible. We cannot own the infrasctructure, it needs people's work to operate, etc so by their very nature, they incur running costs to keep being available.
Software such as Photoshop, on the other hand, requires a fixed investment to make a tangible product out of it. That product is immutable, doesn't have any operating costs, etc. It is a product of a set value (presumably cost + profit) that can be bought, sold, exchanged, etc on a market.
They are two different categories. I was in meetings 20+ years ago where Intel was discussing that companies will eventually move the software model to rental instead of ownership. It helps finance updates, smooths out cash flow, lowers risks and increase profits. Essentially it helps the company's stability by passing the cost of that stability to the consumer. For the company, it's great and getting users to think this is the only option, is even better.
But in the meantime, a lot of alternative products have come on the market and many products disguised as services have alternatives. They may not be as comprehensive, or polished, but they can fullfil the requirements in many use cases. In my case, since the need is not about Art/Photo, but really slicing and putting things together, open source products do it at the same level.
I just thought about getting a Photoshop license because I assumed I'd have every feature I may need. But I didn't expect that change.
Anyhow, software as a service may be a trend now, but it's unlikely to be lasting. I guess we have to wait another 10 years or so for changes to occur again.
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