Boycott Creative Cloud?

[Mike Wickham]

If you haven't heard, CS6 is the last CS version. From now on, you have to rent your applications via the Creative Cloud. I don't like the new subscription model. I have bought every CS upgrade since version 1, but it looks like CS6 is the end for me, even if it means keeping an old computer around just to run CS6 applications.

Perhaps Adobe would change its mind in a few months if most everyone avoided signing up for the subscription. In any case, they've created a real opportunity for competitors.

[Greg_Bohn]

444333222111 wrote:

You will be assimilated! Question nothing why ask why there is no choice its the wheel of life.

To get right at the heart of the matter it feels suspiciously like Adobe has made the paradigm shift from we are here to serve you as our customers to...  our customers are here to serve us and do what we say... we could care less about what you think.

I don't think any "suspicion" is required . To me, it definitely appears that Adobe has decided to use its current market dominance in an attempt to force people to where it want's to go (at its customers expense).

  I don't remember seeing an open Adobe survey asking customers if it was O.k. to drop perpetual licenses. They changed when only about 6% or so of it's customers had voluntarily gone "Cloud" (and that was when perpetual fallback was still available).

[444333222111]

  I don't remember seeing an open Adobe survey asking customers if it was O.k. to drop perpetual licenses.

Well actually there was a survey and I took it about 5 months ago.

I think it was 15 minutes to complete and it had an entire section on "Cloud" computing which I categorically rejected as would never be used by myself or my company. If you took the full survey you could win like $200 bucks in software. Looking back I guess that was $200 in rental fees

Maybe others said in the survey Yea we love cloud stuff but from looking I this forum I dont think thats the case.

FYI I dont remember a single question that said are you OK with leasing vs perpetual license. They may know about graphics software but they dont know bunk about surveys. The way I remember the questions framed and looking back on it I think they purposely framed them incorrectly so the higher ups could point back and say HEY survey says everyone will love it!

[Greg_Bohn]

> The way I remember the questions framed and looking back on it I think  they purposely framed

> them incorrectly so the higher ups could point  back and say HEY survey says everyone will love it!

That's a big problem with Surveys. By framing the question in one of two different ways, you can often skew the results in the direction you want.

  It's sad that so many perform surveys with an intended result in mind, instead of trying to simply gather information.

[Mike_Ornellas]

Heads will roll in the thuder storm the cloud shall bring.

[444333222111]

Heads will roll in the thuder storm the cloud shall bring.

Really I dont think they care. I dont think they care that after a month there are 27,000 signatures against this lease model here https://www.change.org/petitions/adobe-systems-incorporated-eliminate-the-mandatory-creative-cloud-s...

They have made a buisness decision and they are digging there heals in and sticking by there guns.

I am really stubborn at times to but I have the common sense to admit when Im wrong. Not Adobe....

[Greg_Bohn]

> They have made a business decision and they are digging there heals in and sticking by there guns.

  It sounds like they went into this expecting to lose a certain number of customers, expecting to replace the lost revenue with the increases from new profits from the new model.

If so, the question is at what numbers would things "Go pear-shaped" for them? (Because they significantly exceed losses and/or are under-performing on CC signup's compared to the projections...),

  In the end, if they meet their numbers then they're happy (regardless of whether some of their Customers may not be).

[Mike_Ornellas]

I understand the business model. It makes sense. The problem is the implementation along with not shooting straight with its customers as they sugar coat a new turd.

[444333222111]

Yea makes sense for adobe not for me. Its a steaming turd sandwich and we all gotta take a bite.

Ill pass. Im going to start looking for alternatives. Figure I have a few years left on my software by then I should have an alternative sorted.

[Greg_Bohn]

Mike Ornellas wrote:

I understand the business model. It makes sense. The problem is the implementation along with not shooting straight with it's customers as they sugar coat a new turd.

  I wasn't trying to say I agree with their business model (It sucks for many of their customers for example). (I think it mainly "Makes sense" if you mostly have the mind-set of "What can we force our customers to accept because we think they have little choice", which I think is ultimately destructive to everyone, but that's besides the point.)

  I was mainly commenting that I thought that whether "heads will roll" will depend on their numbers, which we aren't privy to.

[444333222111]

Absolutely they knew there was going to be backlash. There was a quote from one of the higher ups @ adobe saying well we expected more back lash than we are getting. Arrogent twits.

I dont know jack about numbers just graphics and these days bending over.

[uhanepono]

I took that same survey. It was announced in an email. I was against it like you. The main thing i remember was that they did not mention world without fallback options anywhere in that survey.

444333222111 wrote:

  I don't remember seeing an open Adobe survey asking customers if it was O.k. to drop perpetual licenses.

Well actually there was a survey and I took it about 5 months ago.

I think it was 15 minutes to complete and it had an entire section on "Cloud" computing which I categorically rejected as would never be used by myself or my company. If you took the full survey you could win like $200 bucks in software. Looking back I guess that was $200 in rental fees

Maybe others said in the survey Yea we love cloud stuff but from looking I this forum I dont think thats the case.

FYI I dont remember a single question that said are you OK with leasing vs perpetual license. They may know about graphics software but they dont know bunk about surveys. The way I remember the questions framed and looking back on it I think they purposely framed them incorrectly so the higher ups could point back and say HEY survey says everyone will love it!

[Andrewzytic]

So I signed up just to make a comment on this.

As there is no way to send an e-mail directly to Adobe, this is the only way I can make my comments to them known.

Today I have just upgraded from LR4 to LR 5 and from CS5 to CS6.

I am not, and probably never will, upgrade to CC and the minute they change Light room to a subscription I will be gone too.

I understand that I am not Adobe’s target customer for this change.  In fact, given the fact that I tend to skip 1 version each cycle, some would say that I am not even an Adobe customer. 

That said I did start with PS6.  Upgraded to CS2, CS3, CS5 and now CS6.  Also bought Lightroom 3, upgraded to LR 4 and now LR 5.  So over the last decade I have purchased around $1800+ worth of Adobe software.  Personally I feel that makes me an Adobe customer.

The thing is I am not a professional.  I am simply an enthusiast.  With my busy life I probably use Photoshop every 2 months or so. 

I upgraded to PS CS6 for $199 or essentially 10 months subscription to the regular priced stand-alone PS CC except that my CS6 will last me now for at least 2 years.   

As I said, I am probably not the target customer.  I see all the quotes of 500,000 subscribers to CC with probably 1,000,000 by year end.  I understand that and it will probably make a difference to their bottom line and they have every right to maximize their profits and ensure monthly revenue streams.  Heck, it will probably help them with piracy as well.  For heavy users, especially those using the full suite in a professional basis, this is probably actually a good deal.

However, as only an enthusiast, it does not work for me.  On an individual basis, they have lost me as a customer.  I imagine that they will be losing a lot of academic customers and others in the same boat as me as well.

If they don’t address this I see them having issues in a couple years and competitors move in to fill the void.  Currently there is no real competition for Photoshop.  Adobe is just the dominant player and at an upgrade price of $200 I can’t see anyone investing the resources to try and compete customers away when the easy thing is just to upgrade every cycle or two and stay with your familiar workflow. 

Now however the ballgame has changed.  I now have $200 every 2 years or so to give to someone else.  Or see if I can just survive with LR and PSE.  Heck, if I feel that CS6 and the others not good enough I will see about actually learning GIMP and tossing my $200 every 2 years to help them develop it (http://www.gimp.org/donating/). 

By tossing the enthusiast market aside and focusing on the heavy/professional users who $20/month is nothing I think they are opening the market to competitors to move in and fill the void.

Just my 2 cents Adobe. Over the last decade I have bought more than $1800 worth of software from you and given $0 to your competitors for them to invest and work to steal your market share.  How much money will you get from me in the next decade vs how much I will give your competitors?  Time will tell.

[sjhoyes]

Personally I'm happy with CC. I have run PS for a number of years and when Adobe announced they were moving to CC I was initially disappointed and angry. However I took the plunge and for my monthly payment I now use Acrobat, Encore and Premier Pro, none of which I'd have because of the cost. Do I like CC? You betcha'.

[erase-the-silence]

I really hope Adobe changes their minds.
Not everyone is rich and can afford to spend so much money a year just to use a program.

I hate the idea of having to subscribe just to use a program and spend $20 a month...

I currently have Photoshop CS4 and I was saving up money to buy the upgrade for CS6, which would only cost me $200, and i went on here to buy it.. to find out i can't i have to spend $700 to buy the full program.. I was annoyed and I thought maybe they had a problem, so i talked to someone and they suggested the cloud. NO i don't want that. So i accepted the fact i have to buy the full program again... I just want to spend $700+ once to own the full program and not have to spend $20 a month just to use it..  I'm not a professional, so i can't afford that. I would love to be able to update CS6 when it becomes outdated.. but now I can't and I really do not like that. I tried using other programs and they are just not as great.

I get they're trying to stop people from stealing their program, but this is not going to work for the people that just want to buy the program once, and that is a huge population that cant' afford the Cloud thing.

[uhanepono]

YOU CAN still upgrade..!! really, truly.

http://www.adobe.com/products/catalog/cs6._sl_id-contentfilter_sl_cata log_sl_software_sl_creativesu...

1. In the Photoshop CS6 row, click the Buy link
2. "I want to buy:", click on the dropdown menu and select Upgrade
3. "I own", click on the dropdown and select the relevant product which you already own
4. Follow the prompts from there to complete the purchase

5. erase-the-silence wrote:

   ....I currently have Photoshop CS4 and I was saving up money to buy the upgrade for CS6, which would only cost me $200, and i went on here to buy it.. to find out i can't i have to spend $700 to buy the full program.. I was annoyed and I thought maybe they had a problem, so i talked to someone and they suggested the cloud. NO i don't want that. So i accepted the fact i have to buy the full program again... I just want to spend $700+...

[erase-the-silence]

I can't, I have tried that so many times. I own CS4, it only goes  to CS5, which I don't have. Otherwise I would have done that a while ago.

uhanepono wrote:

YOU CAN still upgrade..!! really, truly.

http://www.adobe.com/products/catalog/cs6._sl_id-contentfilter_sl_cata log_sl_software_sl_creativesu...

1. In the Photoshop CS6 row, click the Buy link
2. "I want to buy:", click on the dropdown menu and select Upgrade
3. "I own", click on the dropdown and select the relevant product which you already own
4. Follow the prompts from there to complete the purchase

5. erase-the-silence wrote:

   ....I currently have Photoshop CS4 and I was saving up money to buy the upgrade for CS6, which would only cost me $200, and i went on here to buy it.. to find out i can't i have to spend $700 to buy the full program.. I was annoyed and I thought maybe they had a problem, so i talked to someone and they suggested the cloud. NO i don't want that. So i accepted the fact i have to buy the full program again... I just want to spend $700+...

[*Photonic]

erase-the-silence wrote:

I can't, I have tried that so many times. I own CS4, it only goes  to CS5, which I don't have. Otherwise I would have done that a while ago.

I know the upgrade policy was changed by Adobe to allow only a one-version upgrade. But when I went and installed my Photoshop CS6 Standard Edition downloard, the install program said no previous version of PS could be detected so select a past version from a list and enter its serial number.

I chose CS5 Extended which was the product I was upgrading from, HOWEVER, CS4 Standard and CS4 Extended were also in that list. I didn't try clicking on one of those options to see if it would actually work, but why else would they be in the list of four options -- CS5 standard or extended, CS4 standard or extended?  Might be worth a try, and if it doesn't work then ask for a refund due to install problem on your system.

[caupwhiting13]

I have followed your instructions, but don't see any way to "upgrade" or any drop down menu with the option "I own".  I have CS5 and wanted to upgrade to CS6, but it doesn't look like I will be able to do that. 

As for a monthly subscription, I am a photographer, but not a professional.  I don't make my living from my hobby.  A subscription for me is out of the question.  CS5 will be my last copy of Photoshop as far as I can see. As for correcting hand shake resulting in blurred photos, the camera and lens manufacturers are already addressing that issue with Nikon VR (vibration reduction) and whatever Canon calls their option. 

Jed 

[station_two]

caupwhiting13 wrote:

I have followed your instructions, but don't see any way to "upgrade" or any drop down menu with the option "I own".  I have CS5 and wanted to upgrade to CS6, but it doesn't look like I will be able to do that…

OK, pay close attention now:

It's an easy four-step process on that page:

[the_wine_snob]

Station_Two,

Looks like your screen name changed???

Hunt

[station_two]

Bill Hunt wrote:

Station_Two,

Looks like your screen name changed??? …

Yup, it was originally a joke played on yours truly, but I kind of don't mind it, so I kept it—for now. 

What's interesting is that it automatically changed also in the 2,600+ already existing posts, yet a forum search on the old "station_2" returns hits on all my posts, old and new, regardless of what screen name I posted under.  For once, Jove is doing something right. 

[Hudechrome]

Well, I wish mine go all the way back as well, to Photoshop 6 at least (note: not CS6. Photoshop 6)

[caupwhiting13]

Ok, pay close attention now.

Why the condesending attitude?  I don't see what you are seeing.  I don't see the page you are referencing.  The most ironic thing about your response is something you said in a later response to someone else.

"i've come to expect that kind of condescension to emanate from the Southerm Hemisphere in general"

Please don't try and help me in my quest to upgrade my CS5.  Your instructions are clear as mud to me.

[station_two]

caupwhiting13 wrote:

…I don't see what you are seeing.  I don't see the page you are referencing

Right here:

http://www.adobe.com/products/catalog/cs6._sl_id-contentfilter_sl_catalog_sl_software_sl_creativesui...

As per the clear instructions in post #53 of this very same thread:

YOU CAN still upgrade..!! really, truly.

http://www.adobe.com/products/catalog/cs6._sl_id-contentfilter_sl_cata log_sl_software_sl_creativesu...

1. In the Photoshop CS6 row, click the Buy link…

(that would be the fifth product listed vertically down that page.  You'll see the image with the extremely pale, white face of a female model)

Then follow the instructions in the illustration in my previous post #76:

It's an easy four-step process on that page:

[station_two]

caupwhiting13 wrote:

…Please don't try and help me in my quest to upgrade my CS5.  Your instructions are clear as mud to me.

Oooops!  Too late, buddy.    

Wish that smart-aleck remark of yours had been at the very top of your post so I would have seen it before spending that much time on you.

It's not a waste of time though, there will be other readers of the thread that could profit from this.

Sorry about that chip on your shoulder.   Honestly, whether you upgrade or not is none of my business.  The purpose of these forums is for everyone to benefit from all questions and all answers, not just the original poster.  It's not all about you.

Nobody here owns a thread or a post, and no user gets to dictate whether others reply and how they do it.  Not you, not me.  Of course I expect you to do as you please, and I will certainly not take any orders from you.

Sorry you find my instructions clear as mud.  My nine-year old grandson had no trouble following them when I showed them to him.