Update: Adobe has just announced a new deal for photographers which bundles Photoshop and Lightroom together for $9.99 per month – a much better deal! Thanks for listening Adobe!
A couple of days ago (in a weak moment) I signed up for Adobe’s new Creative Cloud…
I bit my tongue doing so – knowing that I was pledging an on-going revenue stream flowing out of my pocket to Adobe each month into the future. And also knowing that images I create using the Creative Cloud tools (such as Photoshop CC) in this Creative Cloud would simply stop being available for me to process my images when/if I ever decided to terminate Adobe’s monthly draw from my bank account.
This feels a bit like extortion – and, frankly, it sucks. It’s not actually extortion, of course, because I had a “choice” – but it sure feels like it. I hate it.
And, I’m not alone – as many others have expressed their frustrations at being treated this way by Adobe. Any sense of loyalty we might have had to this company has completely gone out the window – for many thousands of formerly faithful customers.
In my experience, what goes around eventually comes around. Adobe opted to exchange its customer goodwill for a recurring revenue stream in the short term – but it will pay a price for treating its users this way in the future. If you work for Adobe, I’m sure you know the resentment this move has engendered.
Creative Cloud indeed – we should have been delighted, instead we’re actually quite disappointed because of this new subscription-based business model – and, indeed, a bit angry about the whole thing.