Blame the app stores: Adobe Touch apps not in Creative Cloud

App store limits forced Adobe to change plans for including its tablet-oriented software in the Creative Cloud subscription plan.

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Stephen Shankland

May 15, 2012 6:50 a.m. PT

2 min read

Adobe's Photoshop Touch is available for Android and iOS tablets. — Adobe's Photoshop Touch is available for Android and iOS tablets Adobe Systems

When Adobe Systems launched its Creative Cloud subscription last week, it turned out not to be as comprehensive a package of software and services as the company first planned.

The company initially pitched the $50-per-month subscription plan as an all-you-can-eat offering, but limits on app store sales meant that Adobe had to strip its Touch apps for Android and iOS tablets out of the Creative Cloud.

"Our intention is to have Touch Apps included in the annual membership. However, we use iOS App Store and Google Play to deliver this software and unfortunately, the infrastructure of the app marketplaces were not built to deliver subscription-based software suites that work across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices," spokeswoman Vanessa Rios said today.

As an alternative, Adobe instead offers a free month of the Creative Cloud subscription to those who buy three of the $10 Touch apps.

As with Adobe's Creative Suite, the flagship tablet app is probably Photoshop Touch. Other Adobe Touch apps include Collage, Ideas, Kuler, Debut, and Proto.

App stores are a relatively recent phenomenon, though, and it's possible in the future they'll get along better with the software industry's other sales mechanisms. Adobe certainly hopes so.

"The Touch Apps integrate seamlessly with all aspects of Creative Cloud but for now they must be purchased separately through app marketplaces," she added. "Our goal is to work with the app marketplaces to enable Touch Apps to be purchased separately, or as part of Creative Cloud membership, over time."

Another awkward app store moment came last week when Adobe's Lightroom photo-editing software arrived on the Mac App Store last week, but it's not the same as buying it from Adobe or some retailer.

For one thing, updates to support new cameras' raw photo formats might not arrive as soon. For another, "Because there is no upgrade pricing or upgrade validation currently available on the Mac App Store, there is no guarantee that upgrade pricing will be available to Mac App Store Lightroom 4 customers when Lightroom 5 and future versions of Lightroom are released," Adobe said.