CNET survey: Will you renew your Creative Cloud subscription?
Jefferies and CNET are conducting a new survey about Adobe's subscription program and increasingly elderly CS6 software. Will you renew? What competing products have you bought?
- Shankland covered the tech industry for more than 25 years and was a science writer for five years before that. He has deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and more.
Ten months ago, Adobe announced that if you want to use the latest version of Photoshop, Illustrator, and all its other software for creative pros, the Creative Cloud subscription is the only way to get them. Hundreds of thousands of people signed up -- and now we want to know if you think it's worth it.
CNET and analyst firm Jefferies have conducted a series of surveys about Adobe, its Creative Cloud subscription, and the Creative Suite products it replaces. Now we have a new survey on Adobe we invite you to fill out to see what you think about renewing subscriptions, sticking with the increasingly out-of-date CS6 software, or purchasing alternatives from competitors.
As usual, CNET will publish the survey findings shortly so you can see where things stand.
The Creative Cloud consists of all the software that had been in the Creative Suite, including Indesign, Premiere Pro, Flash Pro, Audition, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects; new Web design tools such as Edge and Muse; Lightroom for photo editing and cataloging; some online services for publishing and synchronizing files; and access to the Behance site for social networking and showing off your portfolio.
The Creative Cloud costs $50 per month for a one-year commitment, though a higher-end team version costs $70 per month and an individual can purchase a single month's use for $75. Many early customers, though, signed up for the Creative Cloud with a first-year $30-per-month discounted rate, and there are less expensive subscriptions for single products or the Photoshop Photography Program that includes Lightroom and Photoshop.
Adobe continues to sell its earlier CS6 products through the older perpetual license model, which costs more up front but grants a customer the right to use the software forever. However, the last version was released in May 2012, and Adobe has stopped updating CS6, except for some bug fixes and expanded camera support in Photoshop.
Lots of customers are displeased with Adobe's move -- they don't like the idea of software that stops working if they stop paying, leaving projects high and dry unless they resubscribe. But not everyone: subscription numbers are steadily rising, reaching 1.44 million at the end of November and sending Adobe stock to all-time high levels.
Disgruntled customers have called upon Adobe to rethink its discontinuation of the perpetually licensed products, but Adobe is sticking with subscriptions.
Updated at 12:27 p.m. PT to correct the Creative Cloud promotional price. It costs $30 per month for a full-year commitment for eligible customers.