Adobe

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So… Adobe’s really taking a piss on their customers…

Posted by Arno on November 21, 2011
Posted in: Photoshop, software, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

I’ve written about Adobe before.
I’ve always been very happy with Adobe in regards to their products, but seriously, their upgrade policies are just a pathetic little example of how a monopolist can manipulate the market without any punishment.
I consider myself a loyal customer, but even with that, as a freelancer it’s a big bite out of your finances if you have to upgrade a package like Creative Suite Premium. So what I do is skip a version all the time. I bought PS2, PS3, PS4, then went to PS6 and from PS6 to CS1, from CS1 to CS3 and from CS3 to CS5 (I still have the 3,5″ floppy disks from PS3, I wonder if they are worth anything already 😀 ).
But anyway… In previous posts about Adobe I was ranting about the price differences between upgrades. In this neck of the world an upgrade has continuously been more than double the price compared to the US upgrade prices. Marketing and translation, they say at Adobe (after cutting of any and all continuous questions from my part). I say that’s bull shit. With whipped cream and a cherry on top.

And guess what? CS6 is coming next year.
And hidden in a blog post on Adobe’s website they quietly address their new policy regarding upgrades:

With regards to upgrades, we are changing our policy for perpetual license customers. In order to qualify for upgrade pricing when CS6 releases, customers will need to be on the latest version of our software (either CS5 or CS5.5 editions). If our customers are not yet on those versions, we’re offering a 20% discount through December 31, 2011 which will qualify them for upgrade pricing when we release CS6.

So the sneaky little bastards in the money-gathering department at Adobe are basically FORCING you to upgrade every single version, otherwise you have to pay the full price for an upgrade.
With CS5 I’m still ok, but I guess my “skip a version”-technique will stop here, if I want to be eligible for an upgrade price to CS7. I know the “skip a version” is very commonly used, and I know a good number of people who were planning the CS4-CS6 step. But I guess that’s out the window.
Only surprise now will be what the actual upgrade prices will be. I won’t be surprised if we’re paying the jackpot again.
I don’t approve of software piracy, but with these kinds of “policies” the big guys do make it very tempting for the little guys to go down that road.

Shame on you, Adobe!

Adobe CS5

Posted by Arno on April 12, 2010
Posted in: software. Tagged: , , , , , . 2 comments

It was launched. Yes it was.

Adobe CS5

Adobe CS5 (all logos, names, texts, and whatever else are copyright of their original copyright holders)

Creative Suite is ready for pre-ordering and the English version is said to be shipped mid May.

And every time, EVERY time Adobe launches a new version of it’s Creative Suite (and some other software, too) it annoys the crap out of me (excuse me my french), because they with their monopoly position in the market right now can do whatever they want with the prices.

Adobe CS5

The price for the English upgrade to CS5 Design Premium from CS3 Design Premium in the US is $799. That's a fair price, I would say.

Adobe CS5

The price, however, for an English upgrade to CS5 Design Premium from CS3 Design Premium in Finland is €1,096.78!!

Don’t get me wrong, I love the software, I can read and write with it and I’ve been using it (and paying for it!) ever since version 3 or so of Photoshop), but there are things that just aren’t right, regardless of the quality of the product.

I contacted them through the Adobe website (I have a customer number, yes, so you can open a case which will be reviewed by their customer service) about it with some of the previous versions, and they say it’s all about translating costs, and differences in prices in marketing and commercials. When I wanted a more explicit explanation, because I thought the whole translation and marketing reply was too vague they just closed the case without further reply. So translation and marketing? I say that’s the biggest load of crap and the lousiest excuse they could’ve come up with (until of course they reopen my case and give me some physical proof of the numbers of marketing here in Finland compared with those in the US).

When it comes to marketing and commercials… There’s not so much of that here in Finland from Adobe. There are no huge tv-campaigns, or the likes. Most of the commercials and ads are done in specific magazines and on websites, and that really doesn’t bring in the costs. On the translations excuse… I get it that the version in Finnish language would be a tad bit more expensive, but if I order the English version here in Finland the price difference shouldn’t be as massive as it is.

Right now? At the current exchange rate $799 equals €586.23. So the upgrade for the same product here in Finland is OVER TWICE the price than that in the US. Even with 22% VAT that’s too big a difference.

And you know what the worst thing is?
I’m a graphic designer / photographer and I need the software, because it’s industry standard.
So you know what I’m gonna do about it (to speak in Jim Carey’s words in Liar Liar):

so what I am going to do is piss and moan like an impotent jerk, and then bend over and take it up the tailpipe!