In this post from November, I reported Adobe’s announcement that only customers on Photoshop CS5 would be eligible for upgrade pricing on CS6 when it comes out in the first half of this year. (I also reported on the alternative Cloud version and how that should factor into your upgrade decisions.)
What this meant was that CS3 and CS4 customers were supposed to upgrade to CS5, right before the release of CS6, in order to get upgrade pricing. This caused a lot of frustration among customers, so Adobe has now revised its policy.
Here is the statement:
We’re very excited about the upcoming release of Adobe® Creative Suite® 6 software and Adobe Creative Cloud™. CS6 will be a major new release of our creative desktop tools, with huge improvements for every type of creative professional. Adobe Creative Cloud will be our most comprehensive creative solution ever, giving members access to all of the CS6 desktop software plus additional services, new tools, Adobe Touch Apps, and rich community features. In addition, Creative Cloud members will receive continuous upgrades and updates to all products and services as part of their membership.
With these great new releases coming in the first half of 2012, we want to make sure our customers have plenty of time to determine which offering is best for them. Therefore, we’re pleased to announce that we will offer special introductory upgrade pricing on Creative Suite 6 to customers who own CS3 or CS4. This offer will be available from the time CS6 is released until December 31, 2012. More details on this offer, as well as any introductory offers for existing customers to move to Creative Cloud membership, will be announced when CS6 and Creative Cloud are released later this year. (source).
It is not clear whether they will get as good of an upgrade deal as those that who upgraded to CS5 first.
I could trash Adobe for their initial decision, but I sometimes make what turn out to be bad calls in my own business, and some of them are evident to my customers and followers. While it’s embarrassing, we all just make the best decisions we can, and then adjust as needed as information comes in.
Which leaves those of us who took Adobe at their word and did indeed upgrade to CS5 before the original 31st December deadline as the most economic way forward – despite not having planned to upgrade until CS6, being now unnecessarily out-of-pocket.
Okay, the new features in CS5 compared with CS4 are good and useful too; it is just nobody likes to be fooled (twice) by an apparently reputable company.
Anthony.