I am not quite on message here as I am not highly techie but I have been a (PageMaker, then) InDesign and Photoshop user since 1989. Now, at the age of 67 and thinking about scaling back in the next year or two, it would be lunacy for me to move to subscription only system which becomes unaffordable as soon as you stop earning. That way lies the abyss. The lack of an option to upgrade by any other method means I am beached on CS5.5. For video work I have switched from Premier to Sony but there is currently no equally good alternative to InDesign or Photoshop, so nowhere to go. I would upgrade my Acrobat but for the predatory pricing.
I know this is old ground.
However, this week I received an email from Adobe saying:
“Adobe values your opinions and would appreciate your feedback on potential new product offerings Adobe may introduce in the future. Your participation is very helpful to our efforts, and your responses will remain confidential.”
Perhaps this is the ‘listening’ David Blatner refers to.
Somewhat against my better judgement I took part. They gathered my email address, age, occupation and the products I use and then the survey stopped. Not one single question about my ‘opinion’. My views remain confidential! but I doubt whether my personal details do.
I love InDesign and Photoshop – they have a history and an evolution almost unparalleled in the computer age. But I have come to detest the company. I feel dirty in having any dealings with them. I feel that they see me as prey, and not very juicy prey, given my age.
I recognise that I am not ‘the future’ wherever that is. I suspect that at some point Adobe is going to fall flat on its face – not because of the products but because of its business model and marketing.
The really sad thing from my point of view is that these are not only ‘business’ products. InDesign and Photoshop are products that should last a lifetime for anyone with an interest in design, communication or photography; craft tools that should follow us into retirement, where they can be used creatively without having to worry about commissions and briefs.
And Adobe would still make money from us – because every now and then, for a treat, we would upgrade.
But that would be a different company altogether….