Following my recent blog post regarding users choice and the Adobe Creative Cloud announcement, we've received a number of enquiries relating to Mac OS of our products to offer alternatives to those using Apple hardware.

Corel offers a broad range of software solutions for a variety of users. Primarily available on the Microsoft Windows platform, some of these solutions are also available natively on the Mac: Painter, the world's leading digital art software, AfterShot Pro, a fast, flexible photo management & RAW workflow tool, and CorelCAD, our high-performance CAD design solution with native .DWG support.

Based on the feedback we've received the last few days from Adobe CS users looking for alternatives, the number one request has been around CorelDRAW Graphics Suite, which today is designed and optimized for Windows-based computers. Our goal has always been to provide powerful and complete applications to our users, and difficult development investment decisions are taken by understanding the market opportunity and determining the resource requirement to provide a great user experience.  The time and effort to bring our products to a new platform would have considerable impact on the features and enhancements that we would be able to make to the Windows application.

Consequently, while I understand this is not the answer that is sufficiently palatable for Mac OS users, we have sought other ways to try and provide solutions for Mac OS users. With programs such as Apple's own Boot Camp, or virtualization solutions such as Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion, CorelDRAW, Corel PHOTO-PAINT and our other Windows-centric products work great on Macintosh computers. We actually have a number of our users who regularly use CorelDRAW Graphics Suite on laptop and desktop computers from the Cupertino hardware manufacturer, including some Corel employees. We also make sure to test new releases on our design software on Apple computers.

Historically, the justification for creating a suitable Mac OS version of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite and other products, did not warrant the investment required.  Adobe's recent announcement will put the discussion back on the table. Getting a Mac OS native product to the market will take time and significant effort. We will continue to review our options and are committed to provide the best possible products we can to our users, as well as to provide you with the choice between perpetual licenses and subscription going forward.

If you are today using CorelDRAW Graphics Suite on a Mac, we would love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts and comments here, in the CorelDRAW.com community and on our Facebook page.