Adobe recently announced their new subscription based monthly and yearly plans with the launch of adobe cs5.5. I see this as a threat to Corel Draw being that it will give access to design tools for as low as $20 a month. I know over time you will be out of more money but to someone who is not willing to shell out $500- $1,200 upfront and need legit software right away they now have another option from adobe. Looks like a good move for adobe but if other companies don't follow it may be bad for the market.
How it works
Subscription editions of Creative Suite software are just like regular Creative Suite products — they are installed on your computer and provide all the same features and functionality. Choose a one-year plan for lower payments or a flexible month-to-month plan you can stop and restart as needed. Either way, you'll have ongoing access to the latest version of your software at no extra charge as long as your subscription remains active. Who it's for Customers of an older version of Creative Suite Customers no longer eligible for upgrade pricing Freelancers or owners of small businesses Anyone who needs the flexibility of software on an as-needed basis Plan options One-year planThe one-year plan offers lower monthly payments and requires a one-year commitment. This is the ideal plan for someone with an ongoing need to use Creative Suite software. Month-to-month plan The month-to-month plan provides the flexibility of a short-term commitment that allows you to stop and restart your subscription as your business needs change.
Subscription editions of Creative Suite software are just like regular Creative Suite products — they are installed on your computer and provide all the same features and functionality. Choose a one-year plan for lower payments or a flexible month-to-month plan you can stop and restart as needed. Either way, you'll have ongoing access to the latest version of your software at no extra charge as long as your subscription remains active.
Who it's for
Plan options
One-year planThe one-year plan offers lower monthly payments and requires a one-year commitment. This is the ideal plan for someone with an ongoing need to use Creative Suite software.
Month-to-month plan
The month-to-month plan provides the flexibility of a short-term commitment that allows you to stop and restart your subscription as your business needs change.
This is brilliant on Adobe's part.
I know at work the only reason we used Corel is cause it's the less expensive alternative. I've tried to preach the productivity side with Adobe's software and how it works flawlessly together but it's never heard. We do have a single copy of Photoshop and Illustrator on hand for when we need to do some heavy lifting but this type of thing would be perfect for a company like ours who doesn't necessarily use those products often enough to justify anything more than these type of subscription plans.
Andru Bruning said: This is brilliant on Adobe's part. I know at work the only reason we used Corel is cause it's the less expensive alternative. I've tried to preach the productivity side with Adobe's software and how it works flawlessly together but it's never heard.
I know at work the only reason we used Corel is cause it's the less expensive alternative. I've tried to preach the productivity side with Adobe's software and how it works flawlessly together but it's never heard.
I honestly don't see the brilliance in this.
In less than a year you've already spent more money than an upgrade would cost. So in that sense, I'm glad the OP posted the pricing - it's not such a great deal when you look at the bigger picture. That benefits the Adobe bottom line, but I don't see how it helps the consumer.
As for productivity, while I own products by both companies I'm far more productive using CorelDraw than I am using Adobe. Yes, there is more user information about Adobe stuff on the internet - but a lot of it is very bad information. Rote cookbook style "do this" stuff that adds needless extra work and doesn't improve the user's knowledge of the process or the art they produce. You only have to look at some of the files created to see it. The problem is, you can follow that recipe and get immediate results, but can you repeat what you learned later in an original work?
Oh, and the Adobe products don't work "flawlessly" together - in some instances yes, but in others there are nasty little gotchas you encounter.
Bottom line, when I need to do vector work, I choose CorelDraw every time over AI. The only time I could see myself being tempted by this Adobe "deal" is if I were working on someone else's computer without access to my own and needed to create an emergency graphic. I'd be using their credit card, not mine.
silvershoes said:I honestly don't see the brilliance in this. In less than a year you've already spent more money than an upgrade would cost. So in that sense, I'm glad the OP posted the pricing - it's not such a great deal when you look at the bigger picture. That benefits the Adobe bottom line, but I don't see how it helps the consumer.
The brilliance I mentioned is on Adobe's part.
It is in no way 'brilliant' for the consumer to use the subscription model every single month/year over multiple years. However if I only use these products every few months, then yes, I consider it brilliant. More options when it comes to something like this can make life alot easier. That's pretty easy to see if you ask me.
silvershoes said:As for productivity, while I own products by both companies I'm far more productive using CorelDraw than I am using Adobe. Yes, there is more user information about Adobe stuff on the internet - but a lot of it is very bad information. Rote cookbook style "do this" stuff that adds needless extra work and doesn't improve the user's knowledge of the process or the art they produce. You only have to look at some of the files created to see it. The problem is, you can follow that recipe and get immediate results, but can you repeat what you learned later in an original work?
This is where it gets funny sometimes casue I've said this before on these forums, I hate Illustrator. If I'm starting from scratch on a new vector I will choose to use CorelDraw 100% of the time. Illustrator is one of the worst programs when it comes to user-friendliness. Everyone please take note because this keeps coming up in forums I post in. Its thought that I hate Draw and love AI when in fact it is the exact opposite. CorelDraw is light years ahead of AI in this respect. Enough in fact that I went out and bought my first PC not long ago so I could use Draw instead of AI.
silvershoes said:Oh, and the Adobe products don't work "flawlessly" together - in some instances yes, but in others there are nasty little gotchas you encounter.
Again, I agree. However in what I do everyday, which is what my post was referring to (I mentioned my preaching to my employer), they do work flawlessly.
silvershoes said:Bottom line, when I need to do vector work, I choose CorelDraw every time over AI. The only time I could see myself being tempted by this Adobe "deal" is if I were working on someone else's computer without access to my own and needed to create an emergency graphic. I'd be using their credit card, not mine.
Same as above. No argument here. It's only when I'm sent an AI file that needs to be separated, or output for web or whatever, that I like to just open it in AI and get it done quicker. Time is money.