Adobe Creative Cloud Petition
I recently (2013) created a petition on change.org hoping to bring a collective voice to the consumers who are upset with the recent changes Adobe has proposed (and now implemented) to the pricing structure of their products.
Development of Adobe Creative Suite 7, and all plans of future creative suites have been discontinued. The only option going forward will be the Creative Cloud (CC) subscription model.
Adobe is making their already expensive products even more expensive in the long run. Adobe is robbing small business, freelancers, and the average consumer. They do not seem to understand that every company is a not multi-national, multi-billion dollar corporation that has an infinite amount of resources.
In the end it comes down to this: all of Adobe's consumers will not be able to make such a large payment every month on the CC subscription model. In the short term, the subscription model looks to be okay, but over time the only entity that is benefiting from this is Adobe. The (no longer) current model: paying a one time fee for infinite access is a much better business model and is better for the consumer.
Let's make a difference and stand up to Adobe and let them know our stance. We want our voices heard.
Update 3 (July 2, 2013): Reached 35,000 signatures. Every signature is a small victory.
Update 2 (July 1, 2013): Adobe has released no news that has changed our stance here. Keep up the conversation. The only way to get Adobe to change is to continue sharing our dissatisfaction with their decision.
Update 1 (June 1, 2013): Supporters, I wanted to let you all know that there is a considerable amount of misinformation from both sides about the CC subscription model; those confused about the specifics of CC as well as deceitful propaganda coming from all over the place. Adobe has cleared up a few "myths" and misconceptions about CC, but nothing they have said has addressed the underlying issues. I wanted to let you all know this so you can vigilant and support this petition for the right reasons. Make sure to read up!
Background
What drove me to write the petition in the first place?
After returning from my classes Monday afternoon, I flipped open my laptop, and I remembered that Adobe was in the middle of its MAX Creativity Conference. Excited, I proceeded to read about their changes to the future of creative software. I have worked with Adobe software since 2007, when I was first introduced to CS2 in my first design class during my sophomore year of high school. This is when I first took up photography as a hobby and I have been taking pictures ever since. Photography is something that I am passionate about. I enjoy going out into nature and taking pictures of nature and God's beautiful creation.
After reading about Adobes decision, I wasn't surprised. It made sense for a company without serious competition and a legitimate worry about piracy to move to a monthly subscription model. For the company, it was a smart business decision. Their “Creative Cloud” (CC) model even makes sense for larger businesses. However, the reason that I started the petition on change.org was because I think that Adobe is disregarding an entire section of their customer base. This includes small businesses, freelancers, hobbyists, and students. Even though the price is steep, paying a one-time fee to own Adobe's software is a better deal than paying a monthly fee to rent their software. Since photography is only my hobby, it would not make financial sense for me to rent Photoshop from them
.I am not against Adobes CC per se. However, there are two things about Adobes CC that bother me the most. First and foremost is that it is being forced onto the consumer. Yes, we still have access to CS6 now, but when it is time to upgrade in the future our only choice will be the cloud. Second is the fact that when you sign up to rent their software, if you stop paying at any time, you no longer will be able to open the files that you once had access to.
What I believe a successful outcome will be?
Adobe claims to love feedback from their customers, so a successful outcome from this would be if Adobe listened to the people who have signed thus far. That’s ultimately another reason that I started the petition, to create a place where people from across the world could congregate and offer up their own differing yet valid reasons for being upset with Adobe.I think that Adobe was prepared for this backlash, so maybe it won't affect them whatsoever. If this turns out to be the case, a really awesome alternative would be the creation of a true Adobe competitor. There are alternatives to Adobe out their already such as CorelDraw and Pixelmator, but I have not used these enough to say whether these are real substitutes. If there ever was a time for competition to enter the market, now is it.
