Ho1972 Online Upload & Sell: On
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p.1 #16 · If Adobe goes cloud only ?? | |
Adobe's business model is changing because its revenue stream is drying up. As more people put down their dSLRs in favor of smart phones, Photoshop moves closer to becoming a relic (like the enlarger in your closet) or a niche filler. Sure, there's a dedicated core of PS users but we're becoming relics too. The death of the desktop PC is being forecast with certainty in some circles; no desktop means no desktop apps.
Just as publishing (and the need for CMYK conversions) has diminished, so too has the demand for professionally produced images and prints. Many pro photographers are scrambling to keep from going broke, as evidenced by the number who are out on the lecture and workshop circuit. Adobe's subscriptions will keep some number of them coughing up cash on a regular basis, especially if there is no other choice.
Another facet in play is the fact that Adobe has never gotten a handle on piracy. The pirates continue unabated while legitimate users are inconvenienced, sometimes to the point of being barred from using the software they've paid for. If Adobe suspends publishing software on DVD, then the only way to obtain the newest version of anything will be to belly up to the subscription bar and plunk your money down.
I will refuse to play along, but Adobe doesn't care. The corporate eye is on what will fill the coffers in the years to come. For every user like myself who abandons ship, Adobe hopes to lure in two newbies for whom cloud based environments are the natural order of things.
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