Adobe Post-announcement upgrade policy
 

In another thread, there was a bit of a side-discussion about getting a free upgrade if you buy right before a new version is released. I looked it up and Adobe is pretty tough on the free upgrades:

Adobe post-announce upgrade policy for single-user products

Not that it is "unfair" or anything, but a bit less accommodating than some companies. If you, for example, bought CS3 the day before CS4 was announced, you get no more credit toward CS4 than the normal upgrade price.

In the vein of caveat emptor, if the current version has been out for a while and you don't want to feel left behind, it is probably a good idea to check the online rumor mill (including Adobe's own user forums) before deciding whether or not it is a good time to part with a chunk of cash. So in 12-18 months when CS5 will probably be rumored to be near release, you'll have to make a choice about timing.

Maybe not. Adobe are offering the same upgrade price for CS2 users as for CS3 users through February (I think).

With all this pandering to corner cases, I'm not feeling the love.

In spite of some groovy features in CS4, I'm not rushing to part with US$600.

Tripp,

Not sure I follow what you mean by "pandering to corner cases."

I'm a little surprised there isn't tiered upgrade pricing; Adobe had started to do that with CS3 in response to complaints just like yours. Not sure why they'd backtrack. But the point I was making is just that some folks don't want to be in the position of buying software right before an upgrade; when they buy, they want the latest version. Since Adobe has no grace period, caveat emptor.

FWIW, although I've barely scratched the surface on CS4 (run on Vista x64), I'm lovin' it so far...much more so than the previous couple of versions. As always, opinion subject to change if I should run into bugs as I use the software more!

Guess who upgraded to CS3 the week before CS4 was anounced!

And then found that a feature I really really wanted was in CS4 and not CS3!

Guess who bit the bullet and upgraded again and is now trying to sell the un-installed CS3 upgrades on Amazon?

Adobe - you gotta love 'em (???)

This is new for Adobe right? I bought CS2 30 days before CS3 shipped, and it included a free upgrade to CS3 when it shipped.

So now there is nothing like this available?

Amazon is pretty good - my AE CS3 upgrade sold in less than a day!

I still have my CS3 upgrade listed. (I don't use Premiere and some of the Photoshop features are more important to me so I had gotten CS3 design Premium and a separate copy of AE CS3)

Their free upgrade date is when they officially announce the next version, not the shipping date.

By that I mean Adobe's most likely upgrade prospects are current CS3 users. CS and CS2 users have already shown that they're willing to skip a release before upgrading, if they're willing to upgrade at all.

However, Adobe are clearly wanting to bring pre-CS3 users to the current release level and have developed a campaign targeted to that end. For my own pocketbook, I wish Adobe had come up with something a little more special for their CS3 users.

I think Adobe would have an easier time of it (and the users too) if they got off these ridiculous combinations into "suites". There are so many options and variations that it drives you nuts.

Wouldn't it be better to have a "Chinese Menu" approach where you picked what you wanted and came up with your own bundles from the individual products? I'm not about to switch to Premier from Vegas anytime soon (like in my lifetime) and I need the extended version of Photoshop - and After Effects. So I buy Design Premium and then buy AE separately anyhow.

Oh well, probably a better topic for an Adobe rant room - whoops I meant forum!

And to stay on topic, I'm really P-ss-d Off that people who didn't spring for CS3 get the same deal as I do when I DID spend the $$$ for it. Happy for the folks who can take advantage of the deal, of course, but kind of a slap in the face to me.