I use InDesign practically all day every day and, on the whole, I think it's a great product that is intuitive and easy to use. Like Jim, I use the CS6 Design Standard suite, having followed an upgrade path over the last decade where I have skipped two or three versions each time – deciding when to upgrade as a compromise between getting new features and maximising my prior investment.
I do not like the move to the rental model and will not be rushing to sign up for the Creative Cloud. Here are some reasons why.
The new features that I have read about are small evolutions and do not seem to address my own issues with InDesign (which I have reported as bugs), nor those of the wider InDesign community. Indeed, Adobe's own product evangelist, in summing up his sales pitch, touts a dark UI as one of just two new killer features. Wow.
My biggest issue is that once I start using the Creative Cloud suite, I will lose access to my files should my subscription ever end. Whilst I will own CS6 in perpetuity, files made in the CC versions of the InDesign file format will be incompatible with InDesign CS6. So, I would need to keep my CC subscription going or else lose access to my work. In effect, this allows Adobe to own my creativity and intellectual property. That's a little over-dramatic perhaps, but one is effectively committing to signing up to the CC for the rest of your working life.
The monthly price is too high given the lack of compelling new features, even considering the upgrade discounts. The all-or-nothing approach wherein you get access to all the CS programs looks good at first glance. However, it is arrogant, ignorant and exploitative to only have one monthly price. I can see Adobe's business case for moving to the subscription model, but for those of us who only use a few programs, there should be a lower-priced option.
The contrary argument is that the money I earn using Adobe's products far outweighs their cost.
That's true, but as I already own CS6, why should I need to pay so much more per month for unimpressive new features? Also, how long will the current prices last? If they suddenly increase, then there's nothing I can do about it – I cannot elect to wait to upgrade. It's all-or-nothing again.
Calling it the creative “cloud” is something of a misnomer as there is very little actual cloud functionality. It's not like I can work from a different PC and have instant access to InDesign via some kind of Citrix or OnLive client.
If they're getting all this money every month anyway, where is Adobe's incentive for innovation?
So, there are lots of things I think I dislike about Adobe moving exclusively to the so-called Creative Cloud. It's a cynical, greedy manipulation of their market-leading position, and demonstrates a complete lack of empathy with the people who have embraced their products and made them succesful. It's a decision made by accountants rather than creatives.
I guess I will use CS6 for as long as I can - until Adobe somehow force me to move, until there are brilliant new features, or until my clients ask for it (unlikely as not many of them know nor care about what I use). But, sadly, it seems to be an inevitability – and another monthly expense spent on thin air and with nothing to show for it at the end.
To me, those reasons I dislike Adobe's move to the CC-only rental model are bad enough. But the thing I resent most is that my livelihood – and by extension, my home and family – is being exploited and, worse, threatened.
