Adobe Releases Creative Suite 5.5 Update
By now you’ve heard the news, Adobe released the Creative Suite 5.5 upgrade today. Yes, I said, “upgrade” as this is a paid release, not to be confused with an “update” typical of dot releases. While early buzz is a mixture of excitement and complaints, what people should focus on is Adobe’s commitment to staying current with industry trends. CS 5.5 addresses the needs of web developers and the importance of mobile technologies. The buzz is around HTML5, CSS3 & EPUB, making InDesign, Flash, Dreamweaver and Adobe’s video production tools well worth a look. Another item worth noting is the subscription model for accessing the Creative Suite. This will be great for people who don’t want the upfront cost of Photoshop or the full Creative Suite. It will also work well for those that have short term projects or use temporary workers. Here are some videos from Adobe TV that demonstrate new features.
Overview of CS5.5 Design Premium
Overview of CS5.5 Production Premium
This smacks of Adobe not getting their act together in time for CS5 then seeing it as an opportunity to make even more money. Yes, there are some great new features in there, but seriously, $399 to upgrade from a version only purchased less than a year ago? I’m sure I won’t be the only person skipping this version and waiting for CS6..assuming they don’t try to release CS5.6, 5.7, 5.8 and 5.9 first…
This latest upgrade sparks a change to Adobe’s product release cycle. From this moment forward major releases (e.g. CS6) will come out every two years. You can expect a .5 release 12-15 months after a major release.
I don’t think people are as upset about the CS5.5 release as much as the fact that it is a paid upgrade. I also don’t expect everyone will need to jump on a .5 release. I know photographers won’t. Some graphic designers might skip it. However, if you’re working HTML5 & EPUB–which many folks want more support–then this upgrade makes some sense.
What I think is a good move is the subscription model, which will make the Creative Suite accessible to more people. I know I will be using it for short term projects where I use temps or interns.
Watched some of videos and from webgal perspective I like what I see so far. Sure I’d rather not spend the $$…but I’d also prefer to have this capability now instead of having to wait until a full release when they ramp up other portions of suite (i.e. psd, fw, etc)…In general I think Adobe is doing pretty good at responding to fast moving market trends and really trying to address the very broad marketbase it has. Just need some time to play in the new sandbox 🙂