[OPINION] Adobe's Gone Too Far with Its Ridiculous Monthly Subscription-Only Applications

Back then, I remember borrowing an installer and installing Adobe Photoshop. That was when I had Windows XP and then Windows 7. Now, I'm into Windows 11 after some time. I would like to share my recent experience with Photoshop. Yes, I soon found out that Photoshop can't be used by normal means. I can understand if there's personalization with Windows and Microsoft Office. I'm willing to pay a huge sum for Windows 11 and Microsoft Office. However, I find the subscription for Adobe Photoshop downright ridiculous. I could be willing to pay a huge sum for an online installer. However, if I had to pay every month then what gives?

Back then, Photoshop was used even by non-professionals. However, Photoshop now has a professional fee every month. It's almost like it's meant to throw a dirty finger at non-professionals like myself. Gone are the days when I learned to use Photoshop during my Associate in Computer Science days. I used Photoshop in its lower forms during the Practicum. Now, the pleasure is gone and it's plain ridiculous. I would certainly be willing to pay PHP 7,000+ for Windows 11 and PHP 5,000+ for the latest Microsoft Office. However, if I had to pay PHP 1,000+ (or higher) per month just to use Photoshop (instead of buying it outright) then that model is downright ridiculous.

Photoshop should've had two options--a package for non-professionals and professional use. It's understandable if there are frequent updates. However, not everyone would be using intense graphics design and the like. I feel Adobe could've created two models. One Photoshop would be a one-time purchase (and the user is free to buy additional features if they want) and the other is for the subscription model. The subscription model is ridiculous for anyone using Photoshop for non-professional use. It could be the student who's making a banner for their practicum booth! I'd be willing to pay for an Adobe program worth 4,000+-5,000+ instead of a ridiculous 10,000+ (or higher) yearly subscription!

If this goes on, I don't know what can happen. I find this to be more focused on profits than customers. I feel that this could backfire any time soon. As I mentioned, there should be an option for customers. Customers can buy the product outright and buy additional components. Meanwhile, professionals who are willing to pay for features meant for them only can go for the subscription model. Instead, Adobe may have ignored that not everyone who buys graphic design software, belongs to the professional group.

It would also trigger the law of substitutes. People would soon find alternatives to Photoshop such as Affinity Photo. I bought an Affinity license. With Affinity, I don't need a subscription after buying it outright! Some people are willing to pay a high price for original software. However, not everyone is willing to go for that ridiculous subscription fee. I'd rather buy a product on a one-transaction setting (and buy the extra features later) than be on subscription--unless I'm a professional graphic artist!

Comments

External Validations, like Masters and Doctorate, Mean NOTHING with a LOUSY Education System

I have the tendency to use my MBA as a license to avoid criticism. It's a real problem that some people use their credentials and/or academic achievements to try and win an argument. One incident I wrote about was Rep. Raoul Abellar Manuel flexing his "smarts" by using his cum laude degree to win the argument . It was all about how I would often say, "You're the moron because I have the MBA and you don't." There are times I felt like taking an MBA would make up for my "moral shortcomings" during high school when I was barely passing (and the passing rate was 80% , which is rather high), that I wasn't having honors, and that there was this saying, " Thou grades shalt determine thy future! " That, of course, has led to the reality where cheating is prevalent . I wanted to make a review. I took my MBA in 2011 and graduated in 2014. I always felt that the MBA program was what I needed to become "invincible". It was also at ...

Instead of Hating Successful Chinese-Filipinos, Why Not LEARN from Their SUCCESS Instead?

It's Chinese New Year and I can remember some crazy stuff back in my childhood. Right now though, there are still some Filipinos of brown descent (either Malay or Indonesian) who still have their typical bitter attitude towards successful people. I was reminded of someone who blamed the rich, rather than their poor attitude towards money, as to why she had to work as a working student. There are still some who have their attitude of hating the rich for simply being rich . I don't deny that some rich people deserve hate. But why hate the rich person who has gotten rich through honest gain and hard work? Why not learn from good rich people who can offer sound advice instead of being bitter about their success? Some Filipinos of non-Chinese origin may feel too proud about their being "Pure Filipino". However, any study of Filipino history will reveal that their brown skin isn't too unique. We can see Malaysians and Indonesians tend to have brown skin. Some of the ea...

Four Basic Chinese Conversational Questions, Grade 1 Style

I could remember how useless the Chinese classes were, not because Chinese is a useless language (there are actually over a billion speakers worldwide), not because the Chinese teachers were stereotypically very strict (Grade 2 was strict, Grade 3 was even stricter than Grade 2, Grade 6 was said to be the strictest ), but because of the way Chinese was to be taught. That's why I got encouraged to write about learning Chinese through meaningful conversations, not parroting . Fortunately, those old Sinjiang textbooks are no longer available except for museum purposes (read here ). Just looking at this question and answer sweet from Ling Ling Mandarin's Instagram account--I remember what my Grade 4 Chinese teacher said, "If you want only one bon toi (question and answer), go back to Grade 1. But I don't think Grade 1 only has one bon toi." The problem with the old class was that we had to learn Hokkien before learning Mandarin. I confess my Hokkien is really bad. Th...

How a Fitness App and Fitness Band Made Me Go from Sedentary to Active Lifestyle

Back in high school and after college, I had a sedentary lifestyle. I would play countless hours of video games and watch TV almost non-stop. Exercise tends to sound so complicated. Fortunately, it doesn't have to sound very complicated since exercise shouldn't always sound like being athletic. The moment I got a Xiaomi MiBand--I soon installed Google Fit aside from the official Xiaomi app (which gets really buggy) and the Notify for MiBand app. I started off rather fat in 2013 and I'm happy to say I've lost a lot of weight. A fitness band would be used to count steps. At first, I aimed for 6,000 steps a day but I wanted to beat that record. 6,000 steps was my bare minimum . There were times when an exercise would barely give me the steps I wanted. I could do some cardio boxing, feel very tired, and still not get the steps I wanted. Fortunately, fitness devices can be used in workout mode. With my MiBand, one of the things I did was to set it up to workout mode. I could...

A Careless Noche Buena as the Red Death to One's Holiday Finances

It's the first day of December. Right now, I don't even feel like celebrating Christmas. Cebu is still in a state of calamity overall. I don't even look forward to Christmas parties. I'm glad some churches have canceled Christmas parties, to divert the fundraising (such as paying PHP 500.00 per head or family) to convert them into relief goods purchases instead. However, some people can have a callous mentality that's akin to the Masque of the Red Death . Boomers may have tried seeing the film Masque of the Red Death starring the late Vincent Price. The story of the Masque of the Red Death had Prospero trying to deny the terrible plague called the Red Death, choosing to hold a lavish feast instead of helping his citizens! Lessandra The typical Noche Buena can be high in cholesterol and the like. As I thought of DTI Secretary Christina Roque's rather tactless (but probably badly needed) statement that PHP 500.00 is enough for a Noche Buena of a family of four. T...

Schools Need to Learn to Stop Giving Too Much Homework

I think one of the things I want to write about education right now is the problem of too much homework . It almost didn't matter which school you went to in the Philippines or in some area--there's hardly a policy that discourages the regulation of homework. I'm not saying that homework should be abolished altogether compared to class ranking. I still think that regulated homework is the key. The benefits of homework are told by the Global Indian International School from Singapore: What is the Purpose of Homework? Homework is an essential part of every student's education. The purpose of homework for students is to practice what they have learned in class . It also gives students an opportunity to practice time management skills . Homework can also help build character by teaching children how to cope with frustration and how to manage their stress levels when they encounter difficulties or setbacks . Homework is a part of the school day, but it's also a huge p...

Meet Topokkiman--Cebu's Superhero for Korean Food Cravings

ZeroThreeTwo Years ago, I remembered the Dakimong restaurant which had branches in JY Square Mall, M.C. Cuenco (where Bollywood Tandoor is currently renting), and SM Consolacion. The closing down of Dakimong was probably one of the saddest moments in my food-tripping life. Fortunately, a new "superhero" known as Topokkiman (hence the logo) has arrived in Dona Rita Village and later in Ayala Central Bloc. I haven't eaten (yet) in the Talamban Branch but looking at the pictures--I might dine-in there one of these days. Though, I've ordered their food a few times from Food Panda and Grab. Delicious food should never always be associated with expensive food. Instead, it should be associated with food well-prepared whether it's casual dining or fine dining. Topokkiman proves that with its casual Korean foods. The main attraction is topokki hence the name. However, what I usually order at Topokkiman is their really delicious kimbap which comes in different flavors. I w...

Can Hilario G. Davide Jr. Provide Empirical Evidence in His Warning Against Changing Economic Provisions?

I noticed that Facebook users have given Hilario G. Davide Jr. the nickname Hilarious. The 88-year-old guy has grown old but has been opposing the badly needed economic amendments. He was already known to have said during former president, Atty. Rodrigo R. Duterte, that there's absolutely no need to amend it, because it's the best constitution in the world, it's the only constitution that's supposedly this and that. I want to say, "What?!" to that. It's because he spoke like he already read every last constitution in the world. Did he read the American Constitution? Did he read every constitution in ASEAN for a start? Did he read the Singaporean constitution? As a former UN diplomat, it's amazing Davide Jr. said what he said! Examining Davide Jr.'s latest warning today No different than what Davide Jr. said last 2018 , it's really no surprise that he's quoted by pages like La Verite, Lupang Hinirang (full FB title is too long), Silent No M...

I'm Trying to Understand Why Some People Buy Appreciated Stocks

There are many different techniques in stocks. The one that's most commonly known is to buy low and sell high . However, some people are willing to buy appreciated stocks (or appreciated cash investments involving stocks such as the Unit Investment Trust Fund or UITF) for a reason. It just baffles me. I decided to read through Forbes and found out these reasons which could be why I think some foolish people might give me my benefits: Why Others Buy Stock When You Sell Each of us has different investing goals and investment plans. You may be saving for retirement while someone else is day trading stocks. Or you’re an institutional investor managing a billion-dollar pension. Different goals mean different motivations and actions. If you are selling, why might someone else be buying? They Have Regularly Scheduled Investments There are investors who have regularly scheduled investments, such as a retirement account contribution each paycheck. This approach is an investment str...

Why I Think the Old Sinjiang Textbooks Were Written The Way They Were (and Why They're NOT Ideal for Contemporary Chinese Education)

The Chinese New Year's first day is over but for China, it's until Day 15. I feel like visiting a childhood trauma (which I laugh at now while remembering all the failing marks I had) because the whole program was based on parroting over understanding (read here ). I even wrote about how the old Chinese textbooks can't be used for teaching Mandarin . Good thing that these dreaded textbooks are now out of print . My memories are Grade 2 Chinese was strict and Grade 3 Chinese was even stricter . The Grade 3 Chinese teacher got the nickname of either Teacher Turtle or Teacher Fierce . Grade 4 Chinese teacher was also called Teacher Minus because she often said in Hokkien, "I will minus!" That threat came every time the class would misbehave. If I'm not wrong, I tried getting a minus 20 (for always talking) which caused me to fail another quiz. Some people would move out of a Chinese school when their child fails either Grade 2 or Grade 3. In our case, Grade 3...

Business & Economics Perspective Blogger

Search This Blog