Adobe Focusing Exclusively on Creative Cloud, Will Stop Selling Regular Licenses

Adobe just announced at its Max conference in Los Angeles, that it is about to stop selling shrink-wrapped versions and perpetual licenses of its Creative Suite.  This may come as a shock to many, but Adobe believes it’s the right move to make.  Instead of selling individual licenses and boxed versions of the its products, Adobe is opting for digital distribution and subscription based services.

Scott Morris, the head of Adobe’s Creative cloud and creative suite team told TechCrunch last week, that this (subscriptions to Creative Cloud) will be the only way to get access to its tools.  Apparently to date, people who are using Creative Cloud love it.  It has better ratings that Photoshop on Adobe’s online store and has added more than 500,000 paying Creative Cloud subscribers since launch.  Creative Cloud also has two million users who subscribe to its free services.

Of course, with this news, it means that Adobe has no plans to release a new version of its Creative Suite, however, the company will continue to issue software patches and bug fixes for its existing supported products — just don’t expect any new features in the non-cloud versions of the products.

To make the transition over to Creative Cloud easier for current users, Adobe will allow people who currently own a license to CS3 and up to subscribe to Creative Cloud for $29.95 per month for limited time. The company will also offer similar price reductions to users who just bought stand-alone products such as Photoshop.