Don't Trust Apple or Adobe?

[Mike Farley]

Thom Hogan argues that lack of transparency from Apple and Adobe about their respective plans for the Aperture replacement and the continuation of Lightroom being available as a boxed product rather than subscription only is damaging the photographic industry.

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For what it is worth, I cannot see the logic in Adobe abandoning the permanent licence model for Lightroom unless it is planning a significant price hike*, which would also be counter productive. There will always be those who will resist the subscription model option. Given the relatively low cost of an outright Lightroom purchase, Adobe can cater for both types of user by continuing to offer an option. It would be helpful if Adobe were to remove uncertainty by making its intentions clear, but that is not something which has been part of Adobe's culture hitherto.

* In a separate move, this is exactly what Phase One has done with its Capture One library management and Raw conversion tool. With the recent introduction of version 8, it has dropped the low cost Express option and only the much higher priced full product is now available. Phase One has also introduced a subscription model and longer term it might be intending to replicate what Adobe is doing and only offer its software on a rental basis. If this is its intention, it is not saying.