Not a fan of ownership changing to rent, but it's almost inevitable that these kind of products will turn into AI cloud services now. All that server power is not cheap.
I'd still prefer a fixed perpetual license with a usage based fee for AI features though.
I was trying to get this to Front page multiple times but didn't work. We are going full force into subscription model without a monthly or yearly payment. And I imagine many other companies will follow the same path.
I guess they have some data when all their other products became subscription-only to see how many people actually walk away. Perhaps it's not many. And I'm not sure how large a business that part actually is.
I got quite annoyed earlier this year that Lightroom 6 couldn't be installed anymore. Have been using it for many years but now it cannot be activated anymore and thus won't work. I'm not happy to pay a subscription for a hobby I only manage to do a few times a year anymore, though. Overall I guess they won't care, as they have a large part of the professional market willing to pay monthly.
I'd still prefer a fixed perpetual license with a usage based fee for AI features though.
I got quite annoyed earlier this year that Lightroom 6 couldn't be installed anymore. Have been using it for many years but now it cannot be activated anymore and thus won't work. I'm not happy to pay a subscription for a hobby I only manage to do a few times a year anymore, though. Overall I guess they won't care, as they have a large part of the professional market willing to pay monthly.