In a stunning about face, Adobe has announced (see http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/faq/upgrade-policy.html) that owners of Creative Suite CS4 and CS5 will be offered upgrade pricing for the purchase of Creative Suite CS6 through the end of the year.The following is from a message to User Group Managers and Adobe Community professionals:

With these great new releases coming in the first half of 2012, we want to make sure our customers have plenty of time to discover which offering is best for them.  Therefore, we’re pleased to announce that we will offer special introductory upgrade pricing on Creative Suite 6 to our customers who own CS3 or CS4.  This offer will be available from the time CS6 is released until December 31, 2012. More details on this offer, as well as any introductory offers for existing customers to move to Creative Cloud membership, will be announced when CS6 and Creative Cloud are released later this year.

This is an OFFER -- NOT a promotion.

The "Introductory upgrade offer" will be available to shrink wrap boxed software, and licensing.  The offer will be applicable to all Routes to Market, regardless of IF Creative Cloud is offered.  This is specifically for CS6 perpetual upgrades.

Unfortunately no pricing information is included with the announcement so there is no way for customers who upgraded to CS5.5 based upon the previously announced policy to know if they saved or lost money. In addition, the "upgrade policy" link on the page currently directs you to an explanation of the old policy.

I'll follow up with additional details as they become available. 

 Important Note: Adobe has announced a revised Creative Suite CS6 upgrade policy which includes owners CS3 and CS4. I'll revise these recommendations as soon as I"ve had the opportunity to fully consider the new policy.

This article is part of an ongoing series about Adobe Creative Cloud.

The recommendations

Here’s a summary of my recommendations along with links in case you prefer to skip the background information and jump directly to the recommendations relevant to your situation.

Owners of CS4 and earlier programs and suites: DECIDE BY DECEMBER 31

Owners of CS5 and CS5.5 programs and suites: WAIT

Current subscribers to Adobe products and suites: WAIT

If you’re considering buying an Adobe product: WAIT

If you absolutely have to have an Adobe product now: TRY, SUBSCRIBE AND WAIT

Behind the recommendations

Users of Dreamweaver and other Adobe Creative Suite programs often ask me if it’s worth purchasing the latest upgrade. In fact, some of the most popular posts in this blog deal with upgrade issues.

In the past, I’ve based my answers on a number of factors:

• New features: Will new features save time or allow you to do your job better? For example, the much-improved handling of CSS in Dreamweaver CS4 made that a “MUST UPGRADE” while the focus on new mobile-related features in CS5.5 earned that upgrade a “PROBABLY NO” for the average user.
• Cost: Upgrades offer significant savings over new purchases but are still a significant investment for most users. Adobe’s past policies often made skipping an upgrade cycle an attractive proposition.
• The user’s current software: Single cycle upgrades often don’t add enough functionality to justify either the upgrade expense or the learning curve associated with them, offering more reasons to skip an upgrade.

Apparently a lot of folks have adopted the skip-an-upgrade policy. It’s become common enough that Adobe has announced a couple policies aimed at ending the practice: Creative Cloud and Single Cycle Upgrades. I’ve already written about Creative Cloud here and here. As for Single Cycle Upgrades, it’s worth quoting from Adobe's announcement:

For customers who prefer to remain on the current licensing model, we will continue to offer our individual point products and Adobe Creative Suite editions as perpetual licenses. With regards to upgrades, we are changing our policy for perpetual license customers. In order to qualify for upgrade pricing when CS6 releases, customers will need to be on the latest version of our software (either CS5 or CS5.5 editions). If our customers are not yet on those versions, we’re offering a 20% discount through December 31, 2011 which will qualify them for upgrade pricing when we release CS6.

Clearly Creative Cloud and Single Cycle Upgrades significantly change the upgrade equation for many users so I’ve decided to revisit my upgrade advice. Depending upon what programs or suites you own or subscribe to, it can get a bit tricky. But bear with me, I’ll offer the best advice I can based upon what we currently know and, as more information becomes available, I’ll update this post to stay current.

Owners of CS4 and earlier programs and suites

DECIDE BY DECEMBER 31

If you own a pre-CS5 version of an Adobe Product, you are faced with some difficult decisions and, to date, Adobe hasn’t offered sufficient information for you to make them. I recommend waiting until late December in hopes that Adobe will offer additional guidance for its current users before then.

While you wait for Adobe to offer more pricing guidance, I can offer some rough numbers for you to consider.

As mentioned earlier, Adobe is offering a 20% discount on products upgrades through the end of the year. In addition, to upgrade to CS6 when it is launched you will have to pay an additional upgrade fee. Let’s take a look at what that means for owners of Creative Suite Master Collection, Creative Suite Web Premium, Photoshop Extended and Dreamweaver:

Estimates are based upon Adobe’s current prices and past update pricing.

Arguments for upgrading: Clearly, if you expect to stay on the upgrade track, it makes sense to upgrade now and take advantage of the 20% discount. Keep in mind that you won’t have to upgrade to CS6 right when it debuts (or anytime for that matter). You can delay that purchase until the next full upgrade cycle is imminent (about two years) or until Adobe changes the rules again.

Arguments against upgrading: If you believe your current software will remain viable for another couple years it may make financial sense to delay upgrading and then subscribe to Cloud when upgrading becomes necessary.

If you feel that the currently announced $49.99 per month Cloud plan or the yet to be announced changes in the subscription pricing structure will make sense for you, there’s also no reason to upgrade now. The best strategy is to wait until Cloud is officially released and see what incentives Adobe offers to encourage people to transition to Cloud.

You should also keep in mind that, when a new version of software is announced, older versions tend to be discounted sharply. So, if you’re a gambler, you might want to wait and bet that, when the time comes to upgrade, you’ll be able to score a copy of CS5 and upgrade it to CS6. Of course, not all bets are winners.

Bottom line: Owners of Adobe programs who don’t upgrade regularly face a difficult decision. The new policies Adobe has put in place make it likely that you’ll end up paying more to be their customer. You need to gather all the information you can prior to the end of the year in order to make an informed decision.

Important: Things get hectic during the holiday season. If you plan to upgrade, make sure you don’t miss the end-of-the-year deadline.

Owners of CS5 and CS5.5 programs and suites

WAIT

You will qualify for upgrade pricing when CS6 is released. At that time you will be able to make an informed decision about whether to upgrade to CS6 or purchase a Creative Cloud subscription.

Bottom line: You have nothing to lose by waiting for the launch of CS6 and Creative Cloud before making a decision about whether to upgrade or convert to Creative Cloud.

Current Subscribers to Adobe programs and suites

WAIT

In its Creative Cloud FAQ Adobe states:

There will not be any immediate impact to your existing subscription. You will be able to continue to enjoy your subscription to the software titles you have selected. We will announce more information about Adobe Creative Cloud as it becomes available.

Adobe has indicated that current subscribers will be transitioned to some form of Creative Cloud and that current subscription pricing (Master Collection is $129 per month, Photoshop alone is $49 per month and Dreamweaver is $19 per month) will be adjusted to reflect the announced Creative Cloud pricing.

Bottom line: You have nothing to lose by waiting for the launch of Creative Cloud.

If you’re considering buying an Adobe product

WAIT

If you are planning to purchase an Adobe product but can delay the decision there is no incentive for you to act before Creative Cloud and CS6 are announced. At that time you can make an informed decision regarding the licensing model that is best for you.

Bottom Line: If you purchase a CS5.5 product prior to the launch of CS6, you’ll end up paying an upgrade fee to move to CS6. On the other hand, if you purchase now and then decide to move to Creative Cloud, you’ll be writing off your investment in CS5.5.

If you absolutely have to have an Adobe product now

TRY, SUBSCRIBE and WAIT

Since the launch announcements for Creative Cloud and CS6 are expected early next year, you’ll want to delay and minimize your expenses until the announcement.

• Step one:  Download a trial of the software you need. Trials are full versions good for 30 days.
• Step two: After 30 days convert your trial to a subscription. While you’ll pay a few months of subscription fees while you wait, that will likely be less costly than purchasing now and upgrading or subscribing later.
• Step three: Once Creative Cloud and CS6 are launched decide which licensing model works best for you and purchase it.

Bottom Line: As much as possible, avoid purchasing Adobe creative programs until the launches of Creative Cloud and CS6.

Conclusions:

Clearly the best path for most Adobe customers is to sit tight and wait for additional information and the official launch of Creative Cloud and CS6 next year. In fact, a lot of users may decide to postpone the move to Cloud or CS6 until it becomes a necessity rather than jumping on board at the launch.

For owners of CS4 and earlier versions of Adobe software the decision is much more difficult and Adobe has so far failed you by not providing the information you need to make an informed decision. The time is now for this group of Adobe customers to demand more and better information from the company NOW!

Next up: Frequently Asked (and not always answered) Questions about Creative Cloud

IMPORTANT: With the announcement of Creative Cloud, Adobe has also changed its upgrade pricing policy. For CS6 only owners of CS5 and CS5.5 will qualify for upgrade pricing discounts. For more on this critical change and how it will affect your upgrade plans see Creative Suite: Upgrade, Wait for Creative Cloud or ???

The decision to upgrade is always difficult. It requires balancing costs against new features and performance. The decision is more difficult if you rarely use the software or have already skipped a couple upgrade cycles. So I thought I’d offer my advice about whether you should make the upgrade to Dreamweaver CS5.5.

For the purposes of this article, I’m going to assume that you are:

• Inexperienced with Dreamweaver but have decided to learn how to create websites and happen to have an older version of the program available OR
• You are an experienced Dreamweaver user considering the upgrade.

Let’s look at the upgrade scenarios:

Dreamweaver 8 (or earlier) to CS5.5

Cost: $199

PRO: The web has changed dramatically since 2005 and so has Dreamweaver. DW8 is sorely lacking in support for modern web standards. Upgrading will allow you to create modern, CSS-based websites. Among the many benefits of upgrading from DW8 you’ll find:

• Integration of Dreamweaver with the rest of the Adobe Creative Suite (copy and past from Photoshop for instance)
• Vastly improved handling of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and built-in CSS-based layouts
• Spry widgets and effects

CON: The only excuses not to update are:

• Your ancient hardware doesn’t support new versions.
• You still insist on designing with tables.

Neither excuse is valid if you are serious about learning to design and build websites. It’s time for you to invest in upgrading your equipment, your software and your skills.

Conclusion: MUST UPGRADE

Dreamweaver CS3 to CS5.5

Cost: $199

PRO: CS3 marked Adobe’s integration of Dreamweaver into Creative Suite and was the first version of Dreamweaver to support CSS styles and layout in a manner accessible to non-programmers. Unfortunately the CSS support built into CS3 still left a lot to be desired. Among the many benefits of upgrading from CS3 you’ll find:

• Vastly improved handling of CSS
• Improved workspace layout (with the ability to choose between several built-in workspaces and to save customized workspaces)
• Photoshop Smart Objects
• Live View (a non-editable browser –like view of your pages based upon the Web-kit platform)
• Ability to divide the Split View window vertically as well as horizontally

CON: Those of you who insist on using tables for design should be aware that Layout Mode was dropped beginning with CS4. Most serious users considered Layout Mode an abomination but some casual users were upset by its removal. But, if you’re serious about web design, it’s time to abandon tables and embrace CSS and modern, standards-based design.

Conclusion: MUST UPGRADE – The improved CSS support and significant user-interface improvements make the jump from CS3 to CS5.5 a “must upgrade” for serious users.

Dreamweaver CS4 to CS5.5

Cost: $199

PRO: Upgrading from CS4 gives you a number of new features including:

• Ability to temporarily enable/disable CSS properties from the CSS Styles panel
• CSS Inspection which displays CSS box model properties in Live View
• All new “modern” built-in CSS layouts.
• A “simplified” Site Set Up dialog.

CS5 also adds new features of interest to advanced developers including:

• Dynamically-Related files which allows linking to PHP-based Content Management Systems such as WordPress
• Improved PHP code hinting.

Conclusion: PROBABLY – For most users the new features offered in CS5 and now CS5.5 are evolutionary rather than revolutionary. But the sum of the two upgrades is probably enough justify the expense for most users. Advanced users in particular will find a lot to like.

Dreamweaver CS5 to CS5.5

Cost: $119

PRO: The upgrade from CS5 to CS5.5 offers:

• Multiscreen support, which offers Live View preview of your pages at various monitor resolutions (phone, pad and desktop computer) simultaneously
• FTPS (secure ftp) support
• Code hinting for HTML5, CSS3 and jQuery

CS5.5 also adds additional features targeting developers of mobile content:

• Improved support for CSS3 media queries
• Support for jQuery Mobile
• Ability to export projects as native apps for the Android and iOS mobile operating systems

Conclusion: PROBABLY NO – In CS5.5 as in CS5, Adobe seems to be targeting primarily advanced users and developers. Most users won’t notice many changes and certainly nothing that would justify the upgrade fee. MAYBE DEFINITELY YES – If you have any interest in developing for mobile devices, CS5.5 is a “must upgrade.” In fact, even some hardcore coding skeptics may be tempted to take a look.

If you have a question or comment about making the upgrade to Dreamweaver CS5.5, please join the discussion through the comment form below.

I encourage my students to update to the latest version of Dreamweaver but I also realize that financial issues involved. That's why I've worked hard to make sure that my Dominate Dreamweaver online training course supports Dreamweaver versions CS3, CS4 and CS5. It's also why I like to post about the new features offered by Dreamweaver upgrades.

In this video I take a look at CSS Inspect and other enhancements Dreamweaver CS5 has made to the Live View function introduced in CS4. It's a great feature that can greatly simplify your exploration and editing of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).