Adobe CEO Dodges Questions about Pricing in Australia

At a press conference in Sydney last week to commemorate the opening of a new Adobe office, the software company’s CEO, Shantanu Narayen, was questioned about why Australians must pay “up to $1400 more” than U.S. users for the popular Creative Suite, which includes programs such as Photoshop and Illustrator (and keep in mind this is a digital product, so shipping is no issue). As you can see in the video below, Narayen dodged reporters’ questions about pricing, instead focusing on Adobe’s shift to “Creative Cloud,” a subscription-based online software delivery system:

Narayen emphasized the “cloud”-based system as the future of Adobe, calling it “a very attractive opportunity right now in terms of pricing,” while obviously ignoring two reporters’ questions about pricing for traditional software in Australia.

Adobe's CEO discusses pricing in Australia

Update: Adobe has reportedly lowered Australia’s subscription prices for Creative Cloud, but the question still remains as to the future of pricing for traditional, “pay once, use forever” boxed software. However, Australia’s parliament has summoned Adobe, Apple, and Microsoft for an inquiry this March to discuss technology prices.

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