In a turn that, frankly, we all kind of expected, Adobe is going to stop selling physical copies of Creative Suite (that includes staples such as Photoshop and Lightroom). Ever since acquiring social media platform Behance, Adobe has been reinventing how it licenses and sells its products via the Creative Cloud. For the better part of a year, Adobe has been "renting" its software to paying customers on a monthly basis, and this seems like the logical next step in the process. According to an official statement:
“As Adobe continues to focus on delivering world-class innovation through Creative Cloud and digital fulfillment, we will be phasing out shrink-wrapped, boxed versions of Creative Suite and Acrobat products,” an Adobe spokesperson told TechHive in an email. The company continued, “Electronic downloads for Creative Suite and Acrobat products will continue to be available—as they are today—from both Adobe.com, as well as reseller and retail partners. We are in the process of notifying our channel partners and customers, as plans solidify in each region.” (via TechHive)
I remember the days when walking into the store and buying a CD, video game, or software was fun. Coming home with your new media and unwrapping it like a gift to yourself was a pleasure - I guess this is the way of things, though. If you still want to nab an honest-to-goodness, unwrappable version of your favorite software, you have until May 1st, which is the likely date it will be killed from Adobe's lineup. Otherwise, be prepared to get it via the App Store or the Creative Commons.