CS7 Rumored Release – Expected to come in April 2014
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| Photoshop CS7 |
A new version of CS usually comes out every 1-2 years. The new version should be released in around April 2014. This is very long since the release of CS6. There are a few reasons for this, one of the reasons is that Adobe will bring out a 6.5 version and with the release of Creative Cloud, some of the CS7 features have been put forward to those who subscribe with it.
So here my expected release dates and past launch information:
CS7 Rumored Release – Expected to come in April 2014 (Creative Cloud members get the free upgrade).
CS7 Beta – Look out for CS7 public betas available between February and March 2014.
CS6.5 – We will see select versions updated in April 2013.
CS6 – The current version. Announced on April 23, 2012 and began shipping on May 7, 2012.
CS6 beta – Was released in March 2012 on Adobe Labs.
CS5.5 – Released back in April 2011 (12 months after CS5).
CS5 – Released in April 2010 (about 18 months after the release of CS4).
CS4 – Released in October 2008 (about 18 months after CS3).
CS3 – Released in April 2007 (approximately 24 months after CS2).
CS2 – Released in April 2005 (18 months after CS).
CS1 – Introduced in October 2003.
As with any major new release of the CS Suite there will be new features. For CS5-6 it was mainly focused around content aware, for CS6 there was an interface change. I don’t think that there will be much in terms of the interface or even new tools but I think the main focus will be ease of use, cloud storage and sharing capabilities. The reason why I predict this is because Adobe have recently brought out a program called Muse which creates websites without the user putting in any code. It also covers mobile websites and looks to be a great tool to use, you can get hold of this by signing up to the creative cloud.
The Creative Cloud is the next step for Adobe, it is a positive step for publishing, ease of use and storage. It does come at a cost of around £30 p/m but you will have some benefits of using this. One of the benefits of subscribing to this is the free updates for all already purchased programs with Adobe. This will save you money in the long run instead of buying an upgrade for a couple of hundred pounds.
One of the biggest complaints is paying for software as it does not come cheap, this could be a way of budgeting your money whilst getting more features such as the cloud. The cloud system is multi-operational and gives you 20gb of space, this will especially be handy if you mix between computers and portable devices.
Adobe are working on portable programs, a version of Photoshop has been released on iOS (but to be honest its quite disappointing). With the Creative Cloud you will get the digital publishing suite which has some benefits such as; ease of use, no code writing and unlimited uploads to the apple store!
More portable software and functions.
Ease of use/shortcuts.
Less piracy.
Upcoming technology such as Cloud Storage.
1 or 2 new main functions in PS.
Easier payment schemes (eg: monthly)
More functionality between Adobe programs.
Yes! Some important changes are coming to the upgrade policy that you should be aware of. Starting February 28, 2013, Adobe will only be offering upgrades on versions that are no older than one version back, no longer letting you save money by skipping one or two versions between upgrades. So get updated quickly!
Also with all these new updates, it is the start of Adobe’s war against piracy. So do not be surprised if you start seeing more of these schemes in the future!