Adobe released a big mid-cycle upgrade for its Creative Suite package that includes applications such as Photoshop, Premiere,  Acrobat, Dreamweaver, Illustrator or Flash builder, depending on the package you purchase. The big news: The software is now also targeting digital publishing for tablet with new Flash and HTML5 support and is not just available via purchase, but can be rented via a subscription as well.

Adobe said that it is changing its Creative Suite release plan with major releases now being scheduled every two years and midcycle  releases between them. The 5.5 version is a comprehensive update and could have been called CS6, but it’s really the idea of 5.5 in its core with some major improvements, which makes the new appear like a reasonable decision.

The major updates are targeting digital publishing for all major mobile platforms, including Android, Blackberry, WebOS and iOS. the focus is, of course, on Flash apps, but InDesign 5.5 now supports HTML5 content as well to enable web and layout designers to leverage a publishing opportunity not just on devices that run Flash (such as iOS). Adobe went a step further for tablets and offers a Photoshop Touch SDK, which enables developers to build tablet apps that interact with Photoshop.

The new Creative Suite will be available within 30 days, Adobe said. Pricing is about what you would expect – at about $2600 for the flagship product master Collection that includes all CS5.5 apps. The Design premium edition sell for $1900, the Web premium edition for $1800, the Production premium for $1700 and Design Standard for $1300 (all full versions.)

However, you can also rent the software on a monthly basis. The Master Collection is available for $129 per month (which is more expensive over the 2-year period ($3096) than the advance purchase). The Design Premium edition is priced at $95 per month and Photoshop can be “rented” for $35 per month.

 Source: conceivablytech