Where do you go, though? Adobe’s products are really good and they’re hard to replace. When I learned that this lack of support wasn’t an oversight, but an intentional choice, forcing all current Mac users to subscribe or get out, I decided that was as solid of a reason as any to leave for good. I had two lengthy troubleshooting sessions with Adobe where I learned this was the case, then I learned that that’s intentional and there will never be a 64-bit installer for these 64-bit applications. The installer itself is a 32-bit application. According to the website, Illustrator and Photoshop and whatnot are all 64-bit compliant. I couldn’t figure out what the problem was as I tried to run the installer for Adobe WebPremium CS5.5 on my new machine. This means that older 32-bit applications can no longer be used at all. The new MBP comes with macOS Catalina, however, and Catalina is the first operating system that requires all applications to be 64-bit compliant. The problem is that operating systems change and you have to update eventually to stay current with whatever software it is you depend onįor me, I just had to replace my computer and I upgraded to the new MacBook Pro. I’ve needed Illustrator for a long time, using it to create vector files that play nice with various machines (like a vinyl cutter and a CO2 laser) and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.

Maybe you’re like me and you were a holdout, clutching your copy of CS5.5 or CS6 close, the last editions ever offered that were one-time purchases. That’s $50/mo over 98 months, given that the service debuted in October of 2011. If you started using Adobe’s Creative Cloud subscription when it first debuted and you’ve needed three or more applications (let’s say Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign), you have spent about $4,900 so far. But Adobe’s stranglehold on the industry has gotten to be a bit much for me, I’ve finally broken free, and if you’re interested in doing the same I’d like to pitch you on an alternative. If you make any kind of visual art, from photography to logos to instruction manuals, you’ve likely used Adobe products at some point in your life.

Purchase adobe creative suite for mac