Column: Adobe's Creative Cloud shakes off critics - for now

In May, software producer Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) made a landmark announcement when it said it was moving to a subscription-only model for its leading products like Photoshop. In a nutshell, the Creative Suite became Creative Cloud.

To be clear, the Creative Cloud isn't really cloud-based the way something like Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Docs is. Basically, the Creative Cloud is traditional desktop software with some cloud-based enhancements like remote storage and social sharing capabilities.

Adobe's announcement caused significant outrage among users, especially since for many people, the transition to the Creative Cloud represents a significant price increase while permanent ownership is being revoked.