Full:

in the US: §1799
in Germany: $2933

Upgrade from:

in the US: $440
in Germany: $1080

HW

[DR - there are a lot of upgrade options you can find some of the details at https://store1.adobe.com/cfusion/store/
As I said in another comment, the 'downside' of having so many interesting products is that there are so many possible combinations for upgrades.

The industry is heading towards suites and the jump from a point product or two to a suite at first can seem daunting and expensive, but our hope is that the integration and value make that decision easier and more profitable for you in the long run.

As for value, we've included Flash CS3, Photoshop Extended, OnLocation, Ultra and Soundbooth in the box without changing the price. That may not mean something to everyone, but hopefully it is compelling to a lot of our loyal customers. Thanks for your input.]

What I did see of the new features for Illustrator and InDesign look extremely awesome. I cannot wait to play with the new features. I will have to look for the archived broadcast because I couldn’t see half of it, then had to leave before it got going again.
Thank you again for your blog, the bits and pieces of information I get here are extremely helpful.

[DR - Thanks for the kind words.]

[DR - I feel the same way. At least I can start showing it to people which for me is a terrific thing.

I like the look of the CS3 boxes, though I'm not sure that the two letter icons will work for me. I use everything in the Master Suite--that's a lot of letters to remember--and probably not as recognizable as a feater or a flower...

[DR - agreed, but the icons will take on their own identity over time.]

Do you know if Ultra CS3 is merely a repacked version of Ultra 2, or has it been enhanced/upgraded in someway?

[DR - Integration of products happens over time. CS3 is the first release of where Dreamweaver and Flash are integrating with products like Photoshop and InDesign, so it takes time. Ultra will likely be localized for more countries than just North America and branded with Adobe. Fear not though, the team at Serious is hard at work on some cool new stuff...]

[DR - Well, web design is not my forte, but the reaction for being able to import PSD and AI files without having to convert was pretty well received yesterday, but hey, diversity of opinion is cool.]

The icons suck. Sorry. They just do. And you can do better. John Nack posted something about this on his blog, and in truth, most of the design community feels the same way according to the comments.

[DR - Like I said, I was skeptical too. I warmed up to them, but can totally understand if you don't. ]

I own productions studio premium and studio 8. It will cost me $1400 to upgrade…. am I excited about this? I would be if I really thought the new feature sets were worth it… but If I have to be honest.. I don’t. Will I upgrade. Most likely. And this is why: I went to upgrade Photoshop 7 to Production Studio Premium last year. You know what they made me do. They made me upgrade first to CS1 before they would let me upgrade to Production Studio. That sucked. It ain’t right, but that’s life I guess. So If I don’t want to get bit by that again, I have little choice…

[DR - Well once you get to a suite as you did, the upgrade paths are much more simple. I agree that there is no one solution fits all scenarios. It's the unfortunate reality of having so many tools and a growing diversity of workflows and design outputs... Another note, that if you upgrade to Production Premium, you'll be getting Ultra, OnLocation (formerly DV Rack), Photoshop Extended, Flash) all for the same price. So, while any upgrade can be considered a bitter pill, the value that Adobe is hopefully presenting to you helps soften the blow.
The product integration is exciting, but leaving the consistent interface changes out in Flash, Fireworks and Dreamweaver lessened the impact of this being the true "revolutionary change" that Adobe claims cs3 is. But you are getting there. I think the next versions might to it.]

Not trying to be negative, or rain on your dance, just a customer that relies on your products and would like to see more.

[As would I! It's all good and thanks for your input. Dennis]

I agree with you.

About the logos/icons, I was too kind of skeptical at the beginning, but once you get to see them all lined up on your taskbar it changes the whole figure.

[DR - good point. You can see some others are kind of down on it and I understand that point of view. But, once you load them up in your dock or quicklaunch bar, it's pretty cool and may change some people's minds.]

Its way more ergonomic, they have just put aside the complicated icons, which kinda took a while to memorize.

The new icons now display some WONDERFUL type. They are really pleasant.

And who doesn’t feel like wanting to fill the entire periodic table? LOL.

About the master collection, its somehow akward, IMHO, Adobe should make that License agreement permit to activate the software up to three machines. I don’t know, since its designed to reach three different areas. But that’s just me speaking.

I would possibly give a finger or two to be at that launch. Lol. Too bad NYC is at 12-hours-flight away.

[DR - ouch! watch the archived broadcast. Should be up today.]

About the new features,
the Photoshop Extended and Acrobat 3D just blew my mind.

Adobe has made so easy to edit and work with 3d models.

I can somehow imagine the sort of revolution that it will make in the design/ad business.

What about product labelling!? Gosh..

now on topic -
package design is shocking. i can’t get what your creative team is smoking- one day you have minimalistic flat icons, another- every-color screaming boxes for same stuff..

and i don’t like neither- boxes doesn’t look profesional, icons are too similar and noninspiring.. i’ll replace them with cs2 icons once/if upgraded..

as for products i’d say- some things are nice, but some awful too..

generally seems like design/publishing products improved quite a lot- i like new photoshop, illustrator, indesign.. really- there’s what’s worth upgrading asap..

internet media related products- formelly all from macromedia – mixed bag.. ok, you spent quite a lot of time integrating, but new features in flash are just a small step further. nothing revolutionary, interface update just up to common panel management for cs3. no timebased timeline, no hardware acceleration, nothing really to get excited. ok- new interface and better workflow is nice. but thats all for flash.

dreamweaver and fireworks- seems like still developed by somewere left few hidden macromedians. interface old, improvements very modest compared to photoshop or illustrator progress in the same time..

dynamic media- new aftereffects cs3, premiere is a failure imo. i can’t see why i should upgrade except for universal binary. aftereffects new features are candies for quick jobs – but apple motion is still better for that. while serious improvements needed for real compositing workflow- nodes, selective mask edge feathering, etc – aren’t even considered..

seems like adobe is continuing tradition to improve video product by acquiring some technology and bundling. this was with cycore plugs, foundry kronos, now – serious magic..

[DR - in some places we'll have to agree to disagree.]