Putting the price of the X3 upgrade into perspective

So I am seeing some posts about X2a users upset about having to spend, say, $150 to upgrade.  I also purchased X2 and yes, I've had some issues with some features, but I feel I have gotten my money's worth out of the software anyway.  Maybe a mammoth company like Microsoft, with billions of copies of their S/W sold and millions of annually renewing corporate license agreements rolling over every year can afford lots of free patches.  But Cakewalk have just a tiny fraction of that market and they need income to keep making the software we love.
 
Let's put this into perspective...  What piece of audio gear in your studio could you upgrade for $150 and get similar bang for your buck?  You could maybe buy a very average microphone.  You could buy a super low-end junky mic pre.  Maybe a really nice mic stand and pop filter?  Does any of that compare with a bunch of enhanced features, fixes and plug-ins?  Most of you guys would drop $150 on a single plug-in and not bat an eyelid.
 
I work full time in IT and you should see the cost of the software assurance contracts we pay.  Believe me when I tell you that $150 per year to keep your software up to date is CHEAP!  You guys have no idea how good we've got it.
 
Just sayin'

You're quite right, bang-for-buck wise. I mean, I just ordered a signal splitter for nearly £100 a minute ago. DAWs are complex applications serving a fairly niche market. I think it's fairly amazing how cheap they've become, myself.

My post wasn't directed at any particular individual, but there are those on this forum who, "on principle", think CW should have fixed X2a before/instead of releasing and charging for X3.
 
I guess that would be nice, but in reading about the large amount of work that's gone into X3 (ARA for one, huge update to take lanes for another), it seems pretty clear to me that it wasn't going to be possible to get X2 to where most people would be happy with it.  It seems to me that it was a more sensible thing to do for a company with finite resources to put all that effort into a new version.
 
For me, I want, on principle, to pay for the upgrade.  Imagine if Cakewalk were not a private company but a co-op, owned by us, its users.  We would need to put money in a hat and pay to hire developers to fix bugs anyway.  I want CW to survive, because for the most part, I really like the software and have invested years of my life getting to know it.  As a very small niche market, I think we need to step up and support our DAW maker financially - whether you use Sonar, Reaper, Cubase, whatever.  In the software world, we are really still a cottage industry.
 
If CW ever gets to, say, even 1/8th the size of Microsoft or Apple, it will switch to a volume-based company with huge economy of scale.  At that point I will join you all in demanding as many free updates as I can get.

Well the other side of the coin is that even during the gold rush, the people who made the most money were the ones who sold the picks and shovels.
 
This is the music business, it can be very hard to eek out a royalty large enough to cover the costs involved in producing music. Musicians dedicate their lives to making music many times with no compensation whatsoever. Only a select few make it big time. For many people creating music is just a hobby, and must look outside the music industry for income. Some people are just scraping to get by, and every penny is important. I'm not thrilled about shelling out another $150 bucks for just an upgrade to a product I've already bought and paid for. A $99 dollar upgrade would be much more palatable, and would be very appealing to many more customers who would balk at a $150 fee.  

Here's a counter view. I don't think it costs enough starting with a new owner paying full fare on down to upgrades. In general I think that software, similar to music, has suffered a degradation in perceived value. This is based on $0.99 apps that are, in my opinion of very limited value and the rampant illegal sharing of digital music. But it seems the masses now expect cheap apps and music of limited artistic merit.
 
While it is probable I will upgrade at some point I'm unsure whether or not make the move right now. If I do I will consider the current estimated price to be excellent bang for the buck.
 
Just sayin...
 
Regards,

rodreb
Don't we as customers deserve, at least, a fully finished product before we are asked to spend more for the next version, which will more than likely have new unfinished issues?
Where I work, if we delivered unfinished products to our customers and then just sort of sent them a few finished pieces here and there then, asked them to buy a whole new product...... they wouldn't be our customers anymore.  

Software is not like other products.  In some ways, it's never finished.  If it was, the likes of Microsoft wouldn't need service packs.
 
Today at work, I was helping someone stung by a bug in Outlook 2010 that's been there since at least Outlook 2003.  People still upgrade.  Is it ideal? - No.  It it reality in the software industry? - Yes.

I think software spoils us into losing perspective. If one were to replace a mixing board in an analog studio with a newer version of the exact same board with minor differences for only 150 it would seem like a steal. I know its not the same but it does seem like the more we get the more we expect.

scook
Would you expect to pay 50% more for the "newer version of the exact same board with minor differences" just one year later?

"Minor differences" is a subjective term.  From what I've read of Noel's posts, I would say there are major differences.  The $150 being quoted is from a preliminary advert on Sweetwater's site.  The only reason we're using it is that it's the only number we've seen.  It could actually be way off base - we just don't know.
 
But back to your question; where are you going to find a mixing board for a $150 upgrade price?  I hear what you are saying about 50% more, but this is not apples for apples.  You need to compare an item of similar value to make your point.  I would venture to say that if someone could upgrade their mixing console to the latest version for $150, they'd jump at the chance.  Obviously paying 50% of a $3000.00 console is less appealing.

scook
Would you expect to pay 50% more for the "newer version of the exact same board with minor differences" just one year later?

To put it into perspective, the upgrade to Sonar 7 Producer cost $229.  You are getting off $80 cheaper than some previous upgrades.

Silicon Audio
I work full time in IT and you should see the cost of the software assurance contracts we pay.  Believe me when I tell you that $150 per year to keep your software up to date is CHEAP!  You guys have no idea how good we've got it.
Just sayin'

 
+1
 
$12.50 a month. bargain.  how much is my cable bill???
 

I would knock on doors offering to mow lawns if $150 was going to stop me from getting this upgrade. The development on this version is quite impressive IMHO. Some major and not so easy to implement enhancements were added, that were direct consistent requests from the community, at least 3 major ones, plus a whole lot more.

I have been paying for Sonar from version 4. Paid near $500 the first time, and then 5 times x $150. And every time they sale unfinished product that supposed to work but it does not. And I always hear excuses- it must be computer, it must be OS, it must be hardware- anything but admitting that it is unstable and needs work. I understand how it feels to be in bad financial situation. I understand Cakewalk needs money, but so as I. I want to be able to use the program. My music making is all boils down to fixing software all the time. We get together with the band to practice, and half of the practice I am fixing Sonar or failed plug ins or unrecognized keyboards and such. If you saying- you do not have this problem- it is because you not using all the hardware and software I am using and stability is very compromised. And with every next version they say- they fixed it, but it still not working. So I will pay for the new functionality. Not for fixing old problems that were supposed to work already and that I already paid for. Tired of paying for the same thing and at the end waiting for the new paid update to fix it.

I'm going to back Krist (Rain) on this one.  If SONAR is now $150 for an upgrade, then $200 for a new customer purchase of Logic is just that more attractive.  Besides, the increase in price is most likely due to the over abundance of third-party plug-ins (notwithstanding Melodyne).
 
Kind regards,
 
Living Room Rocker

Lets hope the Euro prices are decent this time. 1 Euro does not = 1 USD, it never has.

Cake's explanations are a little shakey.........

Cheers,
Jerry

joakes
Lets hope the Euro prices are decent this time. 1 Euro does not = 1 USD, it never has.

Cake's explanations are a little shakey.........

Cheers,
Jerry

Fact check..   October 26 200 euro was US$0.8252
 
Today its about $1.35 and that is still well off its 10 yr high of $1.60
 
 
Edit = As an avid market junkie, I'd just like to say that, "there is no guarantee the Euro will not crash like a drunk driver."  What is going on right now is, "really short burst of growth, because central banks flood the markets with easy money, but when these mini-bubbles burst, we roll back into months and months of contraction."   The global economy has like a, "chronic bronchitis."  It gets a little better, because of meds, but then it comes back sick again, and needs more meds...