Now it's just spin on your part. The discounts are unknown at this time. They may be better that you think or they may be worse. I don't know and neither do you. The price increase is the only thing we're all sure of. Nobody said that Cakewalk or anyone else is being deceptive, that's an inflammatory response. Pump the brakes buddy, you're moving too fast here.

Look, I understand that most people here are musicians and don't understand how marketing, pricing, etc. works so let me explain.
 
There are two important elements to consider: Customer acquisition and in the case of anything requiring renewals, customer retention. Customer acquisition is extremely expensive. Failure to retain customers (commonly called "churn") is also expensive. Therefore whenever a company is dependent on renewals from discretionary income (magazines, satellite radio, etc.), they will make significant efforts to retain customers. (Of course, companies like utilities where you have to buy their services every month don't offer discounts, and besides, most of them are regulated monopolies anyway.)
 
A really good example is magazines. A magazine might cost $8.95 on the newsstand, so there will be blow-in cards that offer "6 months for $19.95!" or whatever. Well, that's a good deal and helps with customer acquisition. The magazine won't make any money from it, but the gamble is that the customer will like the magazine and subscribe when the six months run out. 
 
At the end of that six months, the magazine has to convince the person to re-subscribe or they will fail to retain the customer, and thus have to do another pricey customer acquisition if they want to avoid churn. So you get an email offer that says "renew now for a special price of [whatever]." This is intended to provide an incentive for people to re-subscribe.
 
If they don't, it's equally likely that several months later, they'll get a "we want you back" promotion. And so on.
 
Cakewalk not following through on their explicit statement that they expect to run specials and discounts from time to time would fly in the face of everything that's known about renewal-based revenue models, including what the company has done for 30 years with updates from one version to the next. 

ampfixer
Now it's just spin on your part. The discounts are unknown at this time.

 
What is "unknown" about "We expect to offer discounts and specials from time to time?"
 

They may be better that you think or they may be worse.

 
You are not saying what Coolbass said. Unless I misunderstand what you are saying, you are acknowledging that discounts will exist - your only question is whether they'll be good discounts or not very good discounts. Coolbass said, unequivocally, that the price would be 50%. That is what I dispute. 
 

I don't know and neither do you.

 
Actually I do. What Alex said about offering discounts and specials from time to time was discussed internally before the new pricing went into effect. Alex is simply stating publicly what was decided privately before this was put into place.
 

The price increase is the only thing we're all sure of.

 
You can also be sure that Cakewalk expects to offer specials and discounts from time to time. Read my explanation above of why this is done as a matter of course with renewal-based models.
 

Nobody said that Cakewalk or anyone else is being deceptive, that's an inflammatory response. Pump the brakes buddy, you're moving too fast here.

 
I never said anyone said Cakewalk was being deceptive. Read what I wrote: "The only way Coolbass's (and your) statement would be true is if Cakewalk is lying and has no intention to offer specials and discounts, and the use of 'at least 50%' and '50%+' are intended to be deceptive." I was the one who posited a scenario of what Cakewalk would have to do to validate the statement that the only way to update would be to pay 50% of the retail price.
 
If Cakewalk says "at least 50%" and "50%+" and "we expect to offer discounts and specials from time to time" and don't follow through, and the only way you can update is to pay 50% of the retail price, then that would be deceptive. I truly don't see how anyone can disagree with that.

I think the bottom line is that some people just love to complain.  No matter what is being offered, some people will find something to complain about.  They complained about the Lifetime Updates deal, but now they're complaining that it's not being offered anymore. 

Let's take the emotions out and distill the thread to its essence:
 
"Paying 50% of the full price for a 1-year renewal is too expensive."
 
"Then wait until there's a discount or special. Cakewalk plans to do them from time to time."
 
"Oh, OK. What if it's not a very good discount and is still too expensive?"
 
"Then skip an upgrade; you'll pay 50% or less of list price for two years of upgrades. Or wait four years and pay 12.5% of list price for each year of updates."
 
"Oh. OK." 

Anderton

ampfixer
Now it's just spin on your part. The discounts are unknown at this time.

 
What is "unknown" about "We expect to offer discounts and specials from time to time?"
 

i would have to agree with  ampfixer's and coolbass's thoughts/sentiments, the only thing certain is the %50 less, saying that there may be sales or discounts has no certainty, there is not even a % you can quote. the only certainty here is the 50% less. and i agree, it does seem like spin to me
 

Anderton
 
What is "unknown" about "We expect to offer discounts and specials from time to time?"
 

 
 
well for one, "we expect . . . . ' is not exactly a certainty by any means, they also expected to have the mac alpha out months ago, so obviously, and as you would know yourself, but perhaps be not willing to admit, expectations can quite easily fall flat on their face.
 
the only thing certain seems to be the %50 less, saying that there may be sales or discounts has no certainty.
 
not that it matters much to me, sonar isn't my number 1 daw, it's rarely used, plus i got the lifetime updates thingy upon release for $99, but even with that, it seems uncertainty may be creeping in, and 'lifetime' may not be as long as one might think, if i am reading correctly into what you said here
 
 

Anderton
 
The reality is that people can be "grandfathered in" for only so long. Even grandfathers die eventually.

 
like this is could be the beginning, the first trickle of the flood which brings the end date to lifetime, if you understand my meaning. of course lifetime can't be forever, and was never stated as such, it's only while sonar is sonar in it's current form . . . still . . . one wonders

The Grim
it seems uncertainty may be creeping in, and 'lifetime' may not be as long as one might think, if i am reading correctly into what you said here
 
 

Anderton
 
The reality is that people can be "grandfathered in" for only so long. Even grandfathers die eventually.

 
like this is could be the beginning, the first trickle of the flood which brings the end date to lifetime, if you understand my meaning. of course lifetime can't be forever, and was never stated as such, it's only while sonar is sonar in it's current form . . . still . . . one wonders

 
Wow. Conflating that statement with a supposed end to lifetime updates is whole new level,  even on a forum altogether too familiar with pure speculation!

well, it's in good company with the rest of the 'speculation' put forth here
 
and i did say 'could', it could very well be the first step in cushioning the blow

The Grim
well, it's in good company with the rest of the speculation put forth here

.