Sonar Platinum - Being retired soon ???

Please correct me if I have these dates wrong:
 
Sonar X3 was launched in September 2013.  Its last update (X3e) was March 2014.  Therefore, its "lifetime" support (in terms of updates) was effectively 6 months.
 
Sonar X2 was launched in September 2012, and last updated in March 2013 (again, 6 months).
 
Sonar X1 was launched in December 2010, and last updated February 2012 (14 months).
 
The entire "X" series lasted from December 2010 to March 2014, which was 3 years 3 months.
 
Sonar Platinum was released in January 2015.  After about 1 year 5 months Cakewalk [apparently] realized they weren't making enough money from the subscription model, so are going back to the "lifetime updates" model.  Apparently.
 
To calculate whether the $199 "lifetime deal" is worth it, we need to estimate how many more months or years Sonar Platinum will be actively developed/maintained.  It if only lasts as long as X did, then we have less than 2 years left, so $199 is not worth it (compared to $99 per year, especially for those of us who have a lot of time left on our current subscription).  I guess we just have to cross our fingers that Platinum lasts [significantly] longer than X did.
 
Of course, it would be very frustrating if we pay for Platinum's "lifetime" updates now, and then a year or two from now, Cakewalk retires Sonar Platinum and instead releases a new product (which doesn't count as an "update" and therefore requires us to pay all over again). 
 
Or. what if Cakewalk starts deliberately packaging updates with paid add-ons?  "Sorry, but to get that Piano Roll bug fixed, you have to buy the new version of Dimension Pro."  Or even "If you don't like the current piano roll, then buy our new Advanced Piano Roll plugin, for only $19.99".  In other words, micropayments.
 
What are Cakewalk's options?  Can they really afford to give us free updates every year, for 5, 10, 15, 20 years?  With no requirement for us to ever pay them again?  Hmm...
 
Until now, Cakewalk has gotten about $100 a year from me, just on Sonar upgrades.  Something tells me it's EXTREMELY unlikely that they will accept 2 years' advance payment and in return enslave themselves to us for the rest of their (and our) natural lives.
 
So how will they survive, as a company?  Will they resort to ads, embedded in parts of the Sonar UI?
 
What road will Cakewalk take?  And when?
 
What is Sonar Platinum's life expectancy?

Any guesses?

I can barely imagine Cakewalk would only now start developing the OS-X version... I think they already have Mac developers on board for a while now.

SEVerstraten
I can barely imagine Cakewalk would only now start developing the OS-X version... I think they already have Mac developers on board for a while now.

I agree with you completely - I was just looking at it as a point of accelerating to the end point. 

Bristol_Jonesey

BRuys
The whole thing about Sonar Platinum was that it was to be the end of versions, to be updated continuously.  The model is similar to Windows 10 - supposedly the last version of Windows ever, to be updated indefinitely.  That's why it was not called X4.  So you can't compare the life expectancy of Platinum against previous versions like X2 or X3, etc.  The model is now completely different.

Someone gets it 

Except that the consumer consciousness has been conditioned to expect a newer model periodically. The market, the world, all are in a constant state of neverending change. The current philosophy will only last as long as it yields sustainable results. The moment it fails to, change will happen.
 
(edit) To clarify, Cakewalk is entirely free to offer whatever they wish however they wish. It's the consumer's choice to buy in or not. My simple point is "nothing is forever".

Oh dear, yet another company rip off! I use platinum nearly day and really love it, I look forward to the updates like a kid looks forward to' what's in the big box at Christmas. So I have paid for the updates, thinking warmly of the Sonar team beavering away making changes to the software. Now I am confronted with making a payment for updates that will continue forever although given previous comments 'forever' may not be forever! As I understand it, my payment has a discount for the updates already paid for earlier although it's time sensitive so if you can't afford it yet ... well. Not happy that I have no idea how long Platinum will be supported or the way Cakewalk seem to be stringing us along! Might be time to cut and run ... PRO TOOLS? 

 
Alternatively, upgrade each year for the same price. If you were happy before with this idea, what's changed now that you only have to pay it once and get updates until whenever the product is retired? You'll at least get your money's worth. I dunno if I could say the same thing about the pricing structure of ProTools
 
Good point

soens

Bristol_Jonesey

BRuys
The whole thing about Sonar Platinum was that it was to be the end of versions, to be updated continuously.  The model is similar to Windows 10 - supposedly the last version of Windows ever, to be updated indefinitely.  That's why it was not called X4.  So you can't compare the life expectancy of Platinum against previous versions like X2 or X3, etc.  The model is now completely different.

Someone gets it 

Except for the fact that this "model" goes against the well established marketing model built on the foundation of "change is necessary to maintain sales". The consumer consciousness has been conditioned to expect a newer version periodically. The market, the world, all are in a constant state of neverending change. The current philosophy will only last as long as it yields sustainable results. The moment it fails to do so, change will happen.

X2 becomes X3 becomes Frankfurt becomes Guggenheim becomes 2016.05 becomes 2016.06 Update 1, et al...
 
They've changed revision naming almost as often as they've changed their sales strategy.

The Grim

John
 
Is there a promise that CW has made that one can point to as precedent? On what grounds is this assertion made?   

[playing the devils advocate] if you cared to take the time to look you could find untruths, perhaps not a broken promises as such, but certainly back flips to stated things, for example there will be no mac version for sonar to name one, and what do we have now? we all know that has been stated many times over the years, i am just stating a fact. if you are going to pretend to be squeaky clean, you best be squeaky clean. i know this will be roasted, turn inside out and flipped on it's head by the fanatics, but it is the truth none the less.
 
i am just pointing it out in relation to the apparent belief that there is no guile to be found in this company. companies are all the same, at the end of the day it is all about what is best for them, their survival first and foremost, everything else is secondary, anyone who tells you different is either deluded or flat out lying.
 
anyway, the news has broken, didn't really excite me much, very thankful for the $99 lifetime deal, the latest version seems fairly good, however not near enough to drag me from my daw of choice. now as a lifetime member i can check back every now and then until sonar ceases to exist in its present form and see how things are going at no extra cost to me, i wasn't going to renew my subscription next year, but this was to good to pass up, you never know what the future brings, i am not tied either emotionally or any other way to a particular daw or company as many others here seem to be, i will go with what i see as the best at the time, the best for me, and that is not sonar at this time on either count, perhaps down the road aways it may have those things i desire, or perhaps it may be another daw all together, but for now i am more than happy where i am

When CW responded about not having a Mac version in the future that was under a different owner and not once did they say it would never happen. At that time it wasn't in the pipeline. Nor can anyone characterize it as a lie or going back on a promise. They never promised that a Mac version would never happen.
 
I reject your putting all companies in the same boat. They are as different as the people in them. Some companies shine when it comes to integrity others not so much.  
 
 

I never mentioned it, but will now. Has anyone else noticed the SPLAT logo looks like a symbol of a black hole! They are going to suck us all in, take all of our money, and we'll never be heard from again. i KNEW it! I just knew it.
 
<sarcasm off>
 
Stop children, what's that sound...

MarioD
Why all the negativity?  Why worry about something that you have no control over?  It will be what it will be!  Live with it.
 
I'll bet that some people would win a million tax free dollars/euros/whatever then **** because they would have to drive 500 miles/804 kilometers to pick up their check!
 
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Thanks you !