Hmm,  there is a free upgrade to X3 from X2, but NOT if you bought direct from CW.
http://www.cakewalk.com/page.aspx/Purchase-SONAR-X2-at-retail-and-get-free-SONAR-X3-Upgrade
 
Why is there discrimination? Everyone buys the same product, so why are Cakewalk store customers not allowed to benefit from the free offer?
Why should not buying a box mean you can't upgrade the same as those with a box?  Ironically, the 'retail' customer needs to setup a Cakewalk store account to get the product upgrade. Surely Cakewalk store consumers should not be isolated in this way. 
 
I can only assume that the majority of CW customers buy via the CW store, hence why they are penned in and discriminated against.

+1
 
I have been trying hard to get musician friends to use SONAR, and back in the X1 days I did talk one into getting X1LE for $20 to become a "CW customer" then upgrading to X1 Producer with the "free Production Suite upgrade." She got a sweet deal on that.
 
Once a CW customer is registered they have the CW account... so I do find this very unfair... especially since the people who got X2 from the CW store are also the "repeat customers!"
 
Michael

This is for folks who bought a full retail version not an upgrade.

So what? It's a like-for-like swap. Retail for retail, so there should be an upgrade for upgrade as well.
 

Well it is. If you had an x2 upgrade you can upgrade at a reduced.cost.

In the month leading upto x3, x1 owners could upgrade to x2 for $49. Then $149 to x3.

If you bought x3 for $399 retail in the last month or even now you get x3 free.

mudgel
If you bought x3 for $399 retail in the last month or even now you get x3 free.

I think you meant to say that if you bought X2 in the last month at full price you can upgrade to X3 for free. Seems fair to me. I'd be mad if I paid full price for X2 right before they announced X3 coming out, and then had to pay $149 for X3.

.

I bought the upgrade to 8.5 so I could get X1 for nothing back in the day. I would think everyone has a special offer at upgrade time - except Logic.

Grum.

mike_mccue
It also seems like an obvious way for Cakewalk to help stores clear out their old stock of boxed copy software.
 
It seems like an effective way for Cakewalk to help the stores they partner with while helping some customers as well.
 
IMO, I think it's a very good policy...
 

Last year I bought a boxed X1 at (close to) retail and upgraded to X2 for free. Seemed fair to me.
 
Walt

WallyG

mike_mccue
It also seems like an obvious way for Cakewalk to help stores clear out their old stock of boxed copy software.
 
It seems like an effective way for Cakewalk to help the stores they partner with while helping some customers as well.
 
IMO, I think it's a very good policy...
 

Last year I bought a boxed X1 at (close to) retail and upgraded to X2 for free. Seemed fair to me.
 
Walt

Same here. Having said that, the release of X2 was far less secretive and they were advertising the "free upgrade to X2" offer at least a month beforehand. It was great because I'd been thinking about buying into Sonar but I knew that a new version was on the way. The offer meant that I could get my foot in the door straight away and start learning Sonar without having to wait for X2. 
 
Don't think I paid full retail for X1 though. I'm pretty sure B&H Photo Video were selling it for $100 off.