All that worries...
 
Rather simple logic: the first life-time offer was targeting MOST LOYAL CUSTOMERS, some are more then 20 years "with" Cakewalk products.  Does someone seriously think that CakeWalk has hidden intentional plan to rape them ALL with "fake" life-time update which they are going to drop 1 year later?
 
And in case they drop it 2 years later, the price is the same as the membership for 2 years (including current one). Still there will be horrible negative impact, but for THEM and not for YOUR wallet!

All points considered, let's not forget we're using software from cakewalk. They've more than earned the trust I have in them. I love the new lifetime model. I signed up within minutes of receiving the email. I've been fortunate enough to get some no-brainier deals here and there in the last few years, but this lifetime deal reigns at the #1 no-brainier I got to take advantage of... Happy and surprised long time user here!

This has to be the most cynical notion yet posted on these forums. 
 
In order to have such a view the OP must be able to point to things Cakewalk have done to provoke this conclusion. 
 
Is there a promise that CW has made that one can point to as precedent? On what grounds is this assertion made?   

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!
 

 
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

This post makes so many conjectural claims that it should be fan fiction.
 
Arbitrarily thinking X(number) is the full product life-cycle they're talking about is incorrect. So, right from the start this whole "sky is falling" doomsday scenario you're cooking up is just to stir the pot. 
 
It blows my mind that some people will contort all manner of horsecrap to remain negative at all costs. Boo on you Tripecac.

Song Smith Steve
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? 

How does this announcement change the fact that you had no idea on May 31st how long Sonar would be supported?
 
The reality of the lifetime update offer is if you upgraded in 2015 and renewed in 2016, you are effectively pre-paying your 2017 annual update 6 months early to get free updates after that.  Everyone will have to evaluate for themselves if its worth it or not.

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

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 will not flip anything, I am not fanatic and I normally disagree with John's statements.
 
But what you have written make no sense. Which answer could you get asking IBM officials on question either you are able to care a computer in your pocket in year 1960?