Adobe's design software—Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator etc—has always been industry-standard in the creative industries but its cost has often been prohibitive.

Maybe not so any longer. The company is offering its flagship Creative Suite 5.5 collection as a subscription.

There are a variety of offers ranging from NZ$130 a month for the standard year-long subscription to NZ$260 a month for the Master Collection, including month-to-month contracts that are offered at a higher monthly price. This is compared to around NZ$3,768 for the outright purchase for the standard edition (approx NZ$5,156 for the Master Collection).

The subscription ensures access to the latest version of the software at all times.

Interestingly the subscription service is only available directly from Adobe, leaving your local computer dealer out in the cold.

See more here.