Kurt,
You certainly may be onto something but the customers who will be most
affected by this price increase are the pro users who cannot legally
purchase the annual home license. I would love to see FS offer an annual
pro license for professional users, however.
On 12/15/2018 6:12 PM, Kurt Miller wrote:
--
Hi,
It’s just my 2 cents worth, but my guesss is that if they raise the prices, then people will go to the annual license which brings Freedom more money in the long run. Again, just my 2 cents.
Kurt
*From:*blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On Behalf Of *Kimberly Starrett
*Sent:* Saturday, December 15, 2018 10:13 AM
*To:* blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
*Subject:* [blind-philly-comp] Re: Freedom Scientific Announces Changes to US Pricing and Software Delivery Options,Annual Licenses under $100 for Home Users
I had a similar reaction when I looked over the new pricing structure. Maybe it was a misunderstanding on my part, but I thought FS was changing things up in an effort to make jaws more affordable and available to more blind people. But what I see here is just the opposite. Very disappointing but perhaps not so surprising since FS is in business to make money after all.
Sent from Kimber's iPhone
The happy ending still beckons, and it is in the hope of grasping it that we go on.—Annie Proulx
On Dec 15, 2018, at 10:01 AM, David Goldfield <david.goldfield@xxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:david.goldfield@xxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Hi, Robin.
It's a good question. I think it's safe to assume that the SMA
still provides the next two major updates since the press release
doesn't mention any changes to what you can expect to receive by
purchasing an SMA at the newer, more expensive price. The
announcement documents several changes and it would likely
indicate a change to what the SMA provides if FS intended to make
such a change. What I'd like a definitive answer to is why these
prices are actually increasing. On one hand, FS has taken several
steps to make JAWS and some of their other software more
affordable for more people. This includes payment plans for
students through APH, providing a free one-year license when
purchasing a computer from Computers for the Blind, offering their
software and SMAs at national blindness conventions at home use
prices, home edition licensing as a subscription, etc. It also
seems that software, in general, tends to decrease in price over
time. Yet they are increasing the cost of what they and others
call a perpetual license, meaning that you pay for one copy in
full and it runs for as long as you need it, as well as increasing
the cost of the SMA. Those who will be hit the hardest are the
JAWS Professional users, including large companies who have
purchased licenses for many users or even site or district
licenses, such as schools and other large campuses. People who are
anti-Freedom Scientific may be tempted to just accuse them of
all-out greed in a knee-jerk reaction but I don't think the answer
is that simple. Is this a way of attempting to recoup some of the
short-term costs which might have been lost as a result of annual
home license sales? Is more time and research needed to ensure
compatibility with newer versions of Windows 10 along with apps
such as Edge, Office 365 and Office 2019? Has FS noticed a decline
in sales, possibly due to NVDA continuing to advance with
features? Is research being conducted to push JAWS beyond the
boundaries of traditional Windows machines into something newer?
We may never really know but it would be at least courteous if FS
could make a formal statement on their reasoning behind these
changes. It's possible that this issue was addressed during the
December 13 FS Open Line, which is their new monthly call-in
program. I missed the episode but it should be made available soon
on the next episode of their FSCast podcast.
David Goldfield, Assistive Technology Specialist
WWW.David-Goldfield.Com <http://WWW.David-Goldfield.Com>
On 12/15/2018 1:06 AM, Robin Frost wrote:
Hi,
Firstly my apologies for the subject change but my email
program yelled at me as the re: designation took it past the
255 character count oopsey (laughs).
Maybe I’m stuck on slow but it’s unclear to me from reading
this if the SMA upgrade of $150 still gets you two versions or
just one? Does anyone know definitively?
Robin
*From:* David Goldfield
*Sent:* Friday, December 14, 2018 9:46 PM
*To:* blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject:* [blind-philly-comp] Freedom Scientific Announces
Changes to US Pricing and Software Delivery Options,Annual
Licenses under $100 for Home Users of JAWS and ZoomText in the
US, electronic delivery of licenses 24/7, and new prices for
traditional licenses, upgrades, and SMAs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
*Media Contact:* Eric Damery
*800-444-4443 *or *727-803-8000*
*www.FreedomScientific.com
<https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.freedomscientific.com%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7C921867e71ed74e91937808d662537eb3%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636804508073197616&sdata=p%2FVTsWQV02XwlLSu8Rg7eFMoHYeAUbJQiq%2Bgtv9gi10%3D&reserved=0>*
*Sales:* info@xxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:info@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Freedom Scientific Announces Changes to US Pricing and
Software Delivery Options
Annual Licenses under $100 for Home Users of JAWS and
ZoomText in the US, electronic delivery of licenses
24/7, and new prices for traditional licenses, upgrades,
and SMAs
(Clearwater, Florida - December 10, 2018)
Freedom Scientific today announced changes that have been
implemented so all software licenses purchased are delivered
to customers electronically, along with instructions on how to
download and install. PDF versions of the user documentation
<https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.freedomscientific.com%2FDownloads%2FDocumentation&data=02%7C01%7C%7C921867e71ed74e91937808d662537eb3%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636804508073197616&sdata=uDkrn9VIllldwRKtpz3OCC9RTh5DR719CKW27HCUmJ0%3D&reserved=0>
is available to download and print, or can be purchased for
delivery in print and Braille directly from our online store
<https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstore.freedomscientific.com%2Fcollections%2Fsoftware-manuals&data=02%7C01%7C%7C921867e71ed74e91937808d662537eb3%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636804508073197616&sdata=8knX1O1pPuYd%2FRgAWNnc8VKXi9iQQMz56u6UqbuuJ2A%3D&reserved=0>
for a nominal fee.
*New Software License Options for US-only available now*
New Home Annual Licenses
<https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstore.freedomscientific.com%2Fcollections%2Fsoftware-annual&data=02%7C01%7C%7C921867e71ed74e91937808d662537eb3%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636804508073197616&sdata=Py1Rr1ZUGaMPMtYtRtQVIJ4j2LpOFxtE8hCSxq4rooM%3D&reserved=0>
of JAWS and ZoomText are available for purchase via online
sales only in one, three, or five year terms. Prices are as
follows:
* JAWS - $90 per year
* ZoomText Mag/Reader - $80 per year
*Perpetual License Price Changes for US as of January 1, 2019*
*Product*
*License*
*SMA/Upgrade (per version)*
*JAWS Professional*
$1200
$300
*JAWS Home*
$1000
$150
*ZoomText Magnifier/Reader*
$700
$175
*ZoomText Magnifier*
$500
$125
*Fusion Professional*
$1700
$400
*Fusion Home*
$1400
$270
*Upgrades and SMAs available for all perpetual licenses, call
for pricing
* All sales and quotes prior to end of year 2018 will be at
current price levels
* All software sales continue to include free phone and
email support
*Coming Early in 2019*
Details will be announced soon on new Student Annual Licenses
of JAWS and ZoomText, offered FREE to students attending most
Higher Education Institutions in the United States.
About Freedom Scientific
Freedom Scientific is a leading worldwide brand of assistive
technology products for those with vision impairments. Freedom
Scientific is part of Vispero™. Vispero has its headquarters
in the USA and the Netherlands, and offices in Switzerland,
Belgium, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom. Through
Vispero's multi-tier distribution, Freedom Scientific products
are available in more than 70 countries worldwide.
Freedom Scientific® and its products are registered trademarks
in the United States and/or other countries. The names of
actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.
*
-- David Goldfield, Assistive Technology Specialist
WWW.David-Goldfield.Com
<https://eur04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2FWWW.David-Goldfield.Com&data=02%7C01%7C%7C921867e71ed74e91937808d662537eb3%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636804508073197616&sdata=%2FOmatjPoEILDBcmiqzTVy63qkx%2BDn9PxXThPAVL0pUY%3D&reserved=0>
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