Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 comes to the Apple App Store, saves you money

 

 

Photographers using Apple's Mac OS X operating system now have a new way to obtain a current copy of Adobe's consumer imaging application, Photoshop Elements. First shipped last September, Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 has until now been available either as a boxed product at retail, or as a direct download from Adobe. Now, it's possible to purchase Elements 11 directly from Apple's Mac App Store on iTunes, should you prefer to handle all your software purchases in one place.

There is, however, a slight catch should you choose to take the App Store route. As with previous versions of Elements sold through iTunes, the version of Elements 11 downloaded from Apple's servers will not come with the Elements Organizer that's available as part of the standard bundle, and all links to this app will be removed from the Apple-sourced Elements variant. The reason for this, says Adobe, is that Apple doesn't allow developers to include more than one executable in any given App Store download, preventing it from including the standalone organizer.

If you're willing to forfeit the Elements Organizer, though, you've got one good reason to switch your purchase to iTunes. Retail pricing for Elements 11 on the App Store is around US$80, which is US$20 less than the full version price directly from Adobe, and matches the upgrade price available only to owners of a previous Elements version.

Adobe's addition of another way to purchase Elements 11 will be welcomed by those for whom retail packaging merely constitutes clutter. If you prefer physical media from which to reinstall, though, there's good news. So far, at least, Adobe has not mirrored the download-only strategy announced yesterday for Creative Suite and Acrobat, as Elements 11 remains available for boxed retail purchase as well.