It also brings tools to help in the actual publishing stage, including Business Catalyst for web hosting, Typekit, and Digital Publishing Suite, a solution for turning static content into interactive iPad applications. To sweeten the deal Adobe is bundling 20GB of cloud storage, device- and desktop-syncing, and access to the full gamut of Adobe touch apps introduced late last year.

The service will launch alongside Creative Suite 6 sometime later in the first half of this year, at which point subscribers will be able to download all apps individually on up to two different machines. Still, it's not hard to connect the changes to the rampant piracy that's plagued Adobe for years: a $49 entry price might lure in a lot of buyers who'd otherwise head straight to a torrent site. The new software-as-a-service offering seems like a great deal, and when you compare $600 per year to $2,000 up-front, you'll have to think long and hard about whether it's worth it in the long term.

Later in the first half of 2012, Adobe will introduce Creative Cloud, an end-to-end service offering that will grant users access to its upcoming Creative Suite 6 apps and provide ancillary services starting at $49.99 a month if you commit to a one year contract.

Adobe creative suite cloud pricing