Getting an individual copy of Acrobat Elements isn't easy because Adobe requires a minimum of 100 seats per order. But Dell and HP are authorized to sell the bundle as an upgrade on some new PCs.The history of Acrobat Elements in brief: The PDF world went collectively
slack-jawed when it found out that Adobe had been test-marketing something
referred to as "Acrobat Lite" in Europe during the year preceding Acrobat 6's release.
When Adobe released that test product as Acrobat Elements 6, though, many
potential users couldn't get the software, because Adobe required a 1,000-seat
minimum order.
For version 7 last month, Adobe dropped that minimum to 100 seats.
Individual PDF users who had been clamoring on message boards and other Internet
forums for something "more than Reader but less than Acrobat" would still have
to wait—or try out Adobe's competition, which includes Global Graphics'
Jaws.
Yet PDFzone has uncovered one way the user on the street can buy a single
copy of Acrobat Elements. How? The short answer is, "Dude, you're getting a
Dell. Or, possibly, an HP."
Those two companies offer Acrobat Elements as a part of software upgrades
to, respectively, Dimension desktop machines or any new HP system.
Dell customers who want Elements also get Microsoft Money and Encarta,
all part of the so-called Software Essentials Bundle that customers can order pre-installed on Dell systems.
As for the HP deal, Adobe is selling Elements
6 for $39.95 until Nov. 30. Adobe says there is no upgrade path to Elements 7
for individual buyers of Dell or HP systems.
Why would Adobe bend its licensing rules to allow a couple of PC vendors
to sell Elements to individuals?
"It was a cost-effective way for us to reach
those customers," said Adobe spokesman John Cristofano. Who's buying and
registering Elements—home users, or people working in corporate, government or
educational settings?
"We actually don't have granular visibility into
OEM customer profiles," Cristofano said. "The target segment for the computer
systems Acrobat Elements is bundled/sold with would be a reasonable
proxy."
Dell's Liem Nguyen, who manages PR for the Dimension line, said the
company sees Elements as a good sell to home users—the kind who also might find
enough use for Microsoft Money and Encarta to buy them along with Elements in an
inexpensive bundle.
"We think it appeals to home consumers who want an easy, low-cost way to
create documents," Nguyen said, "which is why we offer it as part of the
Essentials productivity pack, which includes personal finance and research
tools."
He added that Dell has sold Adobe software bundled with its computers for
years, and that the applications have proven to be "very popular." Business
customers get offered Acrobat Standard or Pro, but Elements offers the home user
an "easy, low-cost way" to make PDFs.
Part of Adobe's willingness to sell Elements one copy at a time for this
crowd might be to see how well it serves as an inducement to upgrade to the more
pricey Acrobat Standard and Professional boxes. Our source said that people who
buy Elements could be "good candidates" for upgrades.
Or not. "For others, Acrobat Elements serves their needs well, which
is why we configure the Acrobat family as we do," Cristofano
said.
