If you still own seats of AutoCAD2000 and haven't
upgraded them by January 2004, you will lose the
upgrade pricing edge.
Your choices as an AutoCAD license owner are:
1)upgrade when the license expires
2)buy a subscription and pay an annual fee that
allows you to upgrade at your convenience
3)upgrade when a release comes out with features
you want or need
4)upgrade when your hardware and operating
system becomes so outdated you are no longer able to
compete in the market place
Believe it or not, there are people out there on
Windows 3.11 systems and 386s using AutoCAD R14
(and even 13 - may the Lord have mercy on them).
Which option you decide to go with depends on
whether you are a large, medium, or small company,
school, or self-employed. If you are self-employed, you
need to keep up with the latest releases in order to
keep your customer base. Your customers rely on you
to stay current with the latest technologies. If you are
a small machine shop, you can delay upgrading 1-2
releases, but you also will start losing your competitive
edge if you fall too far behind. If you are a technical
school, you need to be on subscription to ensure that
your students are always learning the latest
technology. Students have a way of dropping out
when they find out the software is two or more
releases behind.
The purpose of subscription is to allow you to
budget your software upgrade costs and allow you to
take advantage of special extensions that come
available quarterly. If you are a medium or large
company or a technical school, you should definitely be
on subscription. It simply makes paperwork easier.
Small companies and single user operators are in a
bigger bind. They don't have as much money for
upgrades and subscriptions, so it may make more sense
to skip a release and upgrade every other release.
However, it NEVER makes sense to let your license
expire. An expired license can cost you thousands of
dollars, while an upgrade usually is a few hundred.
Keep in touch with your local reseller as several
times a year Autodesk will provide promotions to make
it more palatable to either become a subscriber or
upgrade. Make it a habit to call your reseller quarterly
or check his website for deals. Nothing is more
annoying than finding out a promotion expired the week
earlier. If you don't have a reseller, you can locate one
through Autodesk's website or call 800-964-6432.
To locate an Autodesk Reseller Near You »
