...it's the ridiculous difference between buying their software in the US and almost anywhere else in world. (It is much more expensive in Europe, for example.)

The reason Adobe do this is because they know they can get away with it. All their usual explanations involving different distribution channels, the cost of localisation and the higher cost of doing business outside the US are, frankly, bollocks.

Recession or not, $1k isn't much for the software like Adobe's. Adobe's products are for *professionals* and amateurs who have money -- and make money. It's not for po' ass schmucks who only use Photoshop (and then, not *really* use it) to make themselves look less dumpy on their blogs. Hell, even if you're a po' ass college student, you can usually get it on the cheap from your university anyway.

For those who actually need the Creative Suite for their *job*, $1k is going to pay for itself as a fraction of the first project that uses it. Such people probably also own a copy already, so they're paying only the $600 upgrade cost-- which includes nearly all the software Adobe offers.

Adobe probably isn't shedding many tears for "losing" the folks who are grabbing it off the torrents either. They're non-customers who will probably never buy it anyway.

Since the software is used by very overpaid people the price isn't that weird at all, and for normal users who are also law-abiding they made photoshop elements for $99.- I think it is, and then there's the student versions, and the rest get the warez versions of course.
So in the end everybody is happy as long as you don't try to use the cheap/free versions to make tons of money thinking you can ruin the whole system because you are so special.

Yay open sorce... Gimp cost's nothing.

And people wonder how Pirate Bay hit 25 Million peers! $1k+ in a recession? Go f' yourself, Adobe.

..thing has always baffled me. It's been the case for a long time when purchasing Adobe products.
Maybe they feel you should pay extra for the convenience of having it sooner rather than waiting 3 weeks for it to be delivered :)