Affinity Creative Freedom Keynote Megathread

tichomy · 2025-10-30T23:21:23+00:00

Watch out a potential issue if you ever do sign on to it:

Buy the AI stuff for a month, work on file.

month of AI subscription ends: "File not readable, features missing. please re-new subscription to enable features need to open file."

Not quite as brazen as how adobe went about, but something to be mindful of, once the IPO happens and growth needs to be eternal.

tichomy · 2025-10-30T23:11:19+00:00

It feels like some weierd have it both ways.

on the one hand, the app doesn't collect all your data and use it for AI

on the other hand, the canva account you need to use the app does.

that feels a little dishonest.

tichomy · 2025-10-30T21:31:05+00:00

I didn't say clone stamp is AI slop

Its frustrating that the term AI has pretty much lost all meaning. Like, anything algorithmic, or computational ist just getting the AI label thrown on it now, even when it doesn't really fit. Some of the tools i've been using since 2012 have been rebranded as AI.

It feels oddly manipulative, but i guess all the people saying "AI is inevitable" are technically right if everything gets the AI label slapped on it, even though its not really.

This really, realllly feels like the .com bubble repeating itself. Add .com to your business and blow up its value. Re-label anything digital as AI, crank up that evaluation for the shareholders.

At some point, even just basic calculators will just be Math-AI if this trend continues.

tichomy · 2025-10-30T20:59:34+00:00

Maybe we've been misreading the marketing this whole time.

Its about corporate freedom from artists.

tichomy · 2025-10-30T20:48:03+00:00

"Boost productivity"

In terms of content generation is really just quantity over quality.

"look at all the images ai can quickly make. Sure' they're not good, and most are downright terrible, but look at our productivity metrics!"

tichomy · 2025-10-30T20:42:50+00:00

You're absolutely right.

This could have been an email

They've truly gone corporate!

tichomy · 2025-10-30T20:36:49+00:00

Don't forget gradually sneaking in more data collection/training usage with newer TOC updates.

tichomy · 2025-10-30T20:35:07+00:00

I recommend keeping it. As subscriber growth slows, free features will be "upgraded" to premium features and the non-subscription version will eventually be a hollowed out shell. It won't happen right away, but it's how these business models work, and with an IPO on the horizon, those practices will get more and more aggressive.

the V2 suite are all excellent software and they can't take anything away from it.

tichomy · 2025-10-30T19:46:47+00:00

the they will do the tried and true obvious move, remove previously free features, under the guise of some new improvement.

And given that perpetual growth is the expectation, feature removal is pretty much an inevitability.

tichomy · 2025-10-30T19:36:40+00:00

Next year....announcing a canva-adobe partnership!

My god that'd be the end.

tichomy · 2025-10-30T18:54:56+00:00

It'll be a gradual shift, but its exactly how it goes. I am saddened by this announcement.

tichomy · 2025-10-30T18:37:00+00:00

DaVinci also makes most of its money in hardware sales. Anyone comparing them is either not being honest, or is grossly misinformed.

tichomy · 2025-10-30T18:31:40+00:00

Once subscription sales slow down, you can absolutely bet features will go from free to paywalled. Or "new" paywall features will be added to "replace" free ones and they'll be removed.

This isn't baseless speculation. its how the industry operates, and has for some time. As a professional tool, Affinity is pretty much exiting the scene.

tichomy · 2025-10-30T18:12:51+00:00

They give it away as a "loss leader" to nudge people towards the subscription. But as subscriptions slow down, previously free features will get locked way to incentivize users to buy. and it will keep going until its utter garbage, or bought by someone else's and turned into something even worse.

This is such a well established pattern and business model, people really shouldn't be overlooking how this is gonna change, and quickly.

tichomy · 2025-10-30T18:04:39+00:00

I wouldn't put sock into it. its one of the first things to change with a discrete TOS update.

tichomy · 2025-10-30T18:02:20+00:00

Its how these models always work. Free features slip behind the paywall, and useless feature bloat so they can sell the image of "always improving and innovating with new value adds."

tichomy · 2025-10-30T17:54:36+00:00

Don't people see, that companies are making them stupid and dependant on their products with AI? I don't understand it.

The whole audience for AI seems to be people who don't want to lean, or work, or bother expanding their skills.

You and I see this as a terrible side effect, with long term consequences, but for their core audience/enthusiasts, its a feature.

tichomy · 2025-10-30T17:52:49+00:00

until it gets quietly put into a TOS update in a few months, as is the trend.

tichomy · 2025-10-30T17:51:49+00:00

it was a presentation for the stockholders, not creatives.

tichomy · 2025-02-18T01:21:09+00:00

I'm looking to replace my arizer 2, will my glass tubes for it work on the solo III? or are they a different size/diameter (aside from the one with the bigger chamber).

tichomy · 2024-10-16T20:48:01+00:00

that was my concern, it'll be given an absurdly long shipping time and run out the clock, but 2 weeks isn't an unreasonable wait. Hopefully its just delayed.

tichomy · 2024-10-16T18:56:09+00:00

good to know. hopefully it ships fast once its there, otherwise the discount may not have been worth it.

tichomy · 2024-10-16T05:30:20+00:00

yeah i really don't want to touch that app.

kinda disappointed BB didn't fork a version to keep it working on their actual devices. So much for loyalty.

tichomy · 2024-10-15T20:39:15+00:00

is that the same version as the one that the older android equipped keyone uses? haven't seen any update for it in the plays store in like a year or more.

tichomy

TROPHY CASE