Cut Prices, New ‘Centre’: ‘Price Gouger’ Accused Adobe Desperate For OZ Love?

Slashing prices, “amazing” Sydney demo centre….Adobe is looking for some Aussie love.

As Adobe gets set to be grilled under the IT pricing inquiry, it is opening new offices and ‘demo centre’ in Sydney tomorrow, supported by communications Minister Stephen Conroy.

As well as rapidly cutting the price of some of its software today, ahead of a parliamentary grilling next month, Adobe also announced the opening new offices and ‘demonstration facility’ in Sydney tomorrow, unveiled by Adobe’s CEO Shantanu Narayen, flanked by Senator Stephen Conroy and NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell. 

“It’s an amazing demo room, looks like a cinema almost with a great digital media experience – you will love it,” an Adobe spokesperson told SmartHouse.

You can’t buy Adobe products from the demo facility located at Sydney CBD at 201 Sussex Street, however.

The media invite was only sent out at short notice this afternoon for an event taking place at 10am tomorrow, as Adobe also slashed prices of Creative Cloud by 20% today.

Earlier this week, it was summoned by the IT pricing enquiry to appear before it to explain the massive price disparities between US and Aussie pricing on Adobe products.

Read: Adobe Slash AU$ Prices... Apple + Microsoft To Follow?

Incidentally, Conroy was the minister who signed off on the IT pricing inquiry, which this week summoned Adobe, Apple and Microsoft to answer before the parliamentary inquiry in Canberra on March 22 next.

However, a spokesperson for the minister denied there was any link between the two events, saying they are “very separate” and the IT pricing inquiry is a parliamentary matter, not a ministerial one.

Adobe’s CEO Shantanu Narayen will be there tommorrow, perhaps to butter up the pollies ahead of the showdown before the inquiry next month, where Apple and Microsoft execs will also face the stand, to explain the massive price disparities between US and Aussie pricing on gear like Adobe products, iPads and Windows software.