Adobe has launched its Creative Suite 3 (CS3) software, paving the way for an upgrade blitz among users keen to take advantage of native support for Intel-based Mac systems and the integration of capabilities acquired with the late-2005 purchase of Macromedia. However, top-end users will have to wait a few more months, at least, to get their hands on product.

The Macromedia deal extended Adobe’s reach from the default choice of publishing and design professionals out to web, mobile and video professionals and developers. That change is reflected in the six configurations Adobe is making available in CS3, at prices starting from £1,409.

These comprise CS3 Design for media professionals and CS3 Web aimed at site designers, each in Standard and Premium editions, CS3 Production Premium for video, and the all-you-can-eat CS3 Master Collection. Key programs will also be available independently.

As well as providing support for both PowerPC- and Intel-based Macs, the releases support Windows XP and Vista. However, availability dates differ. Design and Web suites will be available from April while the Production Premium and Master Collection products will lag until the July-to-September calendar quarter, Adobe said.

Despite the Adobe launch and Apple’s plans to release the “Leopard” upgrade to Mac OS X in the spring, some firms will wait for a next hardware refresh cycle before committing.

“I still use Quark a lot but the trend seems to be to InDesign and [with the CS3 release] Adobe tools will now be more integrated with Macromedia. That said, the majority of designers will still be using Power Macs,” said David Watson, art director of London-based design company Trebleseven. “A lot of design agencies can’t afford to upgrade unless they have a requirement for high-end work, for example editing huge image files.”

However, Craig Tegel, Adobe northern Europe managing director, said there is “a huge amount of pent-up enthusiasm from the Mac community. Once we start shipping, people will start buying. And there are lots of people that have been waiting for CS3 to buy a new Mac”.

The CS3 release could also increase the sales of peripherals.

“CS3 is a massive opportunity for everybody,” said Guy Martin of pen-tablet maker Wacom. “Uptake of CS3 will be dramatic; it’s a new wave."

Some watchers that have waited for CS3 are rapturous in their welcome for the product.

“My early feeling is ‘I want this’,” said Toby Bell, research vice-president at Gartner. “This is a package that I can easily write off if I’m in an enterprise and will pay for itself if I’m independent. The most important component to CS3 is you can work between programs. All the workarounds people had to kludge before are in the box now.”