[UPDATE (February 2012) – See how you can “create your own grace period” for any Adobe software purchase at any time!]
Adobe announced Acrobat X yesterday and it is open for preorder but not shipping yet… The company says the release date will be within 30 days, and in the meantime you can still buy Acrobat 9 (or download the Acrobat 9 Pro free trial) if you need something going today.
Historically, Adobe’s policy for major product releases has been that you may qualify for a free upgrade if you buy the previous version after the new product has been announced, but before it ships… The advantages are threefold: (1) you get software available for immediate download, (2) you get a more mature release if you prefer and can move up later at your leisure, and (3) you win a lower upgrade cost (e.g., from Acrobat 6, 7, 8), because you’re buying fewer steps to go up (to Acrobat 9 rather than to X).
The good news is this post-announce free upgrade policy remains in effect for Acrobat X, according to the chat session below with Adobe Customer Service. So it looks like you can get the best of both worlds and buy or upgrade to Acrobat 9 now, and then later get a free upgrade to Acrobat X when you—and it—are ready.
What’s more, Acrobat 6 was a very popular version of the product – and with Adobe’s “three versions back” limit for discounted upgrade pricing, once Acrobat 10 is released it will be the end of upgrade eligibility for users who are still on Acrobat 6.
There are some specific terms for the free upgrade, based on platform, language, and edition – so you might want to double-check the policy to make sure you’ll qualify… The offer is only available through Adobe directly, and to request your free upgrade just go to the Customer Support Portal, click on the “Orders & Returns” tab, and choose issue type: “Post Announce Upgrades.”
» Thank you for choosing Adobe. A representative will be with you shortly. Your estimated wait time is 0 minute(s) and 9 second(s) as there are 1 customer(s) in line ahead of you.
» You are now chatting with Kendra.Kendra: Hello! Welcome to Adobe Customer Service.
Pro: Hi, I see that Adobe launched Acrobat X yesterday but it is not yet available or shipping… Acrobat 9 is the version that’s still shipping in the Store.
Pro: In the past, Adobe has offered a free upgrade policy – a grace period where if you buy the older product after a new version has been announced but before it ships, you get a free upgrade to the new product when it’s released. Is this still the case with Adobe Acrobat X? Thank you.
Kendra: Please allow me a moment to review your request.
Pro: Great, thanks.
Kendra: I understand that you wish to know if you are eligible for free upgrade to Adobe Acrobat X from version 9. Is that correct?
Pro: Yes – if Acrobat 9 is purchased after Acrobat X was announced, which was yesterday.
Kendra: Okay.
Kendra: Yes, if you purchase Acrobat version 9 today then you are eligible for free upgrade to Acrobat X.
Pro: Hey, that’s great, good news – thank you for double-checking that.Pro: To get the discounted upgrade price, you can upgrade from up to three versions back, right? So if I had Acrobat 6 I could still receive the lower price to upgrade to Acrobat 9, and then later get a free upgrade to Acrobat X?
Kendra: Yes, if you purchase a qualifying upgrade today from version 6 to 9, then you are eligible for the free upgrade.
Kendra: Once Acrobat X is released, discounted upgrade pricing will be offered from versions 7, 8, and 9.Pro: OK, that’s terrific. Then last question, do you know if you can install and run both Acrobat 9 and Acrobat X on the same computer?
Kendra: Yes, they can work together on the same system.
Kendra: Your computer will be able to have both Acrobat versions, and you can choose which to run.
Pro: Perfect, that’s what I hoped.
Pro: Well, you’ve been very helpful on both questions, thank you very much!
Kendra: Thank you. It’s been my pleasure helping you today.
Pro: You did a great job answering, it’s much appreciated.
Kendra: I am happy to help, do you have any further questions for me now?
Pro: No, thank you again very much,.
Kendra: Thank you for contacting Adobe. Goodbye!» Thank you for chatting with us. Please click the “Close” button on the top right of the chat window to tell us how we did today.
Note: To purchase the previous version you need to look near the bottom of the Store pages for, “Can’t wait? Order the previous version, Acrobat 9 Pro today.”
We’re giving away a copy ourselves – take a chance to win a free upgrade to Acrobat X Pro!
Does Acrobat X work with MS Office 2010?
Hi Edward, yes it does – Acrobat X supports the latest operating systems and software applications, including Microsoft Office 2010, AutoCAD 2010, and IBM Lotus Notes 8.5…
PDF creation with Microsoft Office 2010 applications: Enjoy one-click PDF creation from the newest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, and Access, as well as specialized applications such as Microsoft Project and Visio.
See more details on the Acrobat FAQ: Acrobat X and Microsoft
I just bought a computer with Windows 7 on it, which has not arrived yet at my home. I have Adobe Acrobat Professional 6 on my home computer with Windows XP and my work computer with Windows XP. From what I’ve read on the Internet, Adobe Acrobat Professional 6 is not compatible with Windows 7.
The main purpose I use Adobe Acrobat Pro is very simple; to use already-designed forms from the PA Department of Transportation and insert the boxes that allow me to data-enter information on them. The completed forms are used in an online course. I read Adobe Acrobat Professional 9 (AAP9) is compatible with Windows 7. I want to confirm that before I decide to buy the AAP9 or AAP10 version. For the one simple thing I use Adobe Acrobe Professional, do you think the 9 version is sufficient?
Hello Carol, thank you for your questions. From what you describe, it sounds like either version could work for your needs. Although, be aware that since Acrobat X has been out for several months now, it’s difficult to find a safe and legitimate copy of Acrobat 9 out there, because Adobe doesn’t sell it any more.
Also note that Acrobat 9 has some issues in playing nicely Microsoft Office 10 (as implied by Edward’s question above), and Acrobat X does not – so that may be something else to consider.
Your best bet is probably just to download and run the free tryouts of either (or both) and see which works better for you, which you like best. You can find the free 30-day trials for both products on our Adobe Acrobat direct download links page, and it’s possible to run both on your system at the same time.
Just know that whatever you decide, it’s usually much easier and safer to just get the latest version direct from Adobe if you can!
Hope this helps.
We currently have Adobe Acrobat Professional 7.0, we want to upgrade it, but I am not sure which version do we need? – the Adobe Acrobat X Professional 10 for Windows – Upgrade, or Adobe Acrobat X Professional 10 for Windows. Please advise, thanks.
Greetings Thu, there’s good news – the Acrobat 7 you own is the oldest version that is still eligible for the discounted upgrade pricing to Acrobat X…
So the answer is, you can buy the Upgrade version (lower price) and don’t need the Full.
Thank you for your response. I am now going to order the Upgrade version.
I have Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Standard on a Windows 7 machine. I do not particularly need to upgrade. But how can I install Acrobat X Reader to read some files that I have been sent that do not come up in Acrobat 6? When I do it, it seems to overwrite the Acrobat 6 so that I cannot get that any more.
Hey there MuM, close everything and try opening Adobe Reader X first from the Windows Programs menu.
Then you should be able to pull in whatever file(s) you want directly using the menu: File > Open…
Thank you – I seem to be able to use both Acrobat 6.0 Standard and X Reader now
Great! Glad to hear it and thanks for letting us know it worked out.