They do that too, for a steeper discount. The annual contract option is good for someone who wants to pay monthly (less cash out of pocket right now) and knows they'll be using the software for at least 12 months. I would be surprised if that's not the majority of Adobe's customers, who work in a field that requires their use of Adobe software.
Sorry, I meant to say that they should only ask for the money to be paid up front. The "less cash out of pocket right now and knows they'll be using the software for at least 12 months" is just another way of saying they are indebted to the company. I don't think that is the type of relationship a software company should have with customers.
