APx500 Software Subscriptions – An Alternate Upgrade Path

Starting today, Audio Precision is introducing a new way to access all the latest APx500 software versions, along with all additional measurement options available*, via an APx500 Software Subscription license. This new approach to licensing an APx analyzer for a more recent software version may not be the right approach for some APx users, but it may be the perfect approach for customers with older licenses (e.g., v4.6 or earlier) seeking to upgrade and take advantage of capabilities added in more recent releases.

The Perpetual License

Before we dive into how the subscription model works, let’s define what a perpetual license is. When you buy an APx500 audio analyzer, the analyzer includes a perpetual license for the current software release at the time of purchase (as well as a one-year software maintenance contract granting that analyzer a perpetual license for the next major release). This means that no matter what you do in the future, that analyzer will always be licensed for the software version authorized at the time of purchase. Additionally, you will always have the choice to purchase an upgrade to a software version later than the one for which your analyzers are licensed, or alternatively, purchase a subscription license to access any software version newer than your current license.

The Software Subscription

The Software Subscription license provides access to all versions of any existing/future software and all measurement options, except PESQ and POLQA, for the duration of the subscription purchased. Upon subscribing, you will receive an electronic license file (or may purchase a FlexKey) that enables all software versions and options with an expiration set to the end of the subscription. Upon renewal, a new license file is provided immediately, but if the subscription expires and the subscription is not renewed, your analyzer will automatically revert to the perpetual license for which the hardware was previously licensed.

Considerations

In some situations, it may make sense for you to add a subscription to an analyzer for a certain period, knowing your hardware will, when the subscription expires, revert to the perpetual license it received when originally purchased. If you are upgrading your software but have skipped a few software releases, then a subscription license may make more sense financially. On the other hand, your company may require all software be owned outright (i.e., perpetual licenses) making a subscription not an option. Unlike other subscription models in the marketplace, our subscription model will not automatically renew – you are simply subscribing for 1, 3 or 5 year(s), as determined by which subscription you purchase.

Examples of the software releases, and new features associated with those versions, a customer gains access to via the purchase of a software subscription.

*The software subscription license provides access to all versions of software and all software options, except PESQ and POLQA, for the duration of the subscription.