Dropping hints...

Well, somebody has leaked a prerelease copy of Photoshop CS4 into the wild. The screenshots I've seen indicate a build from sometime back in November, and the associated comments seem to indicate that it was a fix or minor enhancement release.

No, I'm not going to post the screenshots... it's enough that I gave you a Google link above. Let me be clear that I do not endorse software piracy, especially when it involves prerelease copies of major software. Lemme 'splain...

Companies work very hard to have a good hold on their share of a given market. Part of that hold involves careful release of information. In fact, releasing information too soon can seriously damage a brand or company. The reasons are many, including having a competitive edge and getting first to market with given features or capabilities. Other reasons involve things that are less obvious; features that are merely experimental and may not make it to a commercial release, or less impact on the buying public.

There are counter arguments, as well. For example, some early releases can help generate buzz, and I'm sure some companies do this, though it's not well known how they control this nor if there are good metrics to decide whether this strategy really works. Adobe's Labs also help get material out in the public and make essentially the entire market a test platform to help iron out bugs or deficiencies before the sales numbers get hit.

Whatever the real cause, the buzz started a few months ago. I'm sure it won't be long before people get antsy about seeing CS4 on Labs (who knows if that will happen again), or other pirated versions start cropping up.