Speaking of Cakewalk, have a read if you like on the Gear Slutz forum regarding the objections…there are some very good points against it.
I agree, it appears to be primarily a money grab, and a way to keep you biting on the line.
Steinberg already has already you biting on the line in their own way, and it’s working! Software companies have transitioned from the idea of providing a finished product for sale, to a never ending work in progress for rent. And much like TV shows, at the end of each episode, instead of giving you an ending to a predicament, they always leave you hanging to ensure you’ll want to watch the next! This may be very good for TV shows, but not for software IMO…because for software, they leave you with something never quite finished, and entice you with a promise it will be completed in the next… hence, the “Carrot On A Stick”!