I guess I "missed the boat", having purchased the perpetual license to PM6+ in July last year under the assumption (based not on a PROMISE, but an expectation) that an Apple Silicon version would be out "soon" and that typically owners of less than 1 year would be granted the free upgrade.
I honestly can not imaging how the marketing decision to switch to a subscription without this major version improvement was meant to appeal to anyone and since many of us did not choose to pay twice for the same capability, it is doubly odd and frustrating that we are also not allowed access to the Beta. This is all within the purview and business decision authority of the company, but I hope they recognize that it has created some frustration and ill will among customers that would otherwise try to continue to support the product.
I am now migrating to Photo Supreme, because it is already compiled as a macOS Universal app (as well as Windows) and actually allows me to to use the license on more than 2 machines. I use (all Mac) a Studio desktop, a fairly capable) MacBook Pro and a bottom shelf "El Cheap" Costco M1 MacBook Air (just for travel). The wrangling activations between these 3 machines in PM+6 is one reason I left the same obnoxious licensing deal with Adobe.
I recognize that PM+ is the "Gold Standard" in this sphere and the tech support has been grand, so I'd like to remain a loyal customer at some point in the future, but the apparent lack of appreciation to their loyal customers will have me "on the fence" for a while.