UPGRADE Price Increase February 16, 2009

[Tony Rose]

For all those M8 users who are thinking about upgrading. DO IT NOW!
There is QUITE an increase Starting February 16, 2009. I mean QUITE!!.
M8.2 sales will really ZING when the M8 forum sees these prices.

TR

 

[Keith]

That's it I'm outa here! 😛

 

[__hh]

Leica's way of saying "Merry XMAS"

 

[kshapero]

How big is quite?

 

[Keith]

Well ... I'm back with the fireproof overalls and ready to go! 🙂

This sucks ... there I said it! 😛

 

[Rayt]

Better to just sell the M8 and buy an M8.2? Is that Leica's intended result?

 

[Keith]

I'm sort of wondering how long before the current stocks of the M8 run out and the only option will actually be the M8.2?

This is going to make the option of buying a bargain price used M8 and getting the upgrades done a lot less attractive.

 

[Fred Burton]

Time to start writing Leica's epithet? Now we understand the desperate plea from Kaufman to support the dealers. It took them three years to sell fewer than 20,000 M8's. Making the "upgrade" much more expensive won't save the M8.2. It's simply an obsolete camera.

 

[tbarker13]

This does seem an odd move - like they are desperate to create a market for a new camera that appears to not be selling all that well.
The Leica braintrust must have vastly underestimated how buyers would respond to the choice between upgrading the M8 versus buying a new M8.2.
So now they move to make the upgrade path less appealing. But will that really make the M8.2 more appealing? Or will it just further distance the company from a deteriorating customer base?

 

[jaapv]

Time to start writing Leica's epithet? Now we understand the desperate plea from Kaufman to support the dealers. It took them three years to sell fewer than 20,000 M8's. Making the "upgrade" much more expensive won't save the M8.2. It's simply an obsolete camera.

Just out of curiosity: Where did you find the sales figures? And how do you come to three years? I have one of the very first, and it is just two years old....

 

[Fred Burton]

The figures came from Cameraquest. I think the actual number he quoted was 14,000. The M8 was introduced at Photokina in October, 2005.

 

[jody36]

Leica will eventually kill itself.

 

[RF-Addict]

And they continue to dig their own grave..............

Happy Holidays, Everyone

 

[jody36]

They should come out with an affordable m mount all manual film camera sub 1000 us. This would boost sales figures and not really so heavily on high dollar product. The other camera makes have both affordable and high dollar.

 

[jaapv]

The figures came from Cameraquest. I think the actual number he quoted was 14,000. The M8 was introduced at Photokina in October, 2005.

Interesting. I saw my M8 first at the Photokina 2006, and got it in November, the 7th, ten days before the official start of sale. There was no Photokina in 2005.They are held even years only.... And according to most Leica watchers they sold between 15000 and 20000 in the first year. Still they are selling as many as they can build......Getting your facts straight might dispel the impression that you are merely bashing.

 

[jaapv]

They should come out with an affordable m mount all manual film camera sub 1000 us. This would boost sales figures and not really so heavily on high dollar product. The other camera makes have both affordable and high dollar.

Sure. I'd like to have a 20.000$ Porsche as well....

 

[Keith]

Jaapv ... I understand your defence of the camera because you are and always have been a very satisfied user ... as I am also. The camera does what I expect and it's limitations are purely by design.

Tony is infering though that there will be a hefty price increase for the upgrade and fairly obviously he does know how much and has been informed by his supplier.

Why would they feel it's necessary to do this ... I don't understand it? It's not going to affect me because as far as I'm concerned the camera is OK as is and I have no need for the M8.2 ... but it seems odd to increase the price of the upgrade at this stage. I understand that they have announced price increases for numerous other products in the coming year but to me they should have held back on this particular increase.

 

[jaapv]

Jaapv ... I understand your defence of the camera because you are and always have been a very satisfied user ... as I am also. The camera does what I expect and it's limitations are purely by design.

Tony is infering though that there will be a hefty price increase for the upgrade and fairly obviously he does know how much and has been informed by his supplier.

Why would they feel it's necessary to do this ... I don't understand it? It's not going to affect me because as far as I'm concerned the camera is OK as is and I have no need for the M8.2 ... but it seems odd to increase the price of the upgrade at this stage. I understand that they have announced price increases for numerous other products in the coming year but to me they should have held back on this particular increase.

I'll summarize my opinion of the price increase - Probably ill-considered, badly communicated and over the top. I went on record as such on LUF when it was announced some time ago.

 

[jody36]

A recent google search shows a porsche for as little as 48000 and as High as 1900000 rounding figures. So the cheaper one is 26 percent of the highest one. So you can have a sporty boxer instead of the 911. There is no M mount sold new that is sold for 26 percent less than a M7. Its still apples to oranges but point is they can do it. They just dont care to. A boxer is a hellofa nice ride.

 

[Avotius]

hah I knew Leica was full of it when they said their camera was built modular and would be upgradable and never out of date!