It's a shame really. The Serenata (whilst a great looking piece of kit) is an overpriced and underperforming phone because it's ability to go beyond the simple phone+text remit has been completely overshadowed by the iphone and other companies wither faster turnaround and technology advances. Simply put, the tech-phone business evolves continuously and so it's a bad market for B&O to be in if they want to make money.
On the other hand though, I love the Serene. 4 years on, it still looks amazing and if I had to buy a phone tomorrow, it would be a Serene. It fulfills the functions of 'working phone and SMS' as well as 'looks amazing' - on this basis it beats all other phones.
I know this will raise eyebrows: Beoworld is often riddled by arguments about how B&O is overpriced design or that the functional equivalent can be found elsewhere but the fact remains that if you become a member, you almost certainly have already bought into the brand and that (when you bought the item/s) you too believed the design aspect to be amongst your prime concerns. I honestly don't think buying a Serene over a cheap highstreet phone is any different from buying an Audi over a Skoda. The innards are much the same (because they're the same company) and you're just paying for the look and a brand name. £500+ for some branding and a great design? I must admit, I would say "yes."
It might seem crazy to others but we all spend crazy money on things we like, be it booze, be it cars, be it holidays, be it women. It just so happens that I would gladly spend a lot on money on a great looking mobile phone. So would and did others, this is why the Serene shifted thousands of units. It's no more ridiculous that paying £3,000+ for a CD player when I could get a great sounding one for £500 in the local electronics shop.