General Forum

Re: The end of Serenata?

Calvin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:20:44 GMT

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.

Re: The end of Serenata?

DavidOd — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:53:01 GMT

I agree with TWG - serenata was(is) a disgrace.

B&O should have come up with something in the line of Serene (not sure what though)

Anyway the phon market is too saturated with even the chinese making quite good replica's...Painful...but good time to move on...

What next?

Re: The end of Serenata?

vikinger — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:14:31 GMT

GuyHui :

I'm fairly certain that in the company annual report they said that they were getting out of the phone business altogether.

Graham

Hello,

Are you talking about the mobile phone business ?

It seems that the domestic phone business is quite prolific for B&O.

Thanks for your feedback,

Cheers,

Guy

From the Company April statement to investors:

New telephone
For many years, Bang & Olufsen’s telephones have enjoyed considerable success. However, in line with the
Group’s strategy plan, the management does not expect to continue to start development projects for this
product category. Consequently, the Group has initiated its final concept for landline telephony in the form of a
telephone with loudspeakers for among others hands-free conversations and conference calls. The telephone is
also intended for internet telephony. This concept also allows the user to select colours in the full graphic
display.

So just one phone to go?????

Graham

Re: The end of Serenata?

GuyHui — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:42:22 GMT

I'm fairly certain that in the company annual report they said that they were getting out of the phone business altogether.

Graham

Hello,

Are you talking about the mobile phone business ?

It seems that the domestic phone business is quite prolific for B&O.

Thanks for your feedback,

Cheers,

Guy

Re: The end of Serenata?

vikinger — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:22:21 GMT

Chrisreunion:

I was browsing on B&O website this morning and just noticed that the website dedicated to the Serenata was..gone! Try serenatamobile.com, and it takes you back to the main website; however, the Serene website (serenemobile.com) is still working.

Don't you find it strange that the latest mobile, offering more capabilities than the Serene, is going away? Is this B&O's capitulation in front of the Iphone?

I'm fairly certain that in the company annual report they said that they were getting out of the phone business altogether.

Graham

Re: The end of Serenata?

TWG — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:26:46 GMT

The Serenata shouldn't have appeared! It is simply an embarassing product of a phone. The worst example for the category "Design and nothing more!"

Totaly useless ...

Perhaps they learned s.th. from their mistakes with Serene and Serenata or that cheap Samsung MP3 player called Beosound 6 ...

Re: The end of Serenata?

xegoon — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 05:17:26 GMT

The Serenata was discontinued on december 2008

Re: The end of Serenata?

Beofan2 — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:08:55 GMT

Serenata isn´t gone. But both will be discontinued.

The end of Serenata?

Chrisreunion — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 00:50:11 GMT

I was browsing on B&O website this morning and just noticed that the website dedicated to the Serenata was..gone! Try serenatamobile.com, and it takes you back to the main website; however, the Serene website (serenemobile.com) is still working.

Don't you find it strange that the latest mobile, offering more capabilities than the Serene, is going away? Is this B&O's capitulation in front of the Iphone?