Steven Lee fired

Well, that didn't last too long!

I'll wager it was about the M8 upgrade program. In any corporation the sales/marketing department is politically the most powerful. This M8 upgrade program pretty much leaves the dealers in the cold by allowing users to send their cameras directly for upgrade. And without the enticement of a new product, say an M9 the dealers are not happy so sales/marketing are not happy. And the Summarit line is not doing so well.

From what I see, neglect of the low end Panasonic-Leica cameras was also an issue. The M8 is a pretty low volume space to sustain a company

The Hassy CB lenses, et al ring a bell? The end of Leica Camera is near. SELL all but the collectible; but even the buyers for these will die off. I'm down to two bodies for film and two lenses, which will become desk jewelry/fondle fodder, remembering the 'good-ol'-days' in the near future.

Could there be a relationship between the number of unsold M8's in inventory and the awkward method of upgrading the M8? Just a speculation of course.

I doubted from the beginning that an American guy of Chinese descent would be enough accepted by the German villagers who make up the workforce and midlevel management of Leica that he would have any future. Especially one as Lee who has his background in the huge American corporate structure such as Best Buys, whose philosophy is contrary and revulsive to the ideas of the small German high precision company.

That's worrying! I wondered why the IIIf I just bought wasn't working properly - now I know who to blame .....

Raymond, what's your source for believing the Summarits are not doing well? I can see that they're not out of stock at B&H (unlike the M8 for months after its introduction) but otherwise I've seen no figures and no dealer comments.

I think Raymond Tai above nailed it with the flawed M8 upgrade program...