atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Avaya - Lucent Telephones & Systems End Of The Line For The Partner ACS?

Hal-
Got to agree with you 100%.
The small dentist office, doctor office, and resturaunt would be hard pressed price wise to need an IP system until it cost less than traditional phones.

And as was mentioned, if the Avaya ever moved away from the Partner (which they won't soon because they need to recoup the R&D of the new style sets) they will sell the rights to someone. There is just way too much Partner equipment to leave it hanging because the base represents a huge PROFIT stream in long term support and repairs.

No, get use to it, the Partner systems will be around and supported for many many years. Looking forward to releases 8, 9, and 10 !!

This has become thoroughly enjoyable. Especailly Hals bit about "shovels have been replaced by backhoes".

The average telephone user has NO freakin idea how the phones work, and really don't care. Whether it be the key system in a small business, church, home, etc, or a PBX in a larger business, TDM or IP means nothing to them. They just want them to work. They fully expect them to work. Unlike their computers and the attendant networks that are ALWAYS messed up. I'm so torn on this. I can see telephony is going IP and can see some advantages. But why replace a paid for working system just for the latest and greatest? Only to help my resume as far as I can tell. (And that can not be overlooked) I think the Avaya and NorTels of the world fear being left behind with TDM. And there has to be more money in it... else they would not be driving it this way. (Perhaps these are my motivations as well...)
As for the Partner. I've been around them, working on them now and then, never enough to really know what I'm doing and having to relearn it (get out the manual) each time I see another one. But seems like with most key systems they have WAY more features/capabilities than the average user ever taps into. Why the need to go to a r7 anyway. Is this a case if ain't broke don't fix it?
A shovel (phone) makes a pretty good shovel (phone). Why try to put the darn then on your PC?
Excuse me while I reboot.

Richard

IP marketing strategy:

1) Create as much hype as possible to make the public think that IP and VoIP is the latest and greatest, much like "digital" was the last buzz word. Recruit IT people (by creating a product that will appeal to them and give them job security) to convince their zombe superiors that IP is a must have. Superiors have no idea what this means but since they wouldn't dare argue with the IT department they shell out the bucks.

2) Elminate the competition from your own product line. Discontinue perfectly good legacy products so customers will have to buy your IP product.

The telecom manufacturers felt that they were becoming stagnant with products that would last for years with little or no attention. There had to be a way to increase revenues and so they adopted what the computer industry was doing. Easy enough since the public has already been conditioned to accept that kind of crap.

They saw how the computer industry has created a cash cow with planned obsolescence, poor reliability, high maintenance and releasing products and software that's full of bugs (buy it now, we'll fix it in a later release when you buy it again) and did the same thing.

You are right- The average telephone user has NO freakin idea how the phones work, and really don't care. They have no idea that they are being manipulated into spending their money or into replacing perfectly good equipment.

-Hal

Excellent Hal.

This reminds me of going to the auto parts store for a widget for my car. I just need a headlight. Need make, model, year, what size engine, air conditioning? Standard or automatic? Are you kidding?
Hey didn't someone make a perfectly good dadgum headlight a long time ago? Use that one. How many different size screws do you really need? Why so many different thread patterns not to mention if it's phillips head or God forbid a torx head?

Why do we keep reinventing the wheel? (or having it reinvented for us) Planned obsolescence. Utter stupidity.

Richard

Well, on the optimist side..

No official announcement is out yet (Though I do believe it is on its way out).

Also...even if it is discontinued, it will still be around for 10 years or more...

And for small businesses, there are plenty other systems out there that will fufill their reqirements (and probably better than the Partner ever did...) such as the NEC/DSX and Transtel products...and I know there are others out there.

I have installed several, and they are not real flexible, but hey, they are an option.

Why release 7?

If you read the latest newsletter from AVAYA the Partner is not going anywhere. If you would like a copy please e-mail and I will send you a copy. It is expected that the partner will outsell it's 006 numbers in 2007. I quote "There are no plans to put this system to rest". Another quote "The Partner ACS product line is far from dead.

Info SMB product news January 2007.

I'd like to see the newsletter. (I don't know if my not being a CPE installer would disqualify me from being able to have a copy E-mailed to me).

I'll field this question to the Avaya Business Partners. Didn't Avaya say, maybe 2 years ago, that the Magix was not going anywhere, only to turn around and pull the plug on it back in April 2006? :confused:

If that is true, can the information in latest newsletter be trusted?

Hmmm, maybe I should visit the SMB site more often. That is good news!

What they said about the Magix was that they would produce it as long as the sales justified it. Could be that the IPO was cutting into those numbers.

I also don't doubt that '07 will be a better year than '06 for the Partner for the same reason- Magix isn't cutting into those numbers and all the reasons I gave for small businesses not wanting the IPO.

-Hal

Interesting? No more Magix but no end in sight for Partner. How about making the partner 100 stations.

Ive have a customer with with four lines and 32 extensions and mail. It's a school and most of these phones are in class rooms. To save the phones and cost I have to Move them into a used magix cabinet with new mail and cards that support the partner sets. What the heck? I guess I might be looking at samsung or NEC for the small people over 50 stations.