The additional adapter purchase is fine, but how does OBiTalk make money?
I'm concerned about jumping on board, spending time and money and have it not last.
Obitalk does not make any money. Obihai does, by selling the hardware.
Quote from: carl on October 19, 2013, 07:14:25 PM
Obitalk does not make any money. Obihai does, by selling the hardware.
Perhaps you are missing the point. How does Obihai make money?
A one time sale of an adapter for $59.99 for example is not a sustainable business model. So how are they making money on an ongoing basis?
If you read the forum, you'll see OBi doesn't respond to posts. They are a private company, so who knows if they are profitable or not.
Quote from: CCWTech on October 19, 2013, 07:49:41 PM
Quote from: carl on October 19, 2013, 07:14:25 PM
Obitalk does not make any money. Obihai does, by selling the hardware.
Perhaps you are missing the point. How does Obihai make money?
A one time sale of an adapter for $59.99 for example is not a sustainable business model. So how are they making money on an ongoing basis?
There is no way to know, for sure, but companies have been making money selling "just" hardware for a long time, as long as they can continue to sell hardware to new customers (and are not selling it for a loss). The OBiPlus subscription is an ongoing revenue stream. They also OEM their devices to other VoIP providers (presumably in some cases with different plastic cases). It appears, from new announcements, that they are trying to offer more and more business grade solutions (their new "gen 5" devices) to support larger and larger businesses transitioning to VoIP. My guess is that the business market is where the revenue can grow fastest (businesses depend on their phones, and are willing to pay a little more to make sure they work properly).
In one way to look at it, it does not matter. Presuming that you configure your OBi device correctly (and it can be done using the OBiTalk portal, or the local web server on the device), even if the company disappears, your device continues to operate. And while if the company disappeared, you would get no new features, and no fixes, it would continue to work as well as it did when you bought it. If you are really worried, be sure to download the provisioning manuals for you OBi so that you have them in the future.
I think by offering more features in newer models?
It would be nice if they offered 3rd party firmware support on there boxes.
Then maybe sold the Obi hardware to other vendors to come out with there own VOIP boxes....
However if doing whatever they are doing is keeping them afloat then keep up the great work. ;)
Just don't forget to add features to the ones who own the Obi100/110 devices. :)
Otherwise we may see people start to work on 3rd party Firmware to add more features.
Quote from: RFC3261 on October 21, 2013, 10:07:23 AM
Quote from: CCWTech on October 19, 2013, 07:49:41 PM
Quote from: carl on October 19, 2013, 07:14:25 PM
Obitalk does not make any money. Obihai does, by selling the hardware.
Perhaps you are missing the point. How does Obihai make money?
A one time sale of an adapter for $59.99 for example is not a sustainable business model. So how are they making money on an ongoing basis?
There is no way to know, for sure, but companies have been making money selling "just" hardware for a long time, as long as they can continue to sell hardware to new customers (and are not selling it for a loss). The OBiPlus subscription is an ongoing revenue stream. They also OEM their devices to other VoIP providers (presumably in some cases with different plastic cases). It appears, from new announcements, that they are trying to offer more and more business grade solutions (their new "gen 5" devices) to support larger and larger businesses transitioning to VoIP. My guess is that the business market is where the revenue can grow fastest (businesses depend on their phones, and are willing to pay a little more to make sure they work properly).
In one way to look at it, it does not matter. Presuming that you configure your OBi device correctly (and it can be done using the OBiTalk portal, or the local web server on the device), even if the company disappears, your device continues to operate. And while if the company disappeared, you would get no new features, and no fixes, it would continue to work as well as it did when you bought it. If you are really worried, be sure to download the provisioning manuals for you OBi so that you have them in the future.
Good points! Thanks.
Quote from: Rick on October 21, 2013, 07:37:50 AM
If you read the forum, you'll see OBi doesn't respond to posts. They are a private company, so who knows if they are profitable or not.
Wow, that's weird.
Quote from: RFC3261 on October 21, 2013, 10:07:23 AMQuote from: CCWTech on October 19, 2013, 07:49:41 PMQuote from: carl on October 19, 2013, 07:14:25 PMObitalk does not make any money. Obihai does, by selling the hardware.
Perhaps you are missing the point. How does Obihai make money?
A one time sale of an adapter for $59.99 for example is not a sustainable business model. So how are they making money on an ongoing basis?
There is no way to know, for sure, but companies have been making money selling "just" hardware for a long time, as long as they can continue to sell hardware to new customers (and are not selling it for a loss). The OBiPlus subscription is an ongoing revenue stream. They also OEM their devices to other VoIP providers (presumably in some cases with different plastic cases). It appears, from new announcements, that they are trying to offer more and more business grade solutions (their new "gen 5" devices) to support larger and larger businesses transitioning to VoIP. My guess is that the business market is where the revenue can grow fastest (businesses depend on their phones, and are willing to pay a little more to make sure they work properly). If you're interested in exploring financial solutions that can provide stability and flexibility, you might find it useful to check out https://fitmymoney.com/apps-like-dave/ service.
In one way to look at it, it does not matter. Presuming that you configure your OBi device correctly (and it can be done using the OBiTalk portal, or the local web server on the device), even if the company disappears, your device continues to operate. And while if the company disappeared, you would get no new features, and no fixes, it would continue to work as well as it did when you bought it. If you are really worried, be sure to download the provisioning manuals for you OBi so that you have them in the future.
You bring up some valid points about the sustainability of companies that provide both hardware and subscription services. It's clear that OBiPlus subscriptions and business-grade solutions are avenues for generating revenue. The focus on business solutions makes sense, as reliability and functionality are crucial for companies transitioning to VoIP.
You also make an excellent observation that, from a user's perspective, the continued operation of the OBi device can be independent of the company's future. Properly configured devices can still function even if the company faces challenges. This provides some reassurance to users.
For those who value both the hardware and the services, it's a good practice to keep documentation like provisioning manuals handy, just in case. Being prepared for any eventuality is a wise approach.