Basically, iOptron has shot themselves on the foot by taking their loyal customer base for granted. iEQ45, iEQ45 Pro built the market, that ZEQ25 excited, and later CEM60 pretty much captured the loyal customer base from Skywatcher, Orion, and Celestron.
This is where someone high-up in the management must have had a smart idea of "how to make more money", and ended up launching CEM60EC at $1200 extra for encoders. We all know that it failed to take off. So while CEM60s kept selling like hot cakes, what do you do - you squeeze the market by introducing CEM40. So you have now CEM25, iEQ30, CEM40, and CEM60 (and CEM60EC) for the amateur consumers. It is a strategic blunder to create a diluted product line such as this.
So you want to promote CEM40 (please get rid of that red color. White is good guys - that is your brand) - and you also want to ensure you get those overproduced CEM60ECs sold. How do you do that when CEM60s stealing the limelight - you squeeze the market and stop CEM60 production. By doing so - you force people to downgrade at CEM40, or push them to fork out more for CEM60EC.
Many, including myself, have given up and gone to EQ6R (even though I have an iEQ45 Pro). If not nothing - learn from Boeing and their 747 product line. Boeing did not stop it because the dreamliner was late and they wanted more 737s out. iOptron on the other way has gone the Airbus way and forced people to buy A380 when we needed a A350. Guess where A380 stands today - end of production line!
This is poor show by iOptron, and I hope they are listening.