Canon USA website...massive makeover

Wow, just went to Canon's USA website...and it's completely redone! It doesn't look like something from the late 90s anymore, I am very confused. Matches the other international sites finally.

It still sucks. I'm not sure their user experience team and web designers actually own a camera. When I go into My Products I get a cute graphical representation of the equipment I've registered, but outside of a photo there is nothing else - no list including when purchased or serial numbers.

There is one exception, which further leads me to believe this is an ad-hoc effort - I had multiple 24-105mm lens registered at one time. Canon appropriately tells me "You have multiple products registered for this model" with a drop down list that includes both serial numbers. That's great, but the capability to remove only one doesn't exist, I must remove both or neither.

I spoke with support about the absence of a detailed inventory including gear registered, date of purchase and serial number (the essential pieces of information for registration), they told me I would have to go through my purchase receipts for this information. Not helpful at all.

If one stops and thinks about it, Canon USA is primarily a sales oriented organization, with the additional 'burden' of providing some customer support services (warranty and out of warranty repairs, spare parts sales to independent camera repair shops), motivated by the desire to entice owners to buy more Canon. As they put it, "The new website is completely redesigned with stunning imagery and enhanced user-friendly navigation which presents our outstanding Canon products and services ".

Included in their website are attempts at showing how the Canon family of products (not merely cameras) can help in different industries.

Solutions for Classrooms
Educators play a vital role in student achievement. That’s why educators devote a lot of time preparing assignments and course materials to make class more engaging and effective. Canon offers a variety of solutions that make it easier for teachers to focus on what matters most–student success.

Using Canon USA as a 'database' of customer photographic equipment is an unnecessary level of burden as owners seldom (if ever) bother to remove equipment from their kit database when they sell it to a later owner. Keep a spreadsheet of equipment, since you buy lenses and other non-Canon items, I presume.

Relative to their desire to show the Canon family of products and how they can be used by different groups, I think the new web site is more attractive than the old.

After trying to use the new website to get software for older cameras as well as my newer Canon equipment. I can say compared to the old one the new one is, imho next to useless. Maybe it is my browser Firefox 42.0 on OpenSuse 13.2 linux.....or the Firefox 42.0 on my windows 7 pro. But I had extremely frustrating experience. Web pages look like the are for tablet pc not for a desktop again just my opinion.

I keep my database of camera equipment (along with dozens of other categories of equipment and vehicle maintenance items etc) in an Android program called HandBase. It is backed up on my laptop. I would never rely on Canon to care about such info.