What are your plans about the M mount situation. Poll

Photato wrote:

Assuming the discontinuation of the Canon M mount is imminent, what are your gear plans ?

I'm already an adopter of the EOS R system with several different cameras on hand. But the EOS M-System is where the pleasure is. 
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The problem with Canon right now is that they're now abandoning the original EOS flash mount.  This is the same mount on all EOS R-system cameras announced up until 2020.  You see... the new Speedlight EL-5 was announced this week. And it's not even compatible with the EOS R, RP, R5, or the EOS R6. It's immediately compatible with the new EOS R6 II but will later be compatible (some months from now) after an update for the EOS R3, R7 and R10 is enabled. Straight away, Canon were caught out being shortsighted with their prior EOS R-system cameras produced up until 2020. That's not only confusing for consumers but it's going to cost them in consumer confidence.
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Right now, we're barely a few days away from a wrecked economy with only Australia and a few isolated nations being partially immune to the global Economic Crisis. Canon is now bleeding so hard from Smartphone sales that they should be consolidating their products and trying to be more competitive with pricing. They even released a new camera that looks like a tiny smartphone called the Canon Inspic S. And for $150 - $99 these new "instant cameras" are aimed at the smartphone generation with the price being the only attractive thing about them.  This is embarrassing because it shows that Canon are desperate to remain as a relevant option in a world where many smartphones can outperform their compact and APS-C cameras. It reeks of insecurity.
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Canon's "midlife crisis moment" ... the Inspic S

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This week, Canon announced the RF 135mmL lens to supersede the recently discontinued EF 135mmL lens... but at 4 to 5 times the price.  They're trying to push lenses that are low priority yet fail to release essential lenses required by professionals and amateurs wanting to switch systems. But there's only so much blood you can squeeze from a stone.
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What they really fail to notice is that after the crushing misery of 2 years of lockdowns and failed deliveries due to Covid, that the world Economy is now in shambles.  We know this because of the high prices of all their latest products.  We're facing a certainty for a Global Economic Recession.  The cost of living is now so much higher than ever before that people are reevaluating their priorities.  Those who binged on photographic gear when the R-system was launched or bought into the R-series during the lockdowns are now trying to sell off their gear.  Camera stores that bought up secondhand cameras in 2021 are no longer buying because they can't sell their stock.  EF cameras and lenses barely move on the secondhand market unless the prices are dirt cheap.  Second hand goods dealers won't even touch dedicated cameras these days.  As I've said before in other replies, they all say the same thing: "Everyone today has a phone with a camera in it".  I'm actually delivering two in-the-box cameras to a charity group for free this week because I just couldn't sell them.
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I've noticed that businesses who would normally hire a photographer (eg restaurants, zoos, product manufacturers etc) are now simply getting their staff to take pictures with their smartphone cameras.  With the economic downturn, even professionals such as wedding photographers and photojournalists are finding themselves with barely enough work to cover part time or casual hours these days.
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So where does that leave the EOS M-system? 
Canon claimed earlier this year that the EOS M system has not been forgotten and that they would "continue to support it".  It would appear that "support" does not necessarily mean release new accessories, bodies or lenses for it. Would an EOS M7 or similar sell?  Absolutely it would.  But Canon have a decades old habit of wanting to dictate to the public what it is they should want, rather than support customer demands.  Their recent EOS R6 II is not aimed at appeasing customers but competing with Sony.  Canon once said there was only room for perhaps three companies after the mirrorless wars are over.  They also said they wanted to be the largest seller of mirrorless products.  They clearly see Sony as an adversary that they want to be seen to compete with.
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Canon's new EL-5 flash with its 15-pin Hotshoe Connection.
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But I don't trust a company that launches new products and then makes their Hotshoe fittings obsolete prior to even withdrawing them from sale.  The newly announced Canon EL-5 is only compatible with the R3, R5 II, R7 and R10 cameras (*subject to an upcoming FW update) and according to Canon's own spec sheet does not work with the R, Ra, RP, R5 or R6 cameras.   Already people are showing bewilderment in Canon dropping some new models in favor of others.  The 15-pin flash Hotshoe on the R6 II is going to encourage dirt to block the terminal port.  At least they would have had to redesign the way the screws on the R/R5 and R6 were installed on the inside (instead of the outside) of the body, right?  Let's hope so.
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I've spoken with two different Canon employees in 2022 who claim they feel that the EOS R-system was not a radical enough change from the EF mount and that there's folks within the company who allegedly have doubts about future success based on world economics right now.  A war with either China, Russia or North Korea would all but end camera sales for any camera manufacturer right now.  As we stand today, Canon recently closed their DSLR plant in China to consolidate assets but most of their parts and packaging is still done there. Canon relies on Lithium, Alloys and other materials, which are now all in frighteningly low supply right now due to China's ongoing anti-Covid/zero-Covid policy coupled with a global shortage.  Then there's the logistics... with no reliable shipping, huge backlogs from the Mainland and a large increase in the price of shipping containers (from 13x-40x the previous cost).  
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There's also the dwindling lack of sales which can be blamed solely on the higher pricing and lower demand.  Canon's not the only camera manufacturer out there either. The approaching, inevitable global economic recession will be absolutely brutal for Canon.  And with economic uncertainly, consumers will cling to their phone and sell off their expensive cameras and expensive lenses to pay bills.
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My guess is that if Canon don't announce a new EOS M camera by the end of the first quarter of 2023, that internal batteries on existing bodies will eventually fail and consumers will either adopt the R-system, move to another brand or just retire their mirrorless cameras and resort to their smartphones.  In today's world,  a Smartphone is essential but a dedicated camera is not unless you're making a living through your gear.  Everyone is a photographer these days.  Everyone has access to a camera.  And the resources (customers) are drying up as a result.  I'd say that Canon can fudge the numbers for a year or so but that they'll have to commit to either ending the M-series entirely or continue to support it. With so much economic uncertainty, the rising cost of parts and materials, the complexity of logistics and the dwindling consumers... I believe Canon will cut away the M-series. 
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My two EOS M cameras and 4x EF-M lenses will simply sit patiently on a shelf unless needed.  In the meantime, I seem to be using my iPhone and Full Frame mirrorless cameras quite a bit more these days.
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People weren't asking for an EOS R6 II or an EL-5 flash that isn't backwards-compatible but we got one of each this week.  People certainly wanted an RF 35mmL lens over the RF 135mmL lens that they delivered.  Canon's now producing unnecessary products just to stay relevant.  The Inspic S camera is a prime example of this.  There might have been a chance for an M7 or a new release M-series camera if the market wasn't in such disarray.  But here we are.  And with the R7 + R10 APS-C bodies on the market for the RF-Mount, there's no pressing need for Canon to continue producing EOS M-system products.
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I don't imagine I'd get much money from any camera or lenses these days, no matter what the mount is.  But if Canon want to keep reeling in the dollars, another EOS M body would fit within both the budget and demand of their consumers.  Who knows, it might be their last hand to play if the economy forces it.  In the meantime, mine will sit on a shelf in a cabinet with their lenses as I reach repeatedly for my iPhone that's always within a few inches of my grasp.  I took around 30 photographs today and they were all with my iPhone.  I think the writing is on the wall for Canon.  They've clearly had plenty of time to do more with the EOS M system but have chosen to keep poking the R-system with a stick in an attempt to stimulate sales via a drip-feed method.  My EOS M6 currently just sits on a shelf.  I'd buy an M6 II but there's no all-black models available and there hasn't been locally for over a year now. I don't think Canon deserve the loyalty so many of us have had for some of their products.  I'll be disappointed if my M cameras break down though.  Rest in Peace, little pal.