Submission + - Kodak failing but camera phones not to blame (theconversation.edu.au)
An anonymous reader writes: According to the Wall Street Journal, camera manufacturer Kodak is preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, following a long struggle to maintain any sort of viable business.
The announcement has prompted some commentators to claim that Kodak’s near-demise has been brought on by:
a failure to innovate, or
a failure to anticipate the shift from analogue to digital cameras, or
a failure to compete with the rise of cameras in mobile phones.
Actually, none of these claims are true. Where Kodak did fail is in not understanding what people take photographs for, and what they do with photos once they have taken them.
Looking at camera data from Flikr, of images uploaded in 2011, camer phones only make up 3% of the total. Dedicated cameras from Canon, Nikon and yes, Kodak were used to take 97% of the images.
What Kodak failed to understand is that people have switched from taking photos for remembering and commemorative reasons to using photos for identity and communication. The shift changes the emphasis away from print to social media platforms and dedicated apps.
The announcement has prompted some commentators to claim that Kodak’s near-demise has been brought on by:
a failure to innovate, or
a failure to anticipate the shift from analogue to digital cameras, or
a failure to compete with the rise of cameras in mobile phones.
Actually, none of these claims are true. Where Kodak did fail is in not understanding what people take photographs for, and what they do with photos once they have taken them.
Looking at camera data from Flikr, of images uploaded in 2011, camer phones only make up 3% of the total. Dedicated cameras from Canon, Nikon and yes, Kodak were used to take 97% of the images.
What Kodak failed to understand is that people have switched from taking photos for remembering and commemorative reasons to using photos for identity and communication. The shift changes the emphasis away from print to social media platforms and dedicated apps.