When Mobile Phones Become Cameras...
from the blurring-the-lines... dept
There's been lots of talk about camera phones, but at what point does the line get so blurred that mobile phones and digital cameras are considered a single product? Guy Kewney, over at NewWireless.net, is wondering about the branding of the camera part of the camera phone. He's looking at the new offerings from Sony Ericsson and wondering if people are comfortable with the idea of a "Sony" camera. To be honest, I'd bet most Americans who aren't camera experts wouldn't think much about it. However, Alan Reiter picks up on this point and asks why the big name camera makers don't partner with the handset makers so that (for example) you could buy a Nokia phone branded with an Olympus camera inside? Meanwhile, though, Kodak obviously sees Sony as a camera company - because they're suing them for violating some digital camera patents that Kodak owns. The report also says they're likely to go after other digital camera companies as well. Perhaps they should be looking at the mobile phone handset makers instead?
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Interesting, but...
From a historical perspective, this is more an opportunity for a non-player to establish themsevles in a new market: Nokia cameras for example, and an opportunity for a leader to stumble (Sony).
Actually, I would posit that the move from film cameras to digital cameras left a lot of the old camera companies in the dust, while a few have adapted well (Canon). I don't think, however, that Canon's position in the camera market will mean that consumers will pay more for a Nokia phone with technology from Canon inside.
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