In a report by Engadget, it is speculated that Samsung may manufacture digital cameras with an Android OS. Currently, it is in the R&D stage--as most technologies are-- and would not come out for some time, if it all. The possibilities of Android in a high-powered camera sound intriguing, opening a new slew of applications to develop and use for digital cameras. Global Industry Analysts, Inc. speculates that digital camera demand will be at 155 million by 2017. For 2012, it is speculated demand will be 115.2 million units. That is significant growth in just five years in what some may consider a reeling industry.
Samsung wouldn’t be the first to develop cameras with Android. At CES in January of this year, Polaroid (of all companies) announced their "smart camera", which is slated to come out later this year. It has complete access to Android Marketplace, Wi-Fi capabilities, among other nifty little quirks. It sounds as though it’s a cell phone with a really good camera...until we see there’s no cellular connectivity.
Samsung has quite a bit to consider when researching an operating system for digital cameras. First of all, as I explained, they have to look at the market of selling physical units. If that sector doesn’t have a strong outlook, the OS will be nearly worthless and won’t be used by many. Second of all, would consumers be willing to pay a premium on digital cameras with a built-in operating system? They may need to wait and see based off of Polaroid’s success. The digital camera has been a generally defined "thing" and has had similar expectations from consumers for some time, whether it be point-and-shoot, or DSLR/SLR cameras.
As we talked in class about Kodak, some students suggested Kodak create the best digital camera. They said it might be achieved with advanced social media capabilities. With the Android OS as a base, this is one way to try and achieve that. However, the execution would have to be flawless. Imagine a mid-quality digital camera with an interactive operating system that had bugs or sacrificed the camera’s quality and usefulness. That’s exactly the opposite of what consumers want when it comes to point-and-shoot cameras. And it’d be one of the quickest ways to lose all credibility as a digital camera manufacturer.
For me, I don’t see how having any sort of involved operating system could do well in the digital camera market. Looking at the 2x2 matrix of product success, it’s low product change and low behavioral change. An easy sell. A me-too product. But ultimately, a swing and a miss. The advantages of such a device isn’t worth any selling price. Even though it’s useful to upload photos instantly and change/fix them on the device, that area has already been covered. Android and iOS have those capabilities, albeit not as specialized or high-quality as Samsung intends. The way I see it, it’s akin to buying an iPod after you purchase an iPhone. There’s just no reason unless you’re serious about photography/music, and even then it’s a marginal advantage at best.
Does anyone else have a different outlook on a new technology like this? It may be my cynical thoughts about phones taking over the digital camera market sooner than we all think. Would any of you purchase a device like this? Could you see how it would work?
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