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Fujifilm, Xerox split appears to be permanent Opinion 

Fujifilm, Xerox split appears to be permanent

GaryPageau ,
The imaging industry’s messiest breakup doesn’t look like it’s heading for a reconciliation any time soon Industry watchers and customers hoping for a resolution between the on-going conflict between Xerox Corp. and Fujifilm Holdings over the failed merger didn’t get much encouragement from the company’s top executives.  Last week, Xerox CEO John Visentin emphasized in the company’s second-quarter earnings report his desire... Read More
Act fast: Kodak Alaris discontinues last Kodak Picture Saver scanner model News Opinion 

Act fast: Kodak Alaris discontinues last Kodak Picture Saver scanner model

GaryPageau , , ,
Kodak Alaris notified its largest reseller of photo scanners, E-Z Photo, the last remaining Kodak Picture Saver model, the PS80, was discontinued. E-Z Photo has acquired the remaining new units in North America for resale. “As the world’s largest reseller of this product, E-Z Photo, powered by i/oTrak, received notice Kodak Alaris has stopped production in June of Kodak Picture Saver Scanners, after... Read More
Apple closing Photo Print Products Service by Sept. 30 News Opinion 

Apple closing Photo Print Products Service by Sept. 30

GaryPageau , , , , , , , , , , ,
Apple Inc. will be closing its integrated Photo Print Products service this fall, according to a dialog box in the macOS 10.13.6 Photos app. The app now recommends the user download a Photos Project Extension from the Mac App Store to create books, cards, calendars and prints. The company added final purchases using the existing built-in service must be placed by... Read More
Instagram reaches a billion users, launches IGTV New Products News Opinion 

Instagram reaches a billion users, launches IGTV

GaryPageau , , , ,
Instagram announced the app has reached 1 billion users, a mere eight years after launch and six years after its 2012 acquisition by Facebook. Facebook now has four platforms in the billion-plus users club: Facebook (2.2 billion), Messenger (1.3 billion), Whatsapp (1.5 billion) and now Instagram. In other Insta-news, the company also introduced a new app for creating and showing long-form,... Read More
Apple updates iOS 12 Photo search, yields photo innovation leadership to Google News Opinion 

Apple updates iOS 12 Photo search, yields photo innovation leadership to Google

GaryPageau , , , , , , 2 Comments
Buried under the announcements of the recent Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) hosted by Apple Inc. were several enhancements to the iOS Photos app. Overall, the WWDC coverage mentioned how mild the announcements were – and we will leave you to delve into the live-blogging and extensive articles by others – they were especially true for photography. Compared to some of... Read More
Photo specialty can compete – and win – against big players Feature Opinion Sponsored post 

Photo specialty can compete – and win – against big players

Steve Giordano Jr. , , , , , ,
Guest post by Steve Giordano Jr., president, Photo Finale. I spend my day talking to photo specialty retailers. Many share their triumphs and challenges being an imaging industry entrepreneur. One common thread is frustration over the apparent competitive advantage enjoyed by Shutterfly, Snapfish, Walgreens, and other large-scale photofinishing brands. I say “apparent” because, the truth is, an independent retailer can beat a... Read More
Ritz Camera shutting down last brick-and-mortar store News Opinion 

Ritz Camera shutting down last brick-and-mortar store

GaryPageau ,
For the first time in decades, there won’t a brick-and-mortar Ritz Camera store in operation. The last location, at 6917 Arlington Road, Bethesda, Md, closed last week, according to Bethesda Magazine. The RitzCamera.com e-commerce site remains in operation, according to the company. C&A Marketing (now C&A Global) operated Ritz Camera stores as a subsidiary since buying the assets out of bankruptcy... Read More
It’s been a bad week for former Kodak spokespeople News Opinion 

It’s been a bad week for former Kodak spokespeople

GaryPageau , , , , , , ,
Two former TV stars with ties to old-school Eastman Kodak Co. marketing efforts were in the headlines this week for legal troubles. Comedian Bill Cosby, long-time spokesperson for Kodak film and Colorwatch System photofinishing, was found guilty this week of sexual assault. In other news, “Smallville” star Allison Mack, who was featured in a youth lifestyle campaign, plead not guilty to... Read More
Nikkei: Casio to exit money-losing compact camera business News Opinion 

Nikkei: Casio to exit money-losing compact camera business

GaryPageau ,
Casio Computer Co., Ltd. is leaving the compact digital camera market after posting a 500 million yen loss in the segment during the fiscal year ending March 2017, according to Nikkei: The number of compact digital camera shipments has declined sharply and it seems that it was judged that future market expansion can not be expected. In the future we plan... Read More
SmugMug announces plan to buy Flickr News Opinion Press releases 

SmugMug announces plan to buy Flickr

GaryPageau , , ,
In a move that surprised, well, hardly anyone, SmugMug, the popular family-owned photo sharing and storage site, has announced it will purchase pioneering photo-sharing site Flickr for an undisclosed sum. Flickr will continue to operate as a separate service, although Flickr users will have to agree to SmugMug’s terms of service by May 25th. Flickr users shouldn’t expect major changes,... Read More
Opinion: Blockchain, not cryptocurrency, will be the engine of imaging value News Opinion 

Opinion: Blockchain, not cryptocurrency, will be the engine of imaging value

GaryPageau , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment
The buzz about cryptocurrency hasn’t escaped the photo industry, as we’ve seen several attempts from companies to adapt their businesses to this economic model. As we’ve seen, Eastman Kodak Co. made the news with its partnership WENN Digital to unveil KODAKCoin, a cryptocurrency based on professional photography. Details are just now being released, which shed some light on the details of... Read More
Done deal: Lytro reportedly closing shop, selling assets to Google News Opinion 

Done deal: Lytro reportedly closing shop, selling assets to Google

GaryPageau
In one of the least-surprising developments in the hardware sector, light-field photography pioneer Lytro has apparently thrown in the towel after nearly $200 million in investment. According to an enigmatic post on the Lytro blog: (emphasis added) At Lytro, we believe that Light Field will continue to shape the course of Virtual and Augmented Reality, and we’re incredibly proud of... Read More
InfoTrends: Changing photographer types indicate future camera trends Market research Opinion 

InfoTrends: Changing photographer types indicate future camera trends

GaryPageau
Ed Lee over at InfoTrends posted an interesting blog post about how consumers are changing how they identify themselves, in terms of photographic skill and in terms of lifestage (presence of children, etc.). Lee writes: Since the introduction of smartphones, we have seen significant shifts in the mix of photographer types among camera owners. Between 2010 and 2017, there was... Read More
Rental market shift fits millennial trends Opinion 

Rental market shift fits millennial trends

GaryPageau , , , ,
Todays’ news the long-time photo-scanner marketer, E-Z Photo Scan, will pivot to a rental-only business model may surprise some – and certainly raises some questions about the future availability of Kodak Picture Saver Scanners – but it follows a growing trend among Millennials. This growing cohort is becoming more comfortable with renting – rather than owning – everything from cars,... Read More