Category: Opinion – Page 15 – The Dead Pixels Society

Sorry, Om, the camera industry was already changed a long time ago

September 16, 2016September 16, 2016 GaryPageau Apple, Canon, CIPA, DJI, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax

In a recent New Yorker column, tech-industry legend Om Malik opined how the new Apple iPhone 7 “changed the camera industry forever.” He’s a little late to the party if he thinks camera companies are just now realizing the threat of the iPhone. Like many Silicon Valley tech industry pundits, Malik displays the type of flawed hindsight favoring products and... Read More

Opinion

Apple iPhone 7 Plus will bring light-field photos to the masses

August 10, 2016September 9, 2016 GaryPageau Apple, HTC, Huawei, iPhone, iPhone 7 Plus, Kodak, LG, Light, Lytro

Apple introduced the iPhone 7 Plus, offering dual cameras for first time in an iPhone. The iPhone 7 has a six-element f/1.8 aperture 58mm lens, optical-image stabilization and 12-megapixel sensor, while the Plus version adds a second 12-megapixel camera with a 28mm wide-angle. The user will be able to choose a 2x optical zoom and a 10x digital zoom. The dual... Read More

Opinion

Making Light of Silicon Valley photography aspirations

November 25, 2015May 10, 2017 GaryPageau Foveon, Light, Lytro, Minolta, Sigma

Every few years, some technology-driven company makes a splash, proclaiming their revolutionary new product will change photography. Silicon Valley media falls over themselves covering the technology, usually without much critical thought. Think Foveon, which was supposed to replace image sensors, or Lytro, whose “light-field” cameras were going to revolutionize picture-taking. Today, the Foveon X3 sensor is found in niche Sigma... Read More

Events Opinion

The Photo Industry is Out of Control

October 10, 2015May 23, 2017 GaryPageau Amazon, CeWe, Google, Kodak, Micah Solomon, PMA, Shutterfly, Walgreens

There are those times when a new perspective comes out of the blue. That’s what happened during the PMA InnovationNow Photo Business and Technology Summit Sept. 27-28 in San Francisco, Calif. As part of the rejuvenated PMA agenda, the executive-level conference brought thought leaders, top-level retailers and service providers from as far away as Brazil, Europe and Australia. After years of... Read More

Opinion

Bigger isn’t better: The trouble with photo retail

June 15, 2015May 10, 2017 GaryPageau Adorama, B&H Photo, Black Photo Corp., Bloomberg, FierceRetail, Mike's Camera, Ritz Camera and Imaging, Samy's Camera, Unique Photo

The news Canadian carrier Telus was shuttering the remnant of the venerable Black Photo brand in Canada, with the last 59 stores closing in August, sent shockwaves to long-time photo-industry executives. For a U.S. person, it’s hard to understand the impact of Black’s Photo on the Canadian market. The slogan “Black’s IS Photography” wasn’t just a slogan. Canadians believed it.... Read More

News Opinion

Marathon bid for Shutterfly signals end of an era

May 28, 2015May 10, 2017 GaryPageau Centrics, ColorCentric, District Photo, HP, Kodak, Photo Finale, RPI, Shutterfly, Xerox

Over the last year, Shutterfly management has faced activist shareholders who are pressing for greater stock performance from the leading online photo-product company. Shareholders are understandably concerned about lower net income returns, low stock performance and increased expenditures. Last fall, Silver Lake Partners said it was planning to spend $2 billion to take private the Redwood City photo giant. Shutterfly management even... Read More

Opinion

Photo industry deserves better than lazy tech journalists

March 4, 2015May 10, 2017 GaryPageau Fujifilm, Kodak, Polaroid, Washington Post

A respectable publication like the Washington Post tries to cash in on the gadget craze by publishing clear link-bait article: 6 way-too-late attempts from the camera industry to compete with the iPhone It’s got all the buzzwords – iPhone, Instagram, etc. – while taking time to bash the photo industry. I mean, seriously. It’s one thing to say the iPhone... Read More

Opinion

Legacy systems can kill your business

February 14, 2015May 10, 2017 GaryPageau Canon, Fujfilm, Kodak, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, Rich, Samsung, Sony

There’s a lot of hand-wringing in the camera business these days. Once again, factory sales and OEM shipments from Asia are indicating another 20-percent or greater decline in camera production for 2015. System cameras – like DSLRs and interchangeable lens cameras – are declining at a slower rate than compacts, which are dropping drastically. This is part of the natural... Read More

Opinion

It’s time to stop complaining about the Consumer Electronics Show

January 12, 2015January 9, 2018 GaryPageau CES 2015

Every year, the tech blogs and writers kvetch about the annual International CES. Attending International CES is a rite of passage for any CE industry member or journalist. During the first week in January, every thing is long. The days are long. The cab lines are long. The food lines are long. The monorail lines are long. The distance between... Read More

Opinion

Shutterfly buys Groove Book. Who wins? “Shark Tank”

November 20, 2014June 9, 2022 GaryPageau GrooveBook, Jeff Housenbold, Shark Tank, Shutterfly

All the ballyhoo over the purchase of “Shark Tank” darling Groove Book by Shutterfly created a lot of excitement. The $14.5 million purchase is “the biggest exit in ‘Shark Tank’ history and the first purchase of a company featured on the show by a publicly traded firm,” according to CNBC, which lavished praise on the entire deal. Extended interviews with Shutterfly... Read More

News Opinion

What happens when Shutterfly goes private?

September 24, 2014May 10, 2017 GaryPageau Shutterfly, ThisLife, TinyPrints

The rumor mill is rampant with reports of Shutterfly Inc. folding up its stock and going private. Even today, the stock is up a little more than 5 percent on reports Silver Lake Partners is planning to spend $2 billion to take private the Redwood City photo giant. From a macro standpoint, this is probably a healthy thing for both... Read More

Opinion

The world’s most popular destinations to photograph

June 25, 2013May 23, 2017 GaryPageau

What’s Your Wedding Photography Style? infographic by SimplyBridal. Read More

News Opinion

RIP CPI

April 10, 2013May 23, 2017 GaryPageau CPI, portrait market1 Comment

The news of the abrupt closure of CPI Corp.’s U.S. portrait operations isn’t really news to photo-industry watchers who have watched the portrait-industry challenges over the years. The chain store portrait market has struggled for years, as it struggled to keep approximately 3,000 Sears, Wal-Mart and Babys R Us studios afloat. The misconception is somehow digital photography “did in” CPI.... Read More

Market research Opinion

Photo app developers are not seizing the opportunity for tablet-optimized photo apps, study finds

March 6, 2013May 23, 2017 GaryPageau Suite 48a

Only 26 percent of the top 50 paid and free downloaded photo apps downloaded on iPad are optimized for iPad; 74 percent are generic iOS apps, according to the Tablet Photo App Opportunity Report, a new study by Suite 48 Analytics. These generic photo apps miss out on the opportunity to attract more tablet users through an optimized user interface or... Read More

News Opinion

Camera connectivity is key to breaking Canon/Nikon duopoly

February 21, 2013May 23, 2017 GaryPageau Canon, Google, Nikon, Samsung

Tech writers are obsessed with death. New products have to not only produce technological innovation, but to such a degree it means “disruption” or “death” to the standard bearers. Google “iphone killer” and more than 700,000 results are returned. These days, the death knell is ringing for compact cameras. The smartphone category is the culprit this time, relegating point-and-shoots the... Read More