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Polaroid Can't Compete with Digital Cameras
mobydobius was among several who noted that poloroid can't keep up in the era of digital cameras. They filed for chapter 11, and have a billion dollars of debt. This deal gets them a bit of cash, but none of this seems surprising considering the cost of their instant film. In just a few short years, digital cameras knocked 'em down. There's a lesson here, but I think it's something like "Don't eat the Yellow Snow".
It looks like a company's distribution model is outmoded! Computers are making perfect digital copies of photographs easy to distribute over the internet. We need to ban these so called "digital cameras" (more like digital crowbars if you ask us) before even one more dollar of profits has to die! We must outlaw all disruptive technology!
Love,
Hillary Rosen and Jack Valenti
microsoftword.mp3 - it doesn't care that they're not words...
If they put that kind of crap on their site, they've got problems indeed...
Polaroid needs to give up on manufacturing entirely, and just trade on the name. They can do what half the tech industry already does; buy dirt cheap asian hardware, silkscreen a logo onto it, package it with some bad software and double the price.
Polaroids #2 mistake: not catching on to the digital revolution
Polaroids #1 mistake: having Sinbad as their mascot
GoatPigSheep, the 3 most important food groups
Digital cameras lack something real cameras have. Take the classic blackmail example:
Me: TAKE A LOOK AT THESE SENATOR!
*Neema throws down photos on desk*
Senator: *GASP*
Me: That's right. You. Dancing with the forbidden monkey. Dancing the forbidden dance with the forbidden monkey!
Senator: Please... if these get out, I'll never get reelected. And if I don't get reelected, I can't get the Senator's discount at Ben and Jerry's!
Me: And don't even think of ripping these up! I have copies at home! But, I think we can work something out...
*Senator pulls out check book*
But now, with these god damn digital cameras:
Me: TAKE A LOOK AT THESE SENATOR!
*Neema gently places digital camera on desk, so it doesn't break*
Senator: Yeah, my daughter has one of these.
Me: No, no, no. Argh. It turned off. It does that. Turns off automatically after 3 minutes... ok... gimme that...
*Neema turns on camera, places on desk again*
Me: OK, TAKE A LOOK AT THESE SENATOR!
Senator: It's a dog.
Me: Oh yeah, that's my dog Scruffy. Argh. Yeah, press the right arrow. Get past those pictures. Yep, that's Aunt Sally. Come on, a bit faster. ARGH, JUST GIVE IT TO ME!
*Grabs camera, scrolls to incriminating pictures*
Me: THERE YOU ARE! YOU, DANCING THE FORBIDDEN DANCE WITH THE FORBIDDEN MONKEY!
Senator: Please... if these get out, I'll never get reelected. And if I don't get reelected, I can't get the Senator's discount at Ben and Jerry's!
Me: Yeah, well, I'm going to stop by staples to get glossy photo paper and I'll be printing out a bunch of these!
*Senator pulls out check book*
I still like the first situation better.
Exactly. This is for the same reasons that Linux has reduced Windows' market share to zilch. The superior technology always wins. Now, off to watch the Matrix on Betamax...
ich muß mehr Kuhglocke haben
What if I suffer from a complete loss of near-term memory and want to hunt down my wife's killer? I can't bloody well lug a laptop around all the time not to mention trusting digital data!
Instant photography was terrible quality and was good for two things: documenting car accidents, and taking naked pictures of your girlfriend. Now with digital cameras that's redundant.
The RIAA seem to know how to convice everybody that new technology is evil, if polaroid borrowed some lawyers from RIAA they could just make digital cameras illegal, then they could have their money back
With a digital camera you can also post them on the internet.
Digital cameras win!
My prediction is that this will singlehandedly setback the amateur pr0n induistry by at least 5 years!
Send lawyers, guns, and money!