Which if you don't realize it, is a mobile phone-- never to be a single-use device every again.
One year ago, when I still parked myself at a desk at Flickr I wrote:
Mobile phones are certainly going to become the way most human beings capture and share images. The new iphone camera is good enough for most people to mean they don't have to buy a point and shoot camera. It's also going to negate the need for most people to have a video camera, as techcrunch reported this weekend. If you're a serious photographer or videographer, of course, you will have fancier equipment. But I'd propose that for most people, the newest mobile phones are more than good enough.
What does this mean? It means the people in the business of photos (camera manufacturers, printers, photo sharing web sites) had better have a story about how they make life easier for customers with mobile devices that take pictures and connect to the internet.
I heard from a few people who doubted this trend, and in particular doubted the footprint of the "iPhone." They were wrong.
Today, on the eve of the release of the iPhone 4 with an even better camera and video recorder, I am doubling down on this prediction (which by now is irrefutable) . What will this mean for the business of capturing, sharing and processing photos and video? Time will tell.
completely agree....the convenience of a cameraphone far outweighs the quality issues. and, the quality differences are going away soon. the reality is that most people share online anyways...so, quality isn't a problem.
ReplyDeleteJust a reminder what this graph is showing is that there is a strong upward trend in the the number of distinct people who shoot regularly with an iPhone.
ReplyDeleteThe story here is about frequent, casual, and often disposable photography as an emerging trend. The graph of the raw number of photos uploaded by camera looks pretty different.
I suppose it depends on how you define "popular." I'm inclined to define "frequent, casual" usage as the more important trend. I'm not sure I agree with your notion of disposable. though.
ReplyDeleteAnd anyway, when is Flickr going to provide us with better data in Camera Finder, Mr. Elliott-Mccrea?
I wonder how "all phones" would look against "all digital cameras." Or if such a thing matters. You can get a pretty good digital camera for $100 now with no monthly data fee. :)
ReplyDelete