Convergence causes confusion in camera market
1 min read
Convergence is a word that has been rolled out regularly over the last three decades in the technology world. In the late 1990s, it was applied to tvs and pcs. The question was being asked: 'When does a tv become a pc and vice versa?'. It's a question that's still being asked today.
Convergence has now hit the camera, with the question being asked: "When does a smartphone become a camera and vice versa?'. One example of a device posing this question is Nokia's Lumia 1020, with its 41Mpixel camera.
The Lumia 1020 isn't the first device to get people thinking. Earlier this year, Nikon launched the CoolPix S800c and Samsung brought out the Galaxy camera, both with 16Mpixel sensors. Nothing unusual there. When you look at them from the front, they're cameras. Turn them around and they look like smartphones, with large colour displays.
Convergence works both ways; there's no reason why a camera shouldn't become a mobile phone. Industry watcher Will Strauss has picked up on this. In a recent newsletter, he says: "The smartphone camera trend is probably why Nikon is thinking of getting into the smartphone business. Nikon forecasts a 12% decline in the compact camera market in its current fiscal year."
It's not just compact camera makers who need to be on their guard. Device with the performance of the Lumia 1020 will begin to threaten the more traditional world of photography, where digital SLR cameras still rule. But those users will take a bit of convincing.
