Digital Camera News

May 17, 2007

InfoTrends Follows Photo Management and Sharing

May 17, 2007 – Market research firm InfoTrends this week released a new report regarding imaging consumers' habits. It’s not just about taking and printing photos anymore, according to InfoTrends analysts; there is a new focus on how to manage and share photos.

"As the digital photography market matures, we expect that monetization will occur beyond capture and print: there will be more focus on enabling services rather than just selling products," said InfoTrends Director Ed Lee in a May 15th press release. "Imaging activities will include the creation, sharing, and consumption of user generated content. The business model will revolve around the ecosystem, and the Internet will play a central role in connecting all the pieces." 

InfoTrends' recent report "Digital Imaging Lifestyles: Digital Imaging in an Era of Excess," looked at how emerging imaging technology has impacted consumers’ lives. The survey, based on a sample of 1200 respondents and 30 in-person interviews, found that customer satisfaction was closely linked to the Web. For example, in 2006 3 billion images were shared through e-mail and over 8 billion were shared via photo sharing sites and social networking websites.

The study showed that age was a factor in consumer behavior. Those under the age of 25 tended to be concerned with sharing their photos, while the primary concern of consumers over 25 was archiving their photos.

As the business model shifts from capture-print to manage-and-share, InfoTrends also anticipates that the number of consumers who view photos on their television sets will rise.

Currently, most digital camera manufacturers include with cameras audio-visual cables that connect cameras directly to televisions. Some cameras now have HD viewing capabilities. In February, Canon announced the PowerShot TX1 hybrid camera that records movies in high definition. That same month, Sony announced its spring line of cameras, including the Cyber-shot G1 and H9 cameras - both have HD viewing abilities. Users can view their photos on their HDTV sets via a dedicated camera, Sony camera dock, or through HD printers.

"The new digital imaging ecosystem offers many opportunities for product and service vendors, assuming that open standards and systems will prevail," said Lee.