Las Vegas, Nevada, March 8, 2007 – From the floors of the Las Vegas Convention Center, Nikon gave an executive keynote speech, giving thanks to consumers and businesses for what representatives called a successful year. “We are not just keeping up. We are anticipating what people want,” said Nikon President and CEO Michio Kariya today at the PMA Nikon Executive Keynote Address.
Nikon plans to continue to keep a competitive edge by “staying steps ahead of consumer expectations,” said Kariya. In preparation for PMA, Nikon launched the D40x DSLR and eight new Coolpix cameras to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Coolpix line in 2007.
Nikon's CEO discussed the overall industry trend of shorter life spans for products. When its F3 film SLR launched in 1980, the camera remained on the market for a legacy of 20 years, while the D1 DSLR in 1999 lasted 1.5 years.
Film SLR users need not worry about their film cameras falling into the endangered species list. Kariya stated that Nikon plans to continue manufacturing analog SLR cameras such as the FM10 and F6.
DSLRs are becoming more and more affordable, as consumers have witnessed this past year, said Kariya. When Nikon first started making DSLRs starting with the D1 back in 1999, it carried a hefty price tag of $5000. When the manufacturer launched the D40 last November, the D40 marked a new low price for DSLR at $599 with a kit lens, making it the least expensive DSLR in the industry.
