A Photography forum. PhotoBanter.com

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » PhotoBanter.com forum » Photo Equipment » 35mm Photo Equipment
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Kodak close to declaring bankruptcy



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old January 4th 12, 10:31 PM posted to rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Walter Banks
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 803
Default Kodak close to declaring bankruptcy

It's is perhaps the end of an era, a technology that has been
essential for for a few generations has reached the point where
lower and better technologies are replacing it.

http://mashable.com/2012/01/04/kodak-bankruptcy/

Kodak saw this coming better than most and invested
a huge amount of resources developing technology for the
digital imaging age over the last 30 years. As the end draws
nearer it is joining the ranks of buggy whip manufacturers
and new england woollen mills.

w..



  #2  
Old January 5th 12, 03:08 PM posted to rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Walter Banks
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 803
Default Kodak close to declaring bankruptcy



Helen wrote:

Sadly, Kodak didn't keep up with the times so perhaps they will file
for a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Kodak does have many patents which are
worth a billion dollars each.


They have a lot of the early digital patents that are now close to timing out.
The interesting thing is they saw it coming and and actually tried to redirect
the company by developing early technology and products using digital
for still and moving imaging they were for whatever reason not able
to create a viable company around that, in part because they had the
imaging technology but lacked manufacturing and and the ability to
create product lines.

w..


  #3  
Old January 5th 12, 06:34 PM posted to rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Geoffrey S. Mendelson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 450
Default Kodak close to declaring bankruptcy

Walter Banks wrote:

They have a lot of the early digital patents that are now close to timing out.
The interesting thing is they saw it coming and and actually tried to redirect
the company by developing early technology and products using digital
for still and moving imaging they were for whatever reason not able
to create a viable company around that, in part because they had the
imaging technology but lacked manufacturing and and the ability to
create product lines.


Kodak's product suffered from R&D that was too good, and marketing that wasn't
good enough.

For example, when VHS and BETA (before SuperBeta and SuperVHS) were king,
Kodak came out 8mm video. It was not sold successfully and died out. Years
later an incompatible 8mm system became popular, but Kodak got nothing from it.

They pioneered digital processing stations where you could scan in your
picture, manipulate it on a computer and then print it out. This was
to go hand in hand with the PhotoCD, but neither the PhotoCD nor their
units (based on SUN workstations) took off.

Eventually the technology caught up with them but by that time, their
machines were long since forgotten.

They produced "prosumer" digital cameras, with short battery life, high
quality lenses and sensors but at prices too high for anyone to buy.
Professional customers were not interested in their fixed lenses (albeit
high quality German ones) and consumers were not interested in high prices,
lenses better than the sensors, and battery life of an hour on a charge
in standby mode.

In short great technology in products that just did not provide what the
consumer wanted. With such a high corporate overhead that they could
not afford to make products in small numbers and allow them to evolve
into hits.

If Steve Jobs had the ability to take existing technology and figure out
how to combine and package it in a way that consumers wanted, Kodak had
the opposite, they took new technology and made products consumers did not
want.

Hopefully they will sell off their patents, trade secrets and formulae for
black and white film and paper to a small company which is able to use them.

Geoff.


--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, N3OWJ/4X1GM
My high blood pressure medicine reduces my midichlorian count. :-(


  #4  
Old January 6th 12, 12:43 AM posted to rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Robert Coe
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,901
Default Kodak close to declaring bankruptcy

On Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:31:51 -0500, Walter Banks wrote:
: It's is perhaps the end of an era, a technology that has been
: essential for for a few generations has reached the point where
: lower and better technologies are replacing it.
:
: http://mashable.com/2012/01/04/kodak-bankruptcy/
:
: Kodak saw this coming better than most and invested
: a huge amount of resources developing technology for the
: digital imaging age over the last 30 years. As the end draws
: nearer it is joining the ranks of buggy whip manufacturers
: and new england woollen mills.

And most amazingly, to an old geezer like me: Kodak's demise will hardly be
noticed in the "real" world. Sic transit gloria mundi.

Bob
  #5  
Old January 29th 12, 01:21 PM posted to rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Walter Banks
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 803
Default Kodak close to declaring bankruptcy



"Geoffrey S. Mendelson" wrote:

Walter Banks wrote:

They have a lot of the early digital patents that are now close to timing out.
The interesting thing is they saw it coming and and actually tried to redirect
the company by developing early technology and products using digital
for still and moving imaging they were for whatever reason not able
to create a viable company around that, in part because they had the
imaging technology but lacked manufacturing and and the ability to
create product lines.


Kodak's product suffered from R&D that was too good, and marketing that wasn't
good enough.

For example, when VHS and BETA (before SuperBeta and SuperVHS) were king,
Kodak came out 8mm video. It was not sold successfully and died out. Years
later an incompatible 8mm system became popular, but Kodak got nothing from it.

They pioneered digital processing stations where you could scan in your
picture, manipulate it on a computer and then print it out. This was
to go hand in hand with the PhotoCD, but neither the PhotoCD nor their
units (based on SUN workstations) took off.

Eventually the technology caught up with them but by that time, their
machines were long since forgotten.

They produced "prosumer" digital cameras, with short battery life, high
quality lenses and sensors but at prices too high for anyone to buy.
Professional customers were not interested in their fixed lenses (albeit
high quality German ones) and consumers were not interested in high prices,
lenses better than the sensors, and battery life of an hour on a charge
in standby mode.

In short great technology in products that just did not provide what the
consumer wanted. With such a high corporate overhead that they could
not afford to make products in small numbers and allow them to evolve
into hits.

If Steve Jobs had the ability to take existing technology and figure out
how to combine and package it in a way that consumers wanted, Kodak had
the opposite, they took new technology and made products consumers did not
want.

Hopefully they will sell off their patents, trade secrets and formulae for
black and white film and paper to a small company which is able to use them.


Kodak had a business model problem when they started to introduce
new technology. When Kodak sold a low cost film camera they now had a
customer that continued to buy film, when they sold a digital camera
it was a single sale. The low cost camera sale made money even if
was sold as a break even sale.

w..


  #6  
Old January 29th 12, 01:44 PM posted to rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Geoffrey S. Mendelson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 450
Default Kodak close to declaring bankruptcy

Walter Banks wrote:

new technology. When Kodak sold a low cost film camera they now had a
customer that continued to buy film, when they sold a digital camera
it was a single sale. The low cost camera sale made money even if
was sold as a break even sale.


It was much better than that. Kodak made money on almost every camera sold.
Everyone who bought a camera, bought film, and most of them bought Kodak.

Maybe not every roll, but I doubt there were many cameras outside of the
Soviet Union and the PRC that took standard film and never had one.

For a while there various film companies were selling memory cards as
"digital film", but it never took off. I think the only people they deluded
into believing that people would buy them like film were their shareholders.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, N3OWJ/4X1GM
My high blood pressure medicine reduces my midichlorian count. :-(


 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
BANKRUPTCY ATTORNEY measekite Digital Photography 0 June 12th 08 04:03 AM
Google Bankruptcy eminent Sergie and Brin shine my shoes please [email protected] Digital Photography 0 March 19th 07 04:31 AM
close up photos kodak 850 Scott Richardson Digital Photography 5 October 9th 06 03:03 AM
Problems getting close ups with Kodak CX7300 [email protected] Digital Photography 9 February 4th 05 05:24 PM
Kodak Gold 100 vs Kodak Bright Sun vs Kodak High Definition Colour Film Graham Fountain 35mm Photo Equipment 9 October 5th 04 12:57 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:30 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 PhotoBanter.com.
The comments are property of their posters.