InfoTrends Forecast - Digital Cameras Need Connectivity to Compete with Smartphones in Photo Capture

Key Highlights:

• Consumers will expect connectivity in future electronic device purchases.
• Wi-Fi enabled camera models with a user-friendly interface need to become a standard offering.
• Camera vendors should promote the picture quality of digital cameras over smartphones to consumers.

(Weymouth, MA) May 03, 2012...The connected experience is the future of imaging. The consumer electronics industry is promoting “connected” experiences – connecting devices like TVs, set top boxes, game consoles, mobile phones, PCs, and tablets with personal and commercial content as well as services. If digital cameras do not integrate with this ecosystem, they run the risk of being left out of the equation. InfoTrends’ North America Consumer Digital Camera Forecast: 2011 – 2017 examines the number of shipments, revenue, installed base, market trends, market drivers, and barriers for point & shoot cameras and digital interchangeable lenses for North America and the U.S. over the forecasted period.

Embrace the Connected Experience

As connecting devices quickly becomes the norm, consumers will expect connectivity in future electronic devices. Digital camera vendors must satisfy this expectation or risk losing a customer. Wi-Fi connectivity is beginning to show up as a standard feature and optional accessory in a handful of point & shoot cameras and digital interchangeable lens cameras (DILCs). Vendors need to increase the velocity of these introductions and make 2012 the Year of the Connected Camera. 

Wi-Fi Enabled Models Required

Camera vendors can no longer continue solely down the path of standalone digital cameras. “All vendors should have at least one Wi-Fi enabled point & shoot or DILC model in their line-up, and move towards offering Wi-Fi as a standard feature,” says Ed Lee Group Director of InfoTrends’ Worldwide Consumer and Professional Imaging Service. “Vendors must also ensure that the workflow for sharing images and videos is well thought out and that user interfaces are simple and intuitive.”

Digital Cameras Still Offer Higher Quality Photos than Smartphones

The digital camera market is being threatened by outside factors, most notably smartphones. Due to their increased adoption and usage, more consumers are turning to their smartphones for photo capture too. As a result, some consumers may decide not to replace their digital camera, while others might forgo buying one altogether. Digital cameras, however, still offer a higher quality photo-taking experience. Digital camera manufacturers must keep the benefits of their products at the forefront of consumers’ minds so that still cameras will continue to be preferred over smartphones for everyday and planned picture-taking events.