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Janice Chen
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iPad and iPhone demand cuts into 2011 digital camera shipments

By | May 4, 2011, 3:18pm PDT

Summary: High demand for Apple products may limit digital camera shipments in Q2 2011.

People have been going on for years about how smartphones and other mobile gadgets with built-in cameras will ultimately replace standalone digital cameras. While we’re still long way off from that happening, a recent report by Taiwanese IT journal DigiTimes predicts that high demand for Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices will cause shortages of small-size LCD panels, which in turn will reduce digital camera shipments in Q2 2011.

According to DigiTimes:

Taiwan-based digital still camera (DSC) makers including Ability Enterprise, Altek, Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) and Asia Optical may see their DSC shipments in the second quarter lower than fore casted due to a shortage of small-size panel because of demand from Apple’s iPhone and iPad, according to sources from upstream players.

The Taiwanese camera makers mentioned manufacture cameras for such vendors as Fujifilm, Kodak, Nikon, Sony, and Samsung, among others.

With Apple snapping up a huge portion of the supply chain, panel shortages are affecting not only camera vendors, but makers of iPad-competing tablets as well, which will also be competing with camera makers for the limited supply.  This small-panel shortage comes at a time when there’s already instability in the supply of other components, such as CCD sensors, as a result of the Japanese earthquake back in March.

[Via DigiTimes]

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Topics

Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, Digital Camera, Camera, Digital Cameras, Digital Photography, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Janice Chen

Janice got her hands on a Nikon Coolpix 900 back in 1998 and has been a digital camera enthusiast ever since.

Disclosure

Janice Chen

Janice Chen has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted in this blog.

Biography

Janice Chen

Janice Chen is an editorial consultant and has been covering technology for over two decades. Serving as editor in chief at CNET and Computer Shopper magazine for many years, she oversaw product coverage for the CNET and ZDNet websites. She has appeared on most of the major morning TV news programs and was featured weekly on CNN Headline News' Hotwired segment recommending personal tech ranging from digital cameras to notebook PCs. Prior to that, she appeared with Anderson Cooper on a monthly technology segment for ABC World News This Morning. Quoted in numerous publications such as the New York Times, USA Today, and People magazine, Janice has also evaluated tech products for BusinessWeek, USA Weekend magazine, and Parenting magazine among others.

Janice got her hands on a Nikon Coolpix 900 back in 1998 and has been a digital camera enthusiast ever since. A graduate of Cornell University, she resides in Maplewood, NJ, with her husband (a professional photographer who shot his last roll of film in 2003) and their two daughters.

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RE: iPad and iPhone demand cuts into 2011 digital camera shipments
marco5811 Updated - 13th Nov
The limiting factor is the lens at the moment. Until a lens is developed that is a) flat, b) high quality and c) scratch resistent, the 'phone won't be able to replace the camera.I have an iPhone and an htc Mozart. They are fine if I am out and about and need to take a http://e-sazkovekancelare.com quick photograph. If I am going out on a party night, I'll take my little Ixus, as it has a much better lens and sensor and produces usable images under most conditions.
View in thread
0 Votes
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RE: iPad and iPhone demand cuts into 2011 digital camera shipments
alsobannedfromzdnet 4th May 2011
Capitalism at work and an American company is winning.

Any other company is free to pay cash up front in a competitive marketplace.
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RE: iPad and iPhone demand cuts into 2011 digital camera shipments
three-shao 19th Sep
@alsobannedfromzdnet lovely taking, thanks replica watches rolex watches uk rolex watches
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RE: iPad and iPhone demand cuts into 2011 digital camera shipments
mstrsfty 4th May 2011
Anyone notice that the iPod Touch was not included in this article? That is because Apple decided to put a POS still camera in the 4G Touch.

Perhaps people are not buying as many digital cameras is because the old ones are fine and still work. By now, who doesn't have a 5MP model with 3x zoom? They work, why buy a new one?
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Actually
oncall 4th May 2011
@mstrsfty

Did you read the article or just title? The article is about a raw component supply shortage, not a drop in demand.
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RE: iPad and iPhone demand cuts into 2011 digital camera shipments
alsobannedfromzdnet 4th May 2011
@mstrsfty

A still camera that has plenty of pixels for HD video, and then some.

It more than suffices for the purpose.
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RE: iPad and iPhone demand cuts into 2011 digital camera shipments
Rob.sharp@... 5th May 2011
@mstrsfty

Well said. Who said people need to buy "NEW" models every time they launch? I've been rocking my 6MP Minolta for 5 years now and it works like a charm. Oops maybe I shouldn't have said that. Now the OEMs will start building cheaper crap so it breaks within the 1 year warranty.
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RE: iPad and iPhone demand cuts into 2011 digital camera shipments
DNSB 5th May 2011
@mstrsfty

Going by the article, the iPod Touch which uses an LCD panel would still contribute to the shortage. Apple's number show the iPod Touch is about 1/3 of all iOS devices sold and makes a healthy contribution to their bottom line.
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RE: iPad and iPhone demand cuts into 2011 digital camera shipments
wright_is 5th May 2011
To the question of 'phones replacing cameras in the long run, I don't think so, in their current form.

The limiting factor is the lens at the moment. Until a lens is developed that is a) flat, b) high quality and c) scratch resistent, the 'phone won't be able to replace the camera.

I have an iPhone and an htc Mozart. They are fine if I am out and about and need to take a quick photograph. If I am going out on a party night, I'll take my little Ixus, as it has a much better lens and sensor and produces usable images under most conditions.

If I really want to take photographs, then I'll grab my Canon EOS550D.

The same has always been true, right back to the early days of consumer cameras.

You started of with a Box Brownie, which had a fixed focal length, no possibility to adjust shutter speed, depth of field etc. It was great for taking on picnics or quick snapshots. The more serious photographer was use some form of compact camera, which allowed some focusing and a minimal amount of iris movement. The really serious hobbyist and professionals used SLRs or full frame cameras with replaceable lenses and full control over the image being taken.

The same is true today, although the "snapshot" box brownie is now a mobilephone.
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RE: iPad and iPhone demand cuts into 2011 digital camera shipments
Rick_K 5th May 2011
@wright_is
I actually agree with you. For any serious photos I am going to use my 50D, rather than a cellphone. Interchangeable lenses, and 15 Megapixels vs at best 8 Megapixels and software rendered zoom?
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RE: iPad and iPhone demand cuts into 2011 digital camera shipments
DNSB 5th May 2011
@wright_is
Add me to the list of those ageeing that a phone camera is not the best choice for serious photos. The sensor in the average DSLR is a lot larger than the sensor in a phone with all the advantages that gives, the lens quality is much higher, you have much more control over the image, etc.

I've noticed that many of the phone camera users seldom display the images on anything larger than their phone's display so the quality difference is not noticeable to them until the day they try printing one of their images.
0 Votes
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RE: iPad and iPhone demand cuts into 2011 digital camera shipments
marco5811 Updated - 13th Nov
The limiting factor is the lens at the moment. Until a lens is developed that is a) flat, b) high quality and c) scratch resistent, the 'phone won't be able to replace the camera.I have an iPhone and an htc Mozart. They are fine if I am out and about and need to take a http://e-sazkovekancelare.com quick photograph. If I am going out on a party night, I'll take my little Ixus, as it has a much better lens and sensor and produces usable images under most conditions.

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