Kodak shoots for Singapore digital camera market
SINGAPORE--According to the company, the EasyShare system, comprising a camera dock and two new digital camera models, increases the appeal of Kodak's digital cameras to average consumers by simplifying their use.
"By making it extremely simple for anyone to enjoy the rewards of digital photography, we believe we will grow the market well beyond the current penetration rate," said Willy Shih, president of Digital and Applied Imaging and senior vice president for Eastman Kodak Company, in a press statement.
Later at a press conference, Shih added that the majority of digital camera users now are those more technically inclined, the so-called "early adopters". He noted that the current US market penetration rate was only 5 percent (of all households), but was unable to cite any local figures.
This low penetration rate is normal for a "relatively new" product such as the digital camera, added Edward P Hoppe, vice chairman, Greater Asia Region, and vice president for Eastman Kodak Company. As such, Kodak is focusing on expanding the digital camera market with an emphasis on simplicity and the removal of barriers to purchase.
Kodak believes two of the biggest barriers--easy connection and battery charging--will be addressed by the EasyShare system.
By placing a compatible digital camera onto the USB docking device, the user simply needs to hit a button to transfer images from the camera to a PC and activate battery charging.
The Kodak DX3500 digital camera will be available with the docking device for S$759 by the third week of May, according to a Kodak spokesperson. The Kodak DX3600 Zoom is expected here in early July, but Kodak was unable to provide pricing details for the latter and whether it would also ship with a docking device.
Both cameras offer an image resolution of 2.2 megapixels and 8MB of internal memory which can be expanded with CompactFlash memory cards. The DX3500 has a 3X digital zoom, while the DX3600 Zoom has a 6X zoom (2X optical, 3X digital).