I’ve been reading about Samsung’s new point-and-shoot camera. Look at it from the back and it resembles a smartphone. That’s because it’s got a smartphone’s operation system, Android.
Making a single use products with a flexible, expandable and upgradeable operating systems is a pretty new concept. It’s also one that makes sense. Android has gotten very powerful and running a camera is embedded deeply in its DNA.
I don’t think it’s going to sell well.
Sorry Samsung. Point and shoot cameras occupy a space no longer in demand. Why carry a discrete camera when you’ve already got one built into your phone?
I know, there’s lots Samsung’s camera can do that cellphones can’t. That’s a distinction without a difference. Point and shoot was already too complex. Most people with digital cameras were already limiting their shots to what a smartphone can now do and are pretty satisfied with the result.
Settling for smaller and easier is the next model for digital gear. That’s part of the reason why desktop computer sales are way off. Laptops and tablets aren’t as powerful or versatile. They’re smaller. They’re simpler.
This will mark a sea change in electronics. For the first time I can remember capable will drive superior from the market. Times have changed.