“The connected experience is the future of imaging,” says market researcher InfoTrends. “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.”
Consumers will expect connectivity in future electronic devices, the firm adds. “Digital camera vendors must satisfy this expectation or risk losing a customer.”
WiFi connectivity is beginning to show up as a standard feature and optional accessory in a handful of point & shoot and interchangeable lens cameras, Infotrends notes. “Vendors need to increase the velocity of these introductions and make 2012 the Year of the Connected Camera. Camera vendors can no longer continue solely down the path of standalone digital cameras. All vendors should have at least one WiFi enabled point & shoot or ILC model in their line-up, and move towards offering WiFi as a standard feature.”
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.
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