Dave, yes, I also wondered why SanDisk failed to pursue it kiosk printing ideas in partnership with one of the major one-hour photo service firms. At first, SanDisk said that they were unable to come up with a design that was easy to use by customers with little or no computer knowledge. After a while, it may have become clear to SanDisk that this was really not central to their objectives.
The kiosk printers are more appropriate for Kodak, since Kodak can sell the printing paper. But here again, the best kiosks I've seen are the ones in WalMart stores, which appear to be made by Fuji.
One other business that never seemed to take off was the use of an SD card, carried like a dog tag, to hold a patient's entire health records, making them immediately available to any health provider selected by the patient. I always liked this idea, which grew out of a contract between the military and Kaneb Services. But it seemed to go nowhere. I think the concept is basically sound: You have health records that can be retrieved or modified ONLY with the patient's permission. You have health records immediately accessible, which is especially useful for those who might have to be treated away from their normal service provider. And you have a constant demand that is not tied to consumer buying power.
And that brings up the real problem that companies like SanDisk face over the long haul. They are basically making a consumer item, where demand could easily drop in periods of economic recession. It would be desirable to create markets, such as health records, where demand would remain steady, regardless of the state of the economy.
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