Camcorders Face Dwindling Fate-
More evidence Q’s convergence into / prominence in the consumer electronics value chain.
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As the convergence trend hits digital gadgets in a major way, digital cameras and cell phones infringe on the realm of camcorders.
Although digital cameras are the camcorder¡¯s scariest enemy at present, Kim expected mobile handsets to pose more of a serious threat to them over the long haul.
ultimately every handset will also include the video recording function,¡¯¡¯ Kim said.
times.hankooki.com
Camcorders Face Dwindling Fate
By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff Reporter
As the convergence trend hits digital gadgets in a major way, digital cameras and cell phones infringe on the realm of camcorders.
Top-of-the-line digital cameras and cell phones are now armed with a video recording function to win the hearts and minds of customers who want versatile features from a single gizmo.
Currently, all digital cameras produced by Japanese electronics giant Sony are equipped with camcorder function and other makers have also followed suit.
As a result, the camcorder¡¯s market size is dwindling quickly, in sharp comparison to digital cameras and cell phones whose markets just keep on expanding.
Local market researcher GfK Korea said domestic camcorder sales, exclusive of online purchases, almost halved to 8,932 units in April from 14,357 a year ago.
``After the 2002 World Cup, the sales of camcorders dipped significantly in the face of both digital cameras and cell phones,¡¯¡¯ GfK Korea official, Kim Dong-hoon said.
Kim projected Koreans will buy far less camcorders this year at roughly 220,000 units from last year¡¯s 285,000. The figures are collected in Seoul, Inchon, Kyonggi Province and the Kyongsang provinces.
``As digital cameras enable people to capture moving images with good resolution, more and more are snapping up digital cameras instead of camcorders,¡¯¡¯ Kim said.
Although digital cameras are the camcorder¡¯s scariest enemy at present, Kim expected mobile handsets to pose more of a serious threat to them over the long haul.
``Currently, mobile handset manufacturers are focusing more on incorporating a digital camera function, but ultimately every handset will also include the video recording function,¡¯¡¯ Kim said.
However, despite the bleak outlook, the future of camcorders is not all doom and gloom as they too are jumping on the bundling bandwagon.
Recent high-end camcorders are also versatile enough to stage a rivalry with other convergence gadgets with functions of MP3 players, voice recording and even digital camera function.
Also they weigh only around 300 grams unlike their predecessors, which have typically lagged a long way behind digital camera when it comes to mobility.
``Still, camcorders are the best devices to store memories. The real battle from now on is how camcorders can also grab onto the convergence trend,¡¯¡¯ Kim said. |
