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Technology Stocks : WDC/Sandisk Corporation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Road Walker who wrote (19113)	2/13/2001 1:24:27 PM
From: Ausdauer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 60323

John, Let's face it. Kodak is a great brand as far as film goes, but it just doesn't have as much clout as competitors like Nikon, Canon or Olympus when it comes to hardware. I suspect Kodak has some interesting digital technology which they intend to cross-license with Olympus as mentioned in the piece you found, however consumer appeal is more of an intangible that you simply can't cross-license. I have been very impressed with Olympus' digital cameras. To be honest, the only reason I have not purchased an Olympus has been because I have a significant CompactFlash investment and don't feel like hopping over to another standard, especially one that does not profit SanDisk. That is to say, I view SmartMedia as a loss leader for us and if you listen to the c.c.'s you see that SmartMedia's revenues are downplayed probably due to the low margins and the fact that it remains a competing standard for CF and MMC. In any case, back to the original topic, Kodak. I don't see how technology cross-licensing will increase Kodak's appeal. The Kodak digicams are solid and perform well, but remain heavy, boxy and, as it would appear, unappealing compared to some of the Japanese cameras. I wonder if Olympus sees some future in acquiring Kodak technology? Maybe Kodak-Olympus will be the next merger along the lines of the other cross-cultural meldings like Daimler-Chrysler. On second thought, I think the phonetic translation of Kodak means "monkey butt" in Japanese. Olympus' management will probably need to think this over once or twice before making any decision. Aus