James Delahunty
22 Mar 2006 17:36
A senior executive at the worlds largest mobile phone maker, Nokia, told the Financial Times newspaper that the end is coming for makers of MP3 players and camcorders. Anssi Vanjoki, head of the multimedia unit at Nokia, pointed out the impact camera phones have had on the photo industry in the past years. With 100 million camera phones produced last year, Nokia is world's largest camera manufacturer. Nokia forecasted the death of the photo industry in the company's 2000 forecast.
Konica Minolta Holdings Inc. said in January it will withdraw from the business. Back in 2004, Agfa-Gevaert sold its famous photographic arm. "In the next 6-12 months, there will be more of these announcements. The next to disappear will be the makers of music devices and then the manufacturers of video cameras," Vanjoki was quoted as saying. Devices such as Apple's iPod could come up against tough competition as music phones evolve.
In 2005, Nokia made 40 million music handsets. This year, the company hopes to double that figure. Recording video has been possible on many expensive Smartphone models, and now the feature is beginning to show up on less expensive phones. In just a few short years, this feature may be considered a standard in all new phones.
Source:
Reuters