As I was browsing my Twitter feed… the following infographic popped up. Keeping in mind that infographics are created by marketing people most often, you have to take these facts with a grain of salt…
The ad (I mean infographic) is for a new Windows model of a smartphone. Fortunately, they do provide sources for their claims (see the bottom of this page).
“90% of People Have Only Taken Photos on a camera Phone vs. a Camera”
This report released earlier this year points out that there are 5.2 Billion mobile phones on the planet for a population of 4.3 Billion users (yes, some people have multiple phones). 83% of all phones have cameras. The survey cites that 90% of all people who take pictures have only done so on a camera phone.
I find this ludicrous. Maybe 90% of people taking pictures today are using smartphones… although I doubt exclusively. But ever!?!
How Bad Is it Really?
A little quick research will show that traditional camera sales are plummeting. According to Businessweek last year:
Global camera sales are expected to fall 4.3 percent this year to 115.2 million units, according to market researcher IHS. Industrywide camera shipments fell 25 percent in August from a year earlier, according to the Camera & Imaging Products Association in Tokyo.
Global smartphone camera sales are projected at 1.5 Billion for 2014 — https://www.strategyanalytics.com/default.aspx?mod=reportabstractviewer&a0=8888
So yes, I’d say that smartphones are outselling camera 10 to 1… that doesn’t surprise me. But I don’t believe that 90% of this planet has never touched a traditional camera in their lifetime.
The Future
With camera phones outselling cameras 10 to 1, how long before we start seeing camera manufacturers becoming apps? We’ve already seen companies like Tiffen successfully adapt their traditional filters to digital equivalents. Can modern camera makers make the leap?
Your comments below please. Is this the future? Or will craft and quality always exist?