If you've been wondering whatever happened to the good old Polaroid brand you may have grown up with, we have an answer. The company has reinvented itself in the digital age and is now going strong as it rolls through 2014 with several new imaging products along with an exciting new photo concept retail store.
As it rolls out those stores across the United States, Polaroid is changing consumers' concepts about what to do with their images after they've captured them.
Tech Times recently caught up with Polaroid CEO Scott Hardy to find out what's currently going on with this iconic photo brand and what lies ahead. Here is Part I of our conversation.
Tech Times: What's new with Polaroid for the remainder of 2014 -- what products and innovations are in store for consumers?
Hardy: We have some exciting things planned for the coming months, including our Socialmatic camera. This is 14-megapixel digital camera with a 4.5-inch touchscreen LCD display that runs Android and includes a built-in Zero Ink printer. After taking a picture with the back camera or the 2-megapixel front camera, you can share it on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest using the built-in software on a Wi-Fi network. At the same time, you instantly can print a 2×3 -inch photo. At $299, we think consumers will be very excited over this product
We are also unveiling the Polaroid Cube, and as the name suggests this cube-shaped little camera is our entry into the action/sports camera category. Based on the types of stills and videos this segment likes to capture, we have included a wide-angle lens that can capture 120 degrees of action, with waterproofing up to two meters and a built-in mic. You just press the button on top to take a five-megapixel photo or 720p video. At under $99, with a variety of different types of attachments, we think the people will fall in love with the Cube.
Tech Times: Are consumers beginning to change their behaviors and attitudes toward printing their pictures?
Hardy: We are seeing that the younger demographic, a group that everyone kind of wrote off as never having interest in printing images, is now discovering this as a kind of a novelty. The younger generation is indeed discovering that they love to get a print of their favorite pictures once they see them. Even though they are digital natives, the novelty of a photo print is not lost on them. Our top-selling camera right now is the Pic 3000 and we're finding that we're selling a lot of them to younger consumers. We remain committed to giving consumers new and exciting options for capturing and sharing their memories.
Check back tomorrow as Scott Hardy talks with TechTimes about Polaroid's new Fotobar imaging retail concept, the smartphone market and the future of image organozation and storage for consumers.
