Camera Phones may be Increasing Digital Camera Sales

Telecom News Editorials Reports Glossary

3:01 pm on August 30, 2005 | Category: Mobile Devices

According to a recent survey from the IDC research firm, the belief that camera phones will ultimately replace digital cameras is a myth. Over 30% of camera phone owners who responded to the survey say that they have plans to purchase a digital camera because they were introduced to digital photography through their phones.

They study suggests that two reasons for this may be that the image resolution and quality on camera phones has not seen any great improvement in recent years, while the sale price of most digital camera models has gone down drastically.

The average camera phone has resolution of only about 1 megapixel, with no special features. Digital cameras on the other hand offer much higher resolution, as well as flash and zoom functions, and they are improving all the time.

The perceived quality of digital cameras is supported by statistics from the Consumer Electronics Association, which indicate that 91% of digital camera owners consider their digital camera to be their primary photography device.

Steve Koenig, the senior manager of industry analysis at the CEA says that “Many consumers own several photo-capture devices, but our research shows the digital camera remains consumers’ primary picture-taking device and we expect that to continue.”

Overall, industry analysis seems to indicate that people tend to see camera phones as handy little devices, and a great way to take a few simple pictures that can be wirelessly emailed to friends. The majority of consumers, however, will likely keep using their digital cameras when their primary purpose is photography.

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