Kodak’s moment is officially over. The company, which was founded by George Eastman in 1880, called it a wrap just days ago and announced a final halt in production of digital cameras, camcorders, and digital picture frames. Kodak plans to in fact wean consumers off all of their products by 2013. The company anticipates licensing out the Kodak brand to interested buyers and will still offer photo printing, desktop inkjet, and some other software services – however, the shut-down truly marks the end of an era. The company filed for bankruptcy weeks ago, and now vows to make the public’s transition from a world with Kodak in it, to a world without it, as easy as possible.
Soon after its inception, Kodak became world-renowned for its Brownie and Instamatic cameras which were amongst the very first devices that introduced – and made easily accessible – the magic of photography to ordinary people. Engineer for the company, Steve Sasson, literally invented the digital camera and in 1975 built the first one ever to use what’s known amongst photo aficionados as a CCD, or a charge-coupled device (in layman’s terms, that’s an image sensor that enables a camera to create high-quality, low-noise snapshots). Unfortunately, however, Kodak endured a notoriously difficult challenge against Japanese camera-creators from the get-go – and it became a competition in which the American photo giant could never really steal the torch.
Kodak has reported savings of up to $100 annually as a result of folding up its tripod for good – and while jobs will certainly be cut, the number of cuts is yet-to-be-seen. On the bright side, however, owners of Kodak products will be pleased to know that the company plans to respect all warranties and service agreements on those products – an honorable gesture that speaks volumes about the company’s kind character. Kodak can be called the grandfather of all camera companies, as it virtually defined the photo industry for over a century – and paved a clear, colorful path for both amateur and professional photographers alike – as well as for budding moguls in the digital camera industry.
