Camera Phone Technology in the Market - Essay Example

 Camera Phone Technology in the Market During the turn of the century, the influence of the different forms of technologies that are related to telecommunications and digital applications is continuously increasing both in terms of market share and the usability in the daily activities of the members of the public. Included in the said technological prowess are the mobile phone and digital cameras. In the turn of the 21st century, one of the most important technologies that had been refined and introduced in the market is the camera phone. Camera phone is a type of mobile phone with the capability to take either digital photographs or videos that are moving. Since the introduction of the said technology in the turn of the 21st century, the popularity of the said product had been considered due to the pragmatic view that one can achieve the advantages of both the mobile phone and the digital cameras in one. The said type of technology had been introduced in 2002 with a continuous rapid growth through the years. Due to the demand in the market associated to the production of the said line of products, the producers and manufacturers of the different forms and specifications of the camera phone are in continuous quest to achieve unique and recognizable features that can catch the attention of the consumers (Maney, 2007). Statement of the Problem Based on the preliminary view regarding the increasing demand on the different variations and specifications of camera phones, the study undertaken is aimed to present the needs and the strength of introducing a new version of camera phone on the market. In the exploration of the performance of the camera phone in the market, there are different issues that are needed to be taken into consideration. Included in the said issues are the factors that are related to the legal, economic, governmental, ethical, ecological and socio-cultural aspects. The determination of the said issues can be considered essential in the determination of the possible behaviour of the product in the market. Current Situation The introduction of a particular product can be affected by different issues in the macroenvironment and in the manufacturing or production aspects. The said factors can be considered fundamental in the success or failure of the product in the market. Economic Aspect In the introduction of a new camera phone, one of the main priorities is the affordability of the product. Due to the present state of economy in the international community, the said factor is often considered more important that other features. The said preference of the consumers can be attributed on different reasons. One of the said reasons is related to the fact that once a consumer purchased a camera phone, the applicability and benefits related to mobile communication and visual capture can be achieved at a price of one. Other features that are important that can add to the optimization of the value of the gadget are the number of features that are incorporated and the materials that are used (Dunphy, Prendergast and Scolai, n.d.; Rasmusson, Dahlgren, Gustafsson and Nilsson, 2004). Ethical Aspect Another important aspect that is needed to be given importance is the ethical aspect that can affect the introduction of the product. One of the most influential issues related to the introduction of the camera phone is related to the privacy rule. The said issue can be attributed to the fact that the tool information exchanges inclusive of digital images are distributed to the people at an affordable price. Although the achievement of an ideal rule that can respect the people’s right to privacy, the information dissemination that can be done by the producers and the vigilance and responsibility of the consumers can be considered as the essential tools to counteract possible hindrance to the optimal application of the technology (Dunphy, Prendergast and Scolai, n.d.). Legal Aspect The legal aspect of telecommunication covers different laws that are related to both the privacy and the manufacturing issues. The right to privacy is recognized by the constitution of different countries with the example of the law in US that imposed that privacy is an “unspecified natural right” of every person. It is important to determine the law on privacy on the basis of the rules set by the state, the public order and the norms of the specific location. In other countries such as Ireland, although privacy rules related to camera phones are not statutory, legislations such as the Data Protection Act 2001 for the “regulation of disclosure of personal data, are implemented to protect the different parties involved (Dunphy, Prendergast and Scolai, n.d.). In the introduction of a particular gadget such as a camera phone, it is then important to study the locality and present the strong points that can attract the population to use and purchase the product. Marketing and promotion processes then are localized and case-specific. Technological Aspect The different features incorporated in the product can be considered as the main focus of the technological aspect. In the process of determination of the performance of a product in the market, the unique and distinct feature of the camera phone is the main focus. Ecological Aspect The ecological aspect can be related on the production and manufacturing process specifically the materials that are used. In the present era, it is fundamental to incorporate the laws that are related to the ecological systems due to the fact that it is one of the main requirements in the introduction of products as well as being included in the personal priorities of the consumers. Socio-cultural Aspect The norms, traditions and daily activities of the consumers can be considered as another important aspect that is needed to be taken into consideration in the introduction of a new product in the market. This can be attributed to the fact that it can affect the sales and performance of the product in the market. The socio-cultural aspect is related to the possible behaviour of the consumer in relation to making a purchase. Marketing Strategy The product being introduced in the market is a camera phone which applies the new technology in camera. Features of the Product 1. Built-in Camera The camera is the most important feature of the mobile phone due to the fact that it uses the newly developed liquid lenses. The said lenses have the highest potential demand in the market due to improved capability as compared to the conventional cameras in mobile phones (Peach, 2006). In addition, it has a 2 megapixel camera that is considered affordable for the majority of the population and can be considered to have considerable clarity. 2. Display The phone is on TFT with 256K colours in the display monitor. 3. Imaging and Video The camera can capture both still photographs and moving videos. 4. Other Features Aside from the said capabilities, the phone has SMS and MMS messaging capabilities. The browser for network connection is based on WAP 2.0/ xHTML. The radio is another feature which can be described as Stereo FM with RDS. Games can also be played. Programs such as MPEG-4 player, Macromedia Flash Lite 2.1, Adobe Flash 3.0 and T9 are featured. Product Analysis The product can be considered as a middle class phone device that has exceptional features when compared to the low-end products in the market. Although this is the case, the price is very competitive. Thus, it can be considered that the consumers that are aiming for low-end products due to affordability can choose the camera phone and be considered as an upgrade of the features of cheap phones in the market. The introduction of the particular camera phone in the market then can be considered to target the middle class and even the consumers who do not prioritize the purchase of mobile phones due to the price that can be incurred. The product will be introduced initially in Asia and US due to the potential market that can be incurred. From the said regions, the distribution can be expanded to cover other nations in a period of 4 to 5 years. In terms of the plan, the phone will be offered and used in different networks available as per locality to be able to reach all groups of consumers that prefer different network services. In addition, it will be offered both in prepaid and post paid plans. The camera phone then is targeted to achieve worldwide application. This is more preferred than high-end features to be able to reach the middle and lower class population which can be considered as the majority of the consumers of the mobile telecommunication. Bibliography Dunphy, J. M., Prendergast, G. J. and Scolai, P. O. (n.d.). The Emergence of Camera Phones – Exploratory Study on Ethical and Legal Issues. Communications of the International Information Management Association 3, p.121-133. Lyra Research, Inc. (2006). Asia-Pacific Camera Phone Market Will Top 600 Million Units in 2010, Says New Lyra [online]. Available from: [Accessed 09 May 2009]. Maney, K. (2007). Technology: Baby’s arrival inspires the birth of cellphone camera – and social evolution [online]. Available from: [Accessed 11 May 2009]. Peach, M. (2006). Camera phones focus liquid lenses on expanding market [online]. Available from: [Accessed 10 May 2009]. Rasmusson, J., Dahlgren, F., Gustafsson, H. and Nilsson, T. (2004). Multimedia in mobile phones – The ongoing revolution. Ericsson Review 2, p.98-107. Sharma, D. C. (2005). Study: Camera phone market will top digital cameras [online]. CNET News. Available from: [Accessed 10 May 2009]. Strategy Analytics (2007). Nokia & Motorola Lead $100 Billion Camera Phone Market [online]. Cellular News. Available from: [Accessed 10 May 2009]. Tatsuno, K. (2006). Current Trends in Digital Cameral and Camera-Phones. Quarterly Review, 18, p.35-44. Read More