Life Cycle of the Camera - Essay Example

The Life Cycle of the Camera The camera’s development has undergone the life cycle development stages that are used to evaluate the performance of products from the time of their creation. The evaluation enables companies to determine whether the product performs fairly in terms of sales and profits. This is because the life cycle indicates the pattern of sales and profits that products should have at each stage. The camera’s growth and maturity stages have been so dynamic enabling organizations such as Kodak and Nixxon to reap high sales and profits. The high creativity and innovation of new cameras such as smart phones, which have numerous uses apart from taking photographs may lead to the decline of sales and profits reaped by camera companies (Kurtz 79). This indicates that the product has reached the decline stage, and it may become extinct if the innovation of new photo taking gadgets continues. Introduction Stage This is the stage when the product enters the market the first time, and firms reap low sales and profits because they conduct intense marketing to attract customers (Kurtz 30). The camera was first introduced in the market during the proto globalization period that began in the sixteenth century. Human intelligence increased during this period leading to the invention of various objects such as the wheel and the camera. The first camera, known as obscura, took inverted images that were not saved on any material. The object was as big as a house, and it allowed photographs of one person only. The camera had a hole through which light passed and formed inverted images of the objects in front of the gadget. The images taken by the camera were unclear and unattractive. The inventors of the product later developed portable cameras that increased the need for photography in the world (Joanne 65). Image of the first camera obscura (writtenshots.wordpress.com) Image taken using camera obscura (fineartamerica.com) Growth Stage The growth stage is the second phase of product development, which involves increases in sales and profits. Organizations reap higher benefits in this stage than in the introductory phase because of the incoming of new customers. During this stage, new firms begin producing the good so that they can reap the high profits and sales in the industry (Kurtz 84). In the introductory stage of the camera, Kodak was the only company that produced the product. However, new companies such as Nixxon and Sony entered the industry. The growth stage also involves the addition of features to the products to make them more attractive to existing customers. The additional features also help companies in attracting new users, and this enables them to recover they capital they invest in the production of the good. Eastman, the director of Kodak developed the camera by enabling the saving of images in films. The films were of limited length meaning that they would save a limited number of images. Users of the camera went back for film refilling to the companies where they bought the product when the existing space finished. The images saved on the films were also produced by the producing companies when there was no additional space in a film (Joanne 76). This meant that customers would wait for numerous days to view their pictures. The photographs taken using the film cameras were not also clear; although they were better than those of the obscura. The film camera (www.retrothing.com) Image taken using the film camera (www.shootingfilm.net) Instant cameras were also developed during the growth stage of the product life cycle. This is the camera that enabled consumers to recover their photographs immediately. Users did not have to wait for days or months to see their photographs like they did with the film camera (Joanne 93). The invention of this camera increased the sales of Kodak and other companies in the industry. This is because they attracted new customers and recovered sales from those who were dissatisfied by the extensive periods taken to produce photographs with film cameras. Images became clearer with the creation of instant cameras. Picture of an instant camera (atomictoasters.com) Photo taken using instant camera (thewirecutter.com) Digital camera also developed during the growth stage of the product in 1988 in Japan (Kurtz 103). This camera saves images in its internal memory such that users may print their photographs at their own convenience. This camera is the most developed form of the product, and its photographs are the most apparent among all others. Digital cameras are affordable, portable, and have the lowest operating costs (Joanne 110). The product is convenient to users because it also uses rechargeable batteries unlike other cameras that used disposable cells. Digital cameras are the most preferred among users in the modern world, and every firm produces its own brand of the product. A digital camera (www.ephotozine.com) Photo taken using a digital camera (ictearlyyears.e2bn.org) The development of numerous camera brands during the growth stage enabled consumers to develop preferences for the product. Research indicates that by 1901, numerous consumers preferred photographs taken using the brownie that was developed by George Eastman (Joanne 113). The consumers purchased the product for use especially during vacations. This indicates that customer loyalty towards the camera developed at this stage. The loyalty of consumers to some cameras indicated that customers trusted the goods from companies such as Kodak. This meant that firms aimed at enlarging their market share through the development of unique brands that were preferred by customers. The digital camera has become the most preferred brand of the product since its evolution. All organizations in the industry such as Kodal, LG, Sony, and Nixxon produce the product (Joanne 119). Maturity Stage The maturity stage of a product is the phase where organizations producing the product reap optimal benefits (Kurtz 111). The benefits that firms reap depend on the level of marketing of the good. This is because consumers perceive goods produced by different firms to be similar, and what motivates them to purchase products are the promotions and price. This means that consumers at this stage do not prefer any product than others. The camera reached the maturity stage when all companies started producing digital cameras. Organizations such as Kodak developed marketing techniques such as sale of cameras with free accessories such as memory cards and rechargeable batteries (Joanne 121). This strategy enables the firm to gain high sales and profits. Decline Stage The decline stage is the final phase of product development, and it mainly involves reaping of losses due to change in consumer tastes and preferences. Consumers purchase new products that are more attractive in the market. Organizations either close down their operations or they shift to the production of different products at this stage (Kurtz 137). The innovation of computers and mobile phones that are capable of taking photographs may shift consumer demand from cameras to these developments. Demand may shift from cameras to the new creations because of their ability to perform numerous tasks simultaneously. Mobile phones such as iPhone that is produced by Apple Inc has a capability of taking photographs and videos, accessing the internet, receiving calls and messages, and reading complex Microsoft documents such as word and power point (Joanne 171). These capabilities of the mobile phone lead to the preference of the good over cameras, which are capable of producing photographs and videos only. This means that camera producing companies need to invent new products that have the capabilities of computers and mobile phones. The firms that will fail to adopt the changes in the market may end up closing down their operations. Product life cycle (liveseysolar.com) Conclusion The camera is a product that has undergone three life cycle stages, and it may enter the last stage if consumer preference continues shifting towards mobile phones and computers. The first camera that had no capability of saving or producing photographs was the largest in size. The growth stage of the product was characterized by changes such as ability to save and produce photographs besides being portable. Mobile phones and computers may lead to the decline of the cameras because of their ability to perform numerous tasks simultaneously. Work Cited Joanne, Richter. Inventing the Camera. New York: Paw Prints, 2011. Print. Kurtz, David. Contemporary Marketing. Mason: South-Western, 2013. Print. Read More