HP to Depart Digital Camera Market

By Tim Conneally, BetaNews

November 8, 2007, 2:51 PM

Three years ago, Hewlett-Packard announced it would revamp its digital camera lineup and invest $1 billion in research and development over 18 months to become a leading vendor. In a stunning about-face today, HP announced that it is now seeking an outside OEM to design and distribute HP branded digital cameras.

The company will continue to sell its own models through the holiday season, and then cease in the first half of 2008, when a partnership is intended to be in place. The company that will take over production has not yet been determined.

HP's reinvestment effort ironically only seemed to shrink its brand presence in digital cameras, after having been ranked #3 in sales in the US in 2001 by Infotrends/CAP. Today, HP is ranked #8 in the US with a meager 4% market share.

So the company is shifting its focus now toward its so-called Print 2.0 strategy,announced in May 2007. Falling in line with HP's strength in printing, and the current lack of Web-based printing technology, the Print 2.0 platform is seen by the company as a nearly $300 billion opportunity.

HP is already in development with ViaMichelin to improve printing of online maps and directions, as well as with SixApart, to integrate print functions into the popular Moveable Type blogging platform.