FRAMINGHAM, Mass.-Camera phones are more gateways to digital cameras than replacements for them, according to a study released from IDC.
The survey found that 30 percent of U.S. camera-phone owners plan to buy digital cameras because they were introduced to digital imaging through their phones. And while pricing for digital cameras continues to fall, camera-phone resolutions generally have remained constant, IDC said, making camera phones that much more attractive.
Also, users are less likely than ever to print images captured on their camera phones, IDC found.
“Home is still the dominant place to print, yet the anemic number of prints supports IDC’s theory that end users have more reliable expectations regarding mobile imaging than vendors themselves,” said Chris Chute, an IDC senior analyst.
