News

Polaroid betting on digital print kiosks

October 5, 2003

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Polaroid is well-known for its instant prints. But the company said that's the past. The future lies in a digital printing kiosk the size of a vending machine. About a dozen are being tested, with a bigger role out expected next year.

According to an Associated Press article, the kiosk takes in a credit card and a camera memory chip, then spits out a high-quality print every two seconds. See related story, "Speed is the killer for Polaroid kiosks."

Polaroid hopes the kiosks will soon be deployed in airports, cruise ships, and restaurants popular for children's birthday parties -- anywhere the urge for instant photographic gratification may strike.

"You could put them in every maternity ward in Boston," said David Gordenstein, president and CEO of Zeff Photo in Belmont, Mass., a test site where the kiosks have been a hit so far. "Think of all the parents who want their pictures right away," he said in the article. 

The technology didn't arrive in time to save Polaroid from its 2001 bankruptcy, and the reconstituted company faces plenty of competition, according to the article. A dozen rivals already have nearly 50,000 kiosks installed in the U.S., and even though they're slower, they've snapped up a lot of the best real estate. See related story, "Summit releases comparative research on photo kiosks."

But the new Polaroid, a slimmed-down version now owned by Chicago's BankOne, has identified 100,000 possible sites, and is making a huge bet on the technology.

The speed comes at a price: no bells and whistles like cropping and enlargements. But Polaroid said 85 percent of the digital print market is first-time printing. Most customers just want to pick their best shots and print a role's worth on 4x6 paper.

"Everybody else has come up with Swiss Army knives," said Bob Barton, director of marketing for the new product line, in the article.

Chains or other third parties, such as shopping malls, would buy the machines from Polaroid and set their own prices. A trial version operating in Boston's Prudential Center mall is charging 59 cents per print.

One big obstacle is Kodak, which has 60 percent of the installed kiosks, according to analyst firm Infotrends. At a recent investor conference, Kodak demonstrated a new 6-second printer that, starting next year, will be available to plug into some of its 23,000 kiosks. Kodak's current top speed is 27 seconds.