The changing pace of change

24-06-2009

by Ralph Averbuch

Kodachrome film is dead after 74 years. Will today's tech giants last that long?

If anyone was in doubt that technology is a fickle mistress we need look no further than media reports of the sad, yet inevitable, decline in the fortunes of Kodak's camera film business. Kodachrome colour film was first introduced by Eastman Kodak nearly 74 years ago and for the longest time dominated as the best technology for capturing still photographs. But now Kodachrome accounts for less than one percent of Kodak's still film sales and so the decision has been made to shut down production. That's no surprise to many as we've voted in droves for digital still and now video cameras to capture our more precious moments for posterity. Still, Kodachrome had a long run in business terms, surviving for nearly three-quarters of a century. Meanwhile MySpace is in much tougher times too, but the life-cycle's been somewhat shorter. Launched in late 2003, MySpace was one of the most successful of the first generation of social networking sites; so much so that it was snapped up by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation in July 2005 for USD580 million. At the time that seemed very prescient but four years on MySpace finds itself knocked by competitors such as Facebook and it was recently forced into announcing a 30pc cut in staff to reflect waning fortunes. Yet in both cases it's been down to not just the emergence of new enabling technologies, but the increasingly transient nature of customers. Barriers may be lower than ever for people to get into business, but equally, it's never been easier for customers to change loyalties to new services and products. Kodak dominated in old film sales for decades. Will the same be able to be said of today's digital businesses ten years from now?

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