I've owned a Polaroid camera, and in a faintly nostalgic way I thought it was too bad that they stopped making Polaroid film. (Note: they have NOT stopped making self-developing film. Fuji still makes a few kinds, mostly for passport photo machines and things like that.)
Well, inspired by Edwin Land's famous quotation:
"Don't undertake a project unless it is manifestly important and nearly impossible."
these people have decided that they won't go down without a fight. Dr. Land, by the way, was the inventor of Polaroid film - the first Polaroid cameras were known as "Polaroid Land Cameras" or just "Land Cameras."
The Impossible Project
They've leased the building and bought all the equipment from the Dutch factory where integral Polaroid films were made, which means they're very serious - that took real capital. Their intention is not simply to revive integral Polaroid films - they can't do that, as many of the components are no longer available. They intend to invent entirely new kinds of integral self-developing film products, sold under a new brand identity - they didn't buy or license any trademarks from Polaroid, which is still a going concern - which use the same back technologies as existing cameras. They've given themselves a year. I kinda hope they make it.
M
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
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2 comments:
hmmmm... personally i think they need to look at three years, not one.
but what do i know about R&D?
When I say, "Invent new kinds," I mean that I think at least at first they will use the same core technologies but with modernized components to replace the older ones, especially and for obvious reasons the ones which are no longer available. I doubt they'll invent new chemistries and have them marketable in a year, myself.
M
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