Polaroid has made yet another valiant return to the camera market, but the actual demand of its latest offering is still uncertain.
The camera is powered by AA batteries, uses four exposure settings, automatic flash, and provides pictures the same size as business cards. Old Polaroid pictures featured 3.5 x 4.25 photo pages (with 3 x 3.1 images), while the new photos are 2.1 x 3.4 inches (and had a 1.8 x 2.4-inch image size).
The Polaroid 300 shares similarities to the Fujifilm Instax Mini, and that's because Polaroid and Fujifilm worked together on the new camera.
The Polaroid 300 should be available sometime in May with a $90 MSRP price tag. The "instant film" used for the camera is available in a 10-pack for $10.
Polaroid, a very well known company prior to the rise of digital cameras, has operated in relative obscurity the past few years.
The company announced in early 2008 that it would stop selling instant film cameras and instant film -- signaling the end of an era. The company hasn't remained dormant for long, however, as rumors began circulating of new cameras in development.
Early last year, the company launched its PoGo Instant Digital Camera for $199, but it appears the company had a difficult time trying to sell the snazzy gadget.
I appreciate that Polaroid is still making an effort, but I just have a hard time believing consumers are willing to pay that much for small photos. Similar to the PoGo, I expect this Polaroid camera to gain some early headlines, and then fade as consumers simply lose interest.
Polaroid doesn’t plan to stop at the 300, and intends to release similar products in the future.
