 "Polaroid launches 'Instant' product in India starting Rs 9,099")
“We have made history today,” remarked Sridharan Narayan, vice-president, consumer services, Regalix India, the licensee for Polaroid in the country. The action camera-maker entered the country’s market by launching two of its ambitious products — the Polaroid Cube and the Polaroid ZIP printer.
Globally, the action camera market is set to grow at a compound annual rate of 23.83 per cent by volume, and 16.2 per cent by value over five years to end in 2018. The sales are estimated to reach 76 million units by that year, and retail value $3.2 billion. Polaroid seeks to grab the first-mover advantage with its new range of imaging products.
Priced at Rs 9,099 and Rs 12,350, respectively, the Polaroid Cube and the ZIP Printer would be sold exclusively on Flipkart.
Flipkart Vice-President (Electronics) Adarsh K Menon said: “While action photography holds 40 per cent of the total global market, it is still at a nascent stage in India. Being the social and ceremonial country, India has a large number of festivals and personal occasions happening around the year. Statistics reveal that there is a growing demand for devices that are portable and cater to the needs of the creative enthusiasts. We are excited to tie up with Polaroid to enhance our category portfolio.”
Menon said, demographically, youth in both urban and Tier-II, -III cities demanded action photography-fuelling cameras. The Polaroid, synonymous with “instant”, would strike the right cords.
Polaroid has smartly added a set of compatible accessories and mounts, including a selfie-stick and a monkey mount, which would appeal to people irrespective of age and choices. In bright colours like blue and red, the little Cube looks cute.
Sridharan revealed that two more products – Polaroid Wow-Fi Cube and Snap would be launched by the end of this year and the pre-bookings would be taken from December onwards. Smaller and lighter than counterparts LG and Fuji, Polaroid seems convincing and looks uber cool.
But whether these little devices, having an old-world charm of print pictures and the associated nostalgia, will be able to target and penetrate the Indian market as smoothly as the smartphones and DSLRs, remains to be seen.
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Polaroid Cube: The company’s press statement says about the Polaroid Cube that “as compact as it sounds is as compact as it can get. Print life in 2” x 3” glory. The Cube is designed to capture action, be it extreme sports, travel or on-the-move photos and videos. The idea is to cater to that voracious urge to record every moment to relive at leisure”.
The Polaroid Cube is capable of shooting videos of 1080p x 720p resolution. It has a 6 MP still camera and, being lightweight and compact, it could be a good device for heavy-duty adventure.
Since it has a magnetic base, it sticks on any metal surface. It could be a motorcycle or even a helmet. The camera’s weather-proof and splash-proof features make it good for outdoors. There is a 124-degree wide angle lens, battery life if 1.5 hours, and storage (with a Micro SD slot) of up to 32GB. It is available in black, blue and red.
ZIP Printer: The Snap from Polaroid will make “Instant” a by-word in India, the company claims. Click and print in under a minute. “The ZINK — zero ink paper offers deep, rich colours, fade-proof, water-proof, tear-proof images.”
Polaroid ZIP is another product that could be the only true smartphone printer. It literally fits into your pocket and prints smudge-proof, water-proof photos of 2” x 3” dimension. Equipped with a 500 mAh Lithium battery, the printer gives 25 sheets per charge. It is available in black, white, blue and red colours.
