Digital camera sales jump in Q2 : IDC

LOS ANGELES: U.S. shipments of point-and-shoot digital cameras rose 50 percent in the first half of the year, but Hewlett-Packard Co. lost 4.5 percentage points of market share during the second quarter, according to a new study. Technology research firm IDC said Thursday more than 3.5 million cameras were shipped in the United States in the first half, with more than 2 million cameras shipped in the second quarter of the year. The study focused on point-and-shoot models with color screens.

Sony Corp. held its dominance with 25 percent market share in the quarter, and Canon pushed into the top three digital camera makers with a 12 percent share, IDC said. Hewlett-Packard's share fell to 9.5 percent from 14 percent in the second quarter of 2001, according to the study.

"The HP issue was that their new products haven't arrived to the market and their older products have been depleted," said Ron Glaz, program manager for IDC digital imaging program. "They didn't have anything else to replace the shelf space." An HP spokeswoman said the company is in the midst of a product transition in its digital camera line and is boosting its inventory as it would in any product introduction.

Prices for digital cameras, which have revolutionized photography for the casual vacationer and professional alike, are expected to drop around the winter holidays, according to IDC. About 40 percent of annual digital camera sales take place in the fourth quarter, IDC said.

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