HP mulling a bid to acquire Kodak?
By Darren Murph 
posted Oct 15th 2007 5:17PM
posted Oct 15th 2007 5:17PM
It doesn't feel like this one has too sturdy a leg to stand on just yet, but according to Financial Times, Hewlett-Packard may be (once again) looking to acquire Kodak. Reportedly, the rationale is that combining the strengths of the two would "create a global imaging powerhouse." Additionally, it was noted that Kodak is "trimmer and in better financial shape largely because of steps taken by CEO Antonio Perez, a 25-year HP veteran recruited in 2003 and CEO since 2005." As expected, spokespeople from both outfits declined comment, but we wouldn't be surprised if this here acquisition was at least on someone's table.
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This is depressing. It's been sad to watch Kodak, once a great compaany, fall from grace like they have in the past decade (or two).
If Kodak goes under, a lot of dedicated vintage camera owners and photographers will find themselves very broken hearted. In an age of digital (yes it has advantages) film still provides certain unique qualities that cannot be duplicated, like archivability. Long live Kodachrome.
Amen to that.
If this ever happens, don't expect Kodak to go under. They are a relatively large company and the most I can see coming out of this is HP acquiring Kodak's digital division (which, admittedly, is severely lacking in relation to the competition). It may very well be a good thing, putting the historically trusted Kodak name back on track with an ever-evolving digital world (assuming HP doesn't completely kill off the Kodak name, which would be a shame).
With full-frame sensors becoming more common on DSLRs these days, 35mm still film may be seeing its final days with the pro-sumer market, as well. Sad as it may seem, film shooters (myself included) may find their last options in celluloid limited to specialty/large format film.
On the upside, 35mm motion picture film has been and will be around for quite some time. Sure everyone's claiming that the RED is the end of film, but that's what the magazine cover of a 1956 Daily Variety issue headlined when VHS was invented. I'm not comparing the quality of VHS to the RED, but rather the principle of it all: when something new and exciting comes around, assumptions are created but cannot be proven until time has taken its course. By the time the image hits the screen, will the RED produce better images than a fine-grained 35mm motion picture stock? When the 4K digital workflow is taken into consideration, will the RED be any cheaper than shooting the tried-and-true 35mm workflow that has been perfected over the past several decades?
There's plenty of room for improvement on the digital end, and no one says there isn't room for both to exist. In the meantime, Kodak (and Fuji, etc) will still be around pumping out film for Hollywood and film students alike. I hear Vision3 is expected to be released soon... I thought electron splitting was impressive with Vision2, who knows what crazy things Kodak R&D have developed for Vision3! :-)
HP is just pissed off that Kodak has a printer with cheap ink. There can't be any competition out there with CHEAP ink. Ink is meant to cost a fortune, and HP will do anything it can to keep it that way.
I bet they can move thousands of Kodak brand PCs on the Home Shopping channel. Sounds like a great move for HP, they also should pick up Polaroid and Bell+ Howell
Seriously...we're just now getting all the scitex and versamark tags off of everything. don't muss it up just because you want a strong digital printer arm...
Dell would be very well served looking at Kodak. Kodak actually makes some great new printers and Dell needs to espand that market area or get out.
Dell sells re-branded Lexmark printers. Dell needs to get out now.
Not a bad idea from HP. Buy off the brand, and quickly become an imaging powerhouse. Kodak has to have a few engineers left who can make a decent camera, and HP might be able to give them the research funding they need to make a comeback in the digital camera world. Right now Kodak is the laughing stock of the industry, and definitely need their "image" changed if they ever want to compete against Canon, Sony and Nikon ever again.
I'm pretty sure HP isn't worried about Kodak as a competitor. Kodak's printers are poor sellers, and have nowhere near the quality of the competition, and HP has done just fine with their cameras in the market despite the lack of price margins. Buying Kodak would give them an opprutunity to spread their HP branding from just electronics, and put their branding on prints, and other Kodak digital technology.
It would be great if HP bought Kodak so we never have to see those crappy Kodak printers ever again.