This is our first issue since attending the 2013 International CES, and you would think that things might be a bit slow. After all, many exhibitors take advantage of the enormous crowds to show their newest entries that will take them through the spring selling season.
Well, a quick glance at our new product pages (6 and 7) demonstrates that the engineers never sleep. The new products announced after CES by Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Panasonic, Samsung, Pentax Ricoh, Canon and Sigma (among others) demonstrate the incredible innovation that infiltrates our industry on an ongoing basis. If you think about it, there aren’t many product categories out there that now have a 12-month new product cycle. Yes, it keeps us busy . . . and it is also intriguing enough to the public that their photo appetites never seem to wane.
And this innovation does not belong only to the big guys. Our 7th Annual Rudy Awards are the result of our writers scanning the back booths at CES, to find those products that deserve to be pushed to the front of the line. We anoint these awards because Rudy Maschke, for whom they are named, always pushed us to find the small opportunities that might not be as obvious as the ones staring us in the face. We urge you to search for innovation wherever it may be living—and help your customers discover the outer limits of today’s technology.
Speaking of innovation, this will be the last issue of Photo Industry Reporter as you know it; we are not going away, but rather we are responding to the market by updating our name, our look and our coverage of this ever-expanding product spectrum with new ideas, fresh columns and a different perspective.
Our April issue will mark a new beginning for our publication, and we look forward to continuing to serve our readers by providing you with information that will help your business grow and prosper.
