^^^ LOL. You posted the same thought (only much shorter) while I was writing. Great minds...
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Looks interesting, although I'd probably not buy one. Nice to see Canon taking a stab at fending off the threat of camera phones to its point-and-shoot market. Not sure there is a solution as camera phones advance in capability, but it's an interesting effort. Either way, it's a clever design to make it easy to shoot from any angle...perhaps too clever for the average consumer? For the sake of all Canon fans, I hope it performs well in the market.
By the way, to all those upset at Canon for not announcing a new lens or DSLR body: I understand the disappointment, but remember, this is the Consumer Electronics Show, not the Photographer Electronics Show. This is exactly the venue to unveil consumer-oriented (even gimmicky) products.
I don't know Canon's segment-specific revenue figures, but I would expect that the consumer market is the bread and butter that pays for the R&D that makes the pro market possible. If we expect camera phones to significantly harm the point-and-shoot market, wouldn't we all be praising Canon for coming up with creative ideas to address that? Not sure this one will be the answer, but Canon has to try.
Incidentally, I wonder: does Canon provide any camera phone makers with sensors, lens elements, et cetera? I wonder if the solution is to stop trying to beat camera phones as a form factor and simply make better camera components for phone makers than the phone makers can (or source). Anyone wonder the same thing or have thought through with more info?