Reading this, one could think women are different and they need pink "Barbie" cameras to get into photography, just like children need colorful toys.
Hmm. No, that wasn't implied but I did change one sentence to remove the reference to females. For most of the article I purposely left any sort of implication of that. With the exception of Kawaii which is predominately female, but a very specific culture.
I'm a male and I wanted a non-black camera (and I had 3 in total, as I had two white ones as well). These cameras are not just for females, simply people who want something different, to those new to the camera industry. Not all cultures are the same and neither are all tastes.
Phones became a fashion statement (otherwise you can't sell them at four digit prices), cameras will never become a fashion accessory. There was a time, probably fifty years ago, when SLRs became some sort of status symbol too, but now it's gone.
Status wouldn't be a factor of color unless it's more rare. Apple could make one special color a year, and market that as 2x more expensive and ideally make even more money. You know, like they did with the gold apple watch. They market various colors because everyone has different tastes. If a camera is something you carry around with you all the time, why should it not be reflective of your tastes? I choose my camera strap based upon factors such as (does it function, feel okay, and does it look good?) - as an extension, a camera could be in the same category (ahem, bay blue). Third party companies sell camera wraps - some for protection, some for fashion statements.
Alot of Canon's innovation has come about because of this targeting.
Canon's wonderful touchscreen UI didn't come about because we older professionals wanted real-time touch screen control, it came to be to attract the newer generation. At the same time, Canon and others started to experiment more with colors and various other aspects of their camera design. EOS-M was most definitely targeting this market from both the UI, camera colors, lack of physical controls, and marketing.
Cameras are a fashion statement - even to this day, and even compact and older cameras are making a comeback, not just film (as strange as it may seem).
What I noticed that since after covid, we seem to be seeing far less now - is that because of the market shrinkage, or has the market shrunk because the companies aren't taking risks anymore and just going after the same crowd. CP+ showed at least there's some recognition that they have to switch things up.
Thanks for your comments, as you got me to re-read the article with a more critical eye to any bias I may have wrongly put on the article.
