We're celebrating our 20th birthday this month, and we've invited industry experts, researchers and scientists to write in and paint a vision of the future, 20 years from now. Here's what C. Sukumaran, Director, Consumer System Products & Imaging Communication Products, Canon India had to share about his vision of the future.
“A picture is worth a thousand words!”
I can’t but believe in this statement more and more as I see the enormous changes and growth happening in the imaging industry. From the time of having a physical photo album to now saving images on cloud and digital drives, it amazes me how modern technology has transformed the way we live and experience things. One thing, however, stays the same – pictures can still communicate better and more than what a thousand words would do – be it scrolling on social media or framing a picture of your loved ones (or yourself, for that matter!) so you can look back at those nostalgic moments.
Being the global pioneers of making cameras dating back to the 1940s to launching the mirrorless cameras of today, our endeavour has always been to delight our customers by innovating, catering to their specific needs, and thinking ahead to prepare for the future. From a future perspective, we are well placed and committed to driving innovation across our comprehensive array of sophisticated contemporary digital imaging products and solutions in India. The digital industry of imaging products and solutions has drastically changed over the past few years, whether it is the introduction of mirrorless technology in cameras or instant printing solutions with the tap of a button, and the next 20 years will not only witness more changes but also more swiftly.
What will become extremely critical for brands in the next 20 years will be to have a strong brand identity while staying relevant to customers in their unique way. As we consume more and more visual content day by day, pictures have the power to speak instantly to the world. Modern cameras will become more compact with technology, along with mirrorless technology and recording resolutions like never witnessed before. The need to capture experiences and show them to the world has now become engraved in our DNAs. We all are storytellers and content creators, and for professional content creators, the quality of content being created and posted on social media is critical. Artificial Intelligence has already started seeping into our lives and the effects of it will only magnify in the coming years. Immersive technology enables users to step foot into 'someone else's shoes' and goes above and beyond traditional 2D depictions. It is believed that Virtual Reality is one of the technologies with the highest projected potential for growth and it will surely transform our lives in multiple ways by expanding into various industries. Cameras too will surely adapt to these latest changes in technology and cater to evolved customers’ needs.
The next 20 years will bring about a considerable shift in the landscape of the printing business in India as well. The printing industry is continuously changing with several technical advancements in response to market demands and trends. Printed images encourage learning, creativity, inclusiveness, and ‘IRL' (in real life) relationships while also giving a break from the internet world. Due to the high proliferation of digital consumption, privacy concerns, and oversaturation on digital platforms, the printing industry is poised to grow. Even though our lives have been digitalized, the charm of a magazine or a hard copy of a photo, book and letter does not go away.
What is also rapidly evolving is the consumer mindset to be environmentally conscious. Consumers are already more aware and informed, and they prefer brands that have ideals and stick to their purpose. Hence, laying special impetus on green technology must be the strategy in the aftermath of COVID-19's economic slowdown. This would be required to assist in steering the economy towards a more sustainable growth path by investing in and embracing more green technology solutions. The closer we get to our objective of zero greenhouse gas emissions, the healthier our world will become. As the frontrunners in the industry, we believe in bringing products that are not just innovative, but sustainable as well.
It is so captivating to see just how much the human brain can develop. With constant technological revolutions, it is simply evident that humans can truly create more ideas equivalent to that of the atoms of the universe!
The future is bright, indeed, and colourful like pictures!
By- C. Sukumaran, Director, Consumer System Products & Imaging Communication Products, Canon India,
To read what other industry leaders and experts have to say about the future in their respective fields, visit our 20th Anniversary Microsite.