 "Lytro planning 'multiple breakthrough products' for 2014")
Lytro, the makers of the innovative Light Field camera , was first seen in the market in 2011 . Since the launch of its inaugural product last year , the company has been maintaining a low profile. Now, an interview with SFGate shows that Lytro has “a packed product roadmap for next year,” according to the company. While talking about this, the company’s CEO, Jason Rosenthal, said that, “we’ll introduce a multiple of what I think are just breakthrough products. I’m super excited and the world will be as well.”
In the interview, the new CEO compared the gap between the company’s existing and upcoming products with Tesla ’s first electric car model, the Roadster, and the Model S . There were no real details released about the mysterious new products, though. Rosenthal did reveal a broad pricing strategy and features being planned, which will be more powerful than what the current point-and-shoot customers can find in the market.
One of the features which could be seen is video. The company’s founder, Eric Cheng, was first reported mentioning it in January last year, according to the Verge . According to the source report, a partner at Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz was able to shine a bit more light on what to expect. According to him, “at least one new device would include features that professional photographers are looking for.” The new cameras planned should also be cheaper to make as there have been considerable advances in software which do away with the need for specialised hardware components. An example of how the images look can be seen below:
As reported earlier, Lytro’s trademark technology gives users the ability to re-focus the images after the shot is taken. This helps turn something like a static post on a web page into a more interactive experience. While the technology is definitely impressive, the biggest factor working against the company is the collapsing market for point-and-shoot cameras. And the $399 (Rs 24,240 approx) price tag is also a factor that may account for reduced clientele.
Thus the news of cheaper variants of the company’s cameras is definitely a good step to get more users interested. And the company does not plan to stop there. Rosenthal has said that Lytro aims to be “the new software and hardware stack for everything with a lens and sensor. That’s still cameras, video cameras, medical and industrial imaging, smartphones, the entire imaging ecosystem." While the company seems positive about how its products will shape up in the market, we will wait for more details to emerge before talking about Lytro’s success or failure.