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The key combatants in the photo industry -- including rivals Eastman Kodak Co. and Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd. -- joined hands a year ago to launch the next generation of cameras and film.
Twelve months and more than $115 million in advertising later, experts say the Advanced Photo System -- and Kodak's version, the Advantix -- has begun making an impact on the consumer photo market.
Experts differ, however, on the status of Kodak chairman and CEO George Fisher's vision of the APS as the "reinventing of consumer photography."
The APS' first birthday passed Jan. 31 without fireworks, cake or actress Jamie Lee Curtis on stage with Fisher.
A first-year recap:
* The APS, while hampered by slow camera production by Kodak competitors, gained market acceptance and recognition, and fueled modest industry growth.
* Kodak, aided by a big advertising budget and slower competitors, grabbed the lead in the U.S. and worldwide APS camera market, company officials say.
* Competitors' slow rollouts caused APS film sales to lag.
* Industry officials expect the APS to dominate the consumer market, perhaps as soon as 2000.
"We are the No. 1 seller of APS cameras," said William Smith, Kodak's director of worldwide marketing for the APS. He estimated Kodak's sales at 4 million to 5 million Advantix cameras in 1996, at an average price of $125.
"Our share ... is significantly stronger in APS than in the 35mm (market)," he said.
Kodak already has seen Advantix's impact on its bottom line, company officials and analysts said. Consumer Imaging segment sales rose 13 percent for the fourth quarter and 12 percent for the year. Earnings climbed 7 percent for the quarter and 6 percent for 1996 as a whole.
Analysts credited Advantix for much...