[TerryM]

Kodak, like a lot of companies, appears to be run by managers that don't use their own products. That is the only way I can explain their disconnect with the real world. I can sell an old roll of Kodachrome 25 from my fridge on eBay for $35 a box, so why can't they figure out there's money in something like that? Small film makers will just about beat your damn door down for a cartridge of Super 8 film that is magnetic striped! Of course Kodak discontinued that too. Remember Kodachrome 200?? Ektar 25??, etc. etc.

Of course they'd rather focus on churning out throw-away point-and-shoot digital cameras and compete with dozens of other also-ran makers of these, instead of focusing on their own very unique and precious assets. They seem to think their "brand" is so precious that it is what counts now, not the product. This is the sort of nonsense apparently that is taught in high falutin business schools.

Hi Dave,
You've hit the nail on the head. I had posted this on the Qualex Thread, but here are some figures that will really leave you fuming. In the 3rd Quarter of last year, Kodak only made 2.8% Profit on their Digital sales, but made fully 11.2% Profit on their Film sales! This was fully $77 Million Dollars in Profit from their Film sales in July to September 2008, but only $23 Million in Profit from their Digital sales! Why do they not do more to faithfully serve their Film customers? I would like to know why! They treat us with contempt. The fact is that they DO make profit on their Films, but they don't think that they're making enough profits! Qualex is probably profitable too. Those Kodachrome Films they scrapped were profitable, but not enough for the current rotten bunch of Executives who run the Eastman Kodak Company . These Executives work on behalf of a few money-grubbing Mutual Funds who are the majority Shareholders. They went to the wrong school of business where "revenues" are more important than "profits". Total Digital Revenues for the 3rdQ were $820 million (up 7% over the previous year) compared to $764 Million for Film (which was down). These Executives seem to think that there will somehow be a more profitable future in selling junk electronic cameras and equipment rather than a skilled manufactured product like Film. Volume is what they call it, and this is also how they thought at GM. Well, as GM is finding out, volume is not more important than profits. I've reconciled myself to the likelihood that these rotten Executives will sell Kodak's Film business to Fuji or Ilford, and I think this will be a good thing since those two companies DO believe in Film and are much more committed to serving their customers. Under these Mutual Fund managers, Kodak has become like a Wall Street firm where 'money money money' is all that matters. It's very sad, but Companies like that always go belly up.