RED + Foxconn = affordable 8K Pro-Camera for the Masses?
[12:27 Tue,13.February 2018 by blip]
A message that is curious in many respects can be read on the net today. Allegedly, the Foxconn Technology Group (the company that builds iPhones for Apple, among other things) plans to work with RED to develop professional 8K film cameras that will be both much smaller and much cheaper than existing cameras. This is intended to reduce dependence on Apple and, above all, to offset the declining demand for smartphones.
The fact that the camera market, which has been shrinking for a long time due to the smartphone cameras themselves, is once again becoming interesting for the smartphone industry seems absurd at first, but the profit margins are likely to be higher here. It seems stranger to us that a deal that has not yet been bagged -- according to Foxconn boss Terry Gou, talks are currently being held with RED -- is being made public in advance with this manufacturer, who is known for its extreme guardianship. How ripe the whole thing is, then, remains to be seen.
As far as the declared intention itself is concerned, such a step would not be so far off the mark, since this year the modularly designed RED Hydrogen One smartphone is to be launched on the market, which will feature a special holographic display. It would be likely that Foxconn has its finger on the pulse of production here, and since RED is already entering new territories with the Hydrogen One, why not a "normal" affordable 8K camera? However, it is also unclear which price region it is exactly, because the statement is enthusiastic but vague: "We will make cameras that will shoot professional-quality films in 8K resolution but at only a third of current prices and a third of current camera sizes".
