Digital Cameras Go Disposable

iforgotmyfirstlogon writes: "Three Japanese companies are trying to make money off "disposable" digital cameras. You pay for using the camera, take it back to the store to get your pictures, and they recycle the camera so someone else can use it CNN story here. I think it's just a matter of (little) time before hordes of enterprising geeks figure out how to get the pics out and reuse it without paying the fee, or simply gut the camera for parts. Can't see how they'll make money..." And at $16 for .3 megapixels, this sounds like more of a novelty than a bargain, considering that 4-megapixel cameras are available now for less than a thousand dollars.

I've already got one

[sllort]

I've got a disposable digital camera right here. My friend called it an "Imac", but whatever.

What a great idea!

[BillyGoatThree]

Here I am, like a fool, with a digital camera I spent $250 on and requires me to own a computer with a "hard drive" and "monitor" and "serial port". Instead of that massive outlay I could instead pay $15/pop for the priviledge of driving back and forth to the store for my digital picture needs. The more I use it, the more I save!

Defeats the purpose

[drodver]

Think of the homemade p0rn! You really can't take those kinky pictures of the misses if you have to take it into the shop to get the pictures. That would cut out a big chunk of the reason why people want digital cameras!

Re:Whats the point?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's just another way to get pictures of you for the face recognition program. Come on, aren't the Japanese and US allies?

"from the japan-is-wierd department"

[c0rtez]

You think THIS is waht makes japan wierd? Not cars with emotions [slashdot.org] or robotic cats with lifelike skin [slashdot.org]?

Alright, maybe your right, disposable digital cameras make japan wierd... those other things make it creepy. That and the old man I saw on the Hanzoomon line reading Rapeman comics.

Doomed to fail because...

[Asikaa]

...the only reason anyone uses digital cameras is to take "those" kind of pics without getting a strange look from the photo shop clerk when you pick up your photos. :)

Er... no, that just looks like a well-buttered hamster... Wow... er, my neighbor must've borrowed the camera... no, I don't have any idea how that goat got in the shot.

Tsk - it's bloody cheap!

[Lars T.]

And at $16 for .3 megapixels, this sounds like more of a novelty than a bargain, considering that 4-megapixel cameras are available now for less than a thousand dollars.

But if you buy 13 of them, you can build your own 3.9-megapixel cam for just $199!