
“In the past, digital frames weren’t picked up by the everyday Joe, because it was too cumbersome to put the photos in,” Sylvester said.

Each one comes with the capability of loading 300 before additional packages need to be purchased. Expected to sell for about $199, the frame uses AT&T broadband, instead of Wi-Fi to deliver the photos. In March, the company will release its latest generation digital frame, Photo Mail, that will allow consumers to e-mail photos directly to the frame.Įach frame will come with an e-mail address built into it that users can give to their friends to send e-mails through. Instead of having to push and pull images in and out via memory cards, the next generation products are able to connect to computers via wireless. Many Pandigital frames are less than $100, with a 5.6 inch frame less than $50. In 2007, most frames cost more than $150. “We are expecting double digit growth for the industry in 2010.” “I think with purse strings starting to loosen and lot of new innovation coming in, this could be a banner year,” said Carrie Sylvester, senior researcher of Infotrends. Now, manufacturers hope that 2010 will be the year consumers will give the product a fresh look. In 2009 the inventory that most of the retailers sold were out dated. “That was just when the economy went down the toilet, and retailers were left holding product they couldn’t get rid of,” Fishman said. To compensate and avoid missed opportunity again, the following season many stores loaded up on supply. Many stores were caught off guard and didn’t have the supply to match the demand. In 2009, about 2.2 million units of their frames were sold.įor picture frames themselves, the 2007 holiday season ignited a huge boom in their popularity. A 40 percent decline in average selling price brought revenues down to $130 million in 2009, but the company is expecting a 12 percent growth in 2010.


“They have done a couple of creative things that have made them much more nimble compared to other manufacturers.”īetween 20, Pandigital saw its revenues jump from $108 million to $194 million. “Pandigital is absolutely one of the leaders, and were in the market before a lot of the giants,” said Jake Fishman, Industry analyst for Gap Intelligence, Inc. The Dublin-based business wanted to have frames that were simple so that anyone could use them easily. While Sony and Kodak are major digital frame manufacturers that have the advantage of being household names, Pandigital products can be found in major stores such as Macy’s, BestBuy, and Fry’s Electronics. Dublin’s Pandigital helps reinvent digital photo frame – East Bay Times Close Menu
