In interview published in today’s edition of the Financial Times (signup required), Anssi Vanjoki, the head of Nokia’s multimedia unit, predicted the mobile phone will kill markets for standalone media devices such as music players and video camcorders.
Vanjoki pointed out that in 2000, Nokia predicted the traditional photo industry was on its last legs, and, sure enough, Konica Minolta has shut down its camera business, and Agfa-Gevaert sold its photography unit in 2004. The article quotes Vanjoki as saying “In the next 6-12 months, there will be more of these announcements. The next to disappear will be the makers of music devices and then the manufacturers of video cameras.”