At what point is Polaroid flogging a dead horse? The brand certainly seems willing to find that thin line, as seen with its latest product, the Zip instant mobile printer.
You remember seeing those ancient Polaroid cameras from the 1980s that could automatically print out little physical photos of whatever you had just snapped? That’s exactly what this is. In fact, it’s such a retro idea it is surprising Polaroid isn’t using that thought as part of its marketing campaign.
This little printer is about the size of a modern smartphone. It uses a small stack of ZINK papers with dye crystals, so there’s no need for ink or dye. You snap a picture with your phone, wirelessly connect to the Zip printer, and then print out a little photo, about 3. X 4.7 inches, that can fit in your pocket or the palm of your hand. The whole process takes under a minute.
All right, there are a couple things that make the Zip an update from the insta-print Polaroid cameras of yore. Namely, the app that you download onto your phone also includes the ability to edit the photo you just snapped. You can scrawl messages or designs, Snapchat-style, you can add filters for that perfect Instagram look (leading to the question, “Why not just post on Instagram?”), and you can even combine multiple pictures into a sort of mini-collage feature.
Of course, all this leads to one big question: What do you do with the photo once it’s printed? It’s a bit too big to fit in a wallet, a bit too small for a normal photo frame and…well, what else is left? The dorm wall photo collections that college girls so often enjoy? Polaroid only has one practical answer – you can use a business card template and print out business cards on the go, which is pretty original but a very expensive way of creating business cards for the graphic designers and artists that approach would appeal to. Each print costs around 25 cents, and you can get better quality from a real photo printer any day of the week.
But all right, if against the odds you love the idea of Zip, then you can preorder one for between $130 and $180, depending on how many photo packs you want.
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