Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Reuters News!
* Canon to launch smaller high-quality camera -executive
* Sales of compact cameras on track to meet forecast-Canon (Adds details)
By Isabel Reynolds and Reiji Murai
TOKYO, July 20 (Reuters) - Japan's Canon Inc (7751.T) said on Tuesday it is thinking of slightly raising its camera sales forecast for 2010 from the current 25.9 million units, thanks to better-than-expected sales in the profitable interchangeable lens camera segment.
Sales of compact cameras, forecast at 21 million units, are in line with expectations, Masaya Maeda, head of the Image Communication Products division at the world's biggest digital camera maker, said in an interview.
Canon is likely to post a 180 percent jump in profits to about 182 billion yen ($2.10 billion) for the January-June period, the Nikkei business daily said earlier this month. The company last revised its annual camera sales forecast upwards in April and is set to announce its April-June results on July 27.
Maeda also said the company was working on a smaller version of its upmarket single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras in a bid to compete with the new breed of mid-range so-called "mirrorless" cameras launched by Sony Corp (6758.T), Olympus Corp (7733.T), and Panasonic Corp (6752.T).
Nikon (7731.T) also has a new camera in the works, though it has yet to reveal details.
* Canon to launch smaller high-quality camera -executive
* Sales of compact cameras on track to meet forecast-Canon (Adds details)
By Isabel Reynolds and Reiji Murai
TOKYO, July 20 (Reuters) - Japan's Canon Inc (7751.T) said on Tuesday it is thinking of slightly raising its camera sales forecast for 2010 from the current 25.9 million units, thanks to better-than-expected sales in the profitable interchangeable lens camera segment.
Sales of compact cameras, forecast at 21 million units, are in line with expectations, Masaya Maeda, head of the Image Communication Products division at the world's biggest digital camera maker, said in an interview.
Canon is likely to post a 180 percent jump in profits to about 182 billion yen ($2.10 billion) for the January-June period, the Nikkei business daily said earlier this month. The company last revised its annual camera sales forecast upwards in April and is set to announce its April-June results on July 27.
Maeda also said the company was working on a smaller version of its upmarket single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras in a bid to compete with the new breed of mid-range so-called "mirrorless" cameras launched by Sony Corp (6758.T), Olympus Corp (7733.T), and Panasonic Corp (6752.T).
Nikon (7731.T) also has a new camera in the works, though it has yet to reveal details.