Kodachrome is now gone.

3. On the 22th of
June 2009, Kodak
announced that
Kodachrome will
be terminated.

4. After 74 years, this legendary brand
came to an end.

6. Kodachrome
was the first
successfully
mass-
marketed
colour film.

7. The brand received global
recognition from the 1950s and on.

8. Kodachrome became highly appreciated
among professionals for its colour accuracy.

9. The film had an
amazing longevity –
50 years after the
images had been
taken they would still
remain accurate.

10. It lost market shares to Fuji’s Velvia in the
1980s and 1990s, but remained as a strong
brand up until the rise of digital imaging.

11. A 35mm Kodachrome transparency corresponded to
approximately 20 Megapixels.

12. Thus, in terms of image quality, analogue
photography has up until now in most applications
offered a higher performance.

13. But that did not matter much since digital imaging
was cheaper and offered much simpler handling.

14. With the rise of digital imaging from the late 1990s
and on, sales started to decline rapidly…

15. In the end, Kodachrome generated only a negligible
amount of revenues for Kodak…

16. … And a company in trouble could not
keep such a product alive any longer.

17. Just like Henry Ford brought cars to the
people, Kodak made colour film
affordable and user-friendly.

18. Those days of growth and rising profits
are long gone now for Kodak…

19. … and many former Kodak buildings have
been demolished in recent years.

20. Paul Simon’s song ’Kodachrome’ from
1973 can serve as a tribute to the brand.

21. When I think back on all the crap
I learned in high school
Its a wonder I can think at all

22. And though my lack of education
Hasn’t hurt me none
I can read the writing on the wall

23. Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers

24. Makes you think all the worlds a sunny day, oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama don’t take my kodachrome away

25. If you took all the girls I knew
When I was single
And brought them all together for one night

26. I know they’d never match
My sweet imagination
And everything looks worse in black and white

44. More information
From Kodak
ABC News
Paul Simon’s ’Kodachrome’

45. Image attributions

46. Christian Sandström is a
PhD student at Chalmers
University of Technology in
Gothenburg, Sweden. He
writes and speaks about
disruptive innovation and
technological change.
www.christiansandstrom.org
christian.sandstrom at chalmers.se