(Getty Images)

Smartphones crushed digital cameras, but Fujifilm is making a comeback

TikTok is driving demand for Fujifilm’s faux-vintage cameras

7/3/24 9:17AM

The smartphone crushed the digital camera.

Before the picture quality and convenience of modern smartphones rendered the tech obsolete for a lot of users, more than 120 million digital cameras were shipped worldwide in a single year (2010) as scores of people picked up simple point-and-shoots to snap candids or artier vacation pics. By 2023 that shipment figure had slipped almost 94% to fewer than 8 million.

But one camera maker has refocused and is now reaping the rewards of burgeoning demand for its faux-vintage digital cameras: Fujifilm.

Online hype — much of it via TikTok — around Fujifilm’s X100 digital cameras has been translating to real results for the Tokyo-based tech giant. The company’s imaging division, home to a selection of buzzy cameras beloved by Gen Z shutterbugs, accounted for 37% of the record-breaking profit it posted in 2023.

A gushing Wired review of the latest version of the camera, which originally launched in 2011 and now costs ~$1,600, posited that the X100VI model might be the “most anticipated new camera… ever,” typifying the buzz around the hard-to-get-your-hands-on device. Grid-friendly models like the X100V and the Instax Mini instant film camera have helped to reinvigorate the Japanese company’s imaging segment in recent years — the ¥102B (~$629M) it brought in last year made it the 90-year-old company’s most profitable division last year.

So why is Fujifilm’s shooter such a rare bright spot in the wider digital-camera picture?

The X100 has managed to rise above the digital decline thanks partly to its nostalgia-friendly credentials. While it mostly functions like a high-quality modern fixed-lens compact camera, the device also offers users the ability to mimic more filmic shots and looks a lot like a vintage film camera, which has helped Fujifilm tap into renewed enthusiasm for the analog aesthetic that’s helped buoy the vinyl revival and other retro pursuits.

To help keep up with consumer appetite, Fujifilm reportedly doubled the launch volume for the VI that debuted in March. But the level of demand surprised even Yujiro Igarashi, manager of the group’s professional imaging group, who said, “I was surprised that although we doubled our preparations, it still came up short.”

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While gaming industry groups may not like it, there’s been a huge change in the methods people are using to put money on the big games, with everyone from fortunate NYC bar owners, to a far less fortunate Spanish supporter, turning to prediction markets to try and turn their sports know-how into cold, hard cash.

According to a new report from Adam Blacker for apptopia, that shift might have been even more seismic than imagined in the wake of the NBA and NHL finals and around the 2026 World Cup kicking off.

2026 World Cup Reverses Seasonal Lull for Sports Betting Apps

According to a new report from Adam Blacker for apptopia, that shift might have been even more seismic than imagined in the wake of the NBA and NHL finals and around the 2026 World Cup kicking off.

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Anthropic pulls Fable and Mythos access worldwide after Trump administration bars their use by foreign nationals

Only days after releasing two versions of its next-gen AI model, Anthropic has disabled them for users worldwide.

Anthropic says it received a Friday night order from the Trump administration to suspend access to the models for any foreign national (anywhere in the world) — a group that included some Anthropic employees. In response, the company turned off access to everyone.

Last week, the company released to the public its much-anticipated Claude Fable 5 model (and its restricted version Claude Mythos 5, which is still being tested with trusted partners). Anthropic said in a blog post announcing the action that officials cited national security concerns with the new models, while offering few specific details.

The post said that the government gave the company “verbal evidence of a potential narrow, non-universal jailbreak” of the public Fable 5 model. A jailbreak is a means by which users can evade restrictions built into the code to unlock prohibited functionality. Anthropic downplayed the significance of the attack, and said other major models, such as OpenAI’s GPT-5.5, could also be affected by the technique described.

Fears of these first Mythos-class models being misused are running high, after Anthropic warned the cybersecurity world in May that the advanced cyber capabilities of Mythos have rapidly discovered thousands of vulnerabilities in ubiquitous software, leading to the decision to restrict the full version of the model to a close group of trusted partners for testing.

This morning, Axios reported that Anthropic technical staff have flown to Washington to meet with White House officials to resolve the issue.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Trump administration’s decision to take action against Anthropic was prompted by discussions that Amazon CEO Andy Jassy had with officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. According to the report, Amazon researchers said they had been able to evade some of Fable 5’s security restrictions using specific prompts. Amazon is a major investor in Anthropic.

Anthropic is currently suing the US government to fight the Pentagon’s blacklisting of the company on national security grounds.

Statement on the US government directive to suspend access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5