No More Polaroids

BOSTON (AP) - Polaroid says it's trying to reinvent itself, so
it's getting out of the very business it became known for --
instant pictures.
The company is dropping the technology it pioneered long ago now
that digital photography has made it all but obsolete.
Polaroid is cutting 450 jobs and closing factories in
Massachusetts, Mexico and the Netherlands as it focuses on other
ventures -- like Polaroid-branded electronics and a portable
printer for cell phone images.
This year's closures will leave Polaroid with 150 employees at
its headquarters near Boston. Thirty years ago, the company had
21,000 employees.
Sales for traditional camera film have been dropping about 25 to
30 percent a year, and analysts say instant film likely has been
falling just as fast -- if not faster.
The company stopped making instant cameras over the last two
years. The film will be available through next year.