As a programmer, my natural inclination is to sit in my fortress of arrogance and build the thing that I "know" they need. But learning how to do user testing, user interviews, and customer development has persuaded me that the important moment isn't when the product ships, it's when somebody actually uses it.

I almost never use my non-phone camera anymore because the point for me isn't taking a picture, it's doing something with it. Which camera companies would know if they treated anthropologists with the same respect as CCD scientists.

They haven't. That doesn't mean they have forced me into buying a fancier camera, and therefore getting more money. Instead they've pushed me into doing almost all my casual shooting with an (inferior) smartphone.

Besides, market segmentation is a good idea only as long as nobody else is going to disrupt your precious segments. If they will, then you might as well disrupt them yourself.

Established organizations have trouble thinking like that, though, because their ignorance of actual use combines with political desire to avoid change. Thus, Kodak.

Nikon and Canon's target market, photographers, want to spend their time taking photos, not writing code for their camera.

Besides, most of the "possibilities" listed in the article are already available on a lot of cameras (like the intervalometer), better done in post processing (like previewing on ipad), or easily done using a $20 wireless remote control.

Don't get me wrong, it's cool that he's hacking on his camera, but I don't see Nikon and Canon ever promoting it or going out of their way to make it easier.