Stopping the Kodak Carousel

I have seen this message posted to various internet mailing lists:

Eastman Kodak Company has confirmed plans to dis­con­tinue the manufacture and sales of slide projection products and accessories in June of 2004. This early disclosure is being made to key user groups in order to allow time for adoption of a replacement technology or purchase of backup slide projector products.

The KODAK products included in this event are CA­ROU­SEL, EKTAGRAPHIC, EKTALITE and EKTAPRO slide projectors and all KODAK Slide Projector accessories.

The current plan is to cease manufacturing in June 2004. Kodak anticipates that small quantities of new Carousel, Ektagraphic, Ektalite and Ektapro slide projectors will be available through the end of 2004. In addition, the Kodak distributor, Comm-Tec, in Germany plans to sell Ektapro projectors and accessories beyond 2004.

Kodak will offer service and support for slide projectors until 2011.

Slide projectors continue to be used in many government applications due to a proven track record of cost-effective, reliable, high-quality image projection. Combining the seven years of service and support with a long history of trouble-free operation, means that slide projectors will continue to enjoy many years of productive use.

Investigating and installing replacement technologies can be a challenging and costly effort with a long im­ple­ment­a­tion timeline. So, many may wish to purchase backup units for currently installed slide projectors while making the trans­ition. Upcoming government budgeting activities make it prudent to pre-disclose now in order to allow ample time to include slide projector demand in the gov­ern­ment budgeting plans for 2004.

Making Kodak aware of your future requirements will insure that there is enough products on hand before pro­duc­tion ends. You can do this by contacting Glenn Prince, Kodak Account Manager, Government Markets [contact details removed]

Thank You,
Glenn R. Prince
Eastman Kodak Company
Have a peaceful, joyous day

Amen. I am moved by the prospect of peace and joy, but sad to see the Carousel pensioned off. I have long admired its simplicity, reliability and effectiveness.

Some of the credit for the Carousel is due to industrial designer Hans Gugelot:

Gugelot never mentioned aesthetics. He showed special antipathy against the concept of style and felt increasing discontent about the fact that certain formal details of his designs had been distorted into formalistic rules. He considered design as a moral question rather than one of beauty, more a question of attitude than one of taste. Aesthetics were thought of being embedded in comprehensive universal standards.