Nikon looks “beyond camera market” as compact sales fall

In a recent interview, Nikon Corp.’s President Makoto Kimura conceded that a slump in compact camera  sales may lead to weaker-than-forecast earnings in the coming financial year. Kimura said, “Nikon’s first  quarter earnings estimates are set “fairly low”, and the results will probably be close, or a little short.” Nikon also hinted at expansion of its product line into larger markets to combat falling compact camera sales,  driven by aggressive smartphone expansion. “We want to create a product that will change the concept of  cameras. It could be a non-camera consumer product,” hinted Kimura, declining to comment on whether Nikon was developing a mobile phone of its own.