Global home making monster company Ikea has spent years coming up with new and exciting ways to make all the things you need out of the least expensive materials possible while still maintaining some modicum of function. While most of us have at least one piece of press board with a name that includes about ten too many vowels, there are some lines we draw when it comes to what we’ll let Ikea make for us. They’ve slowly branched out to encompass everything in the home, as well as tchotchkes and lifestyle accessories. But with the announcement of a new TV, and now the Ikea cardboard camera called Knäppa, the Swedish brand is looking to revolutionize design for our electronics too.
Ikea Cardboard Camera- Doesn’t Need an Alan Key, but Some Assembly Required
The body of this digital camera is made of cardboard, and there are no modern features to speak of, unless you consider that it can be plugged directly into your USB port. This little Ikea cardboard camera will hold up to 40 pictures, and forces you back to the days where you couldn’t just look at a photo on a view screen right after taking it. While I sometimes miss the surprise of having to wait to see what’s developed, it’s nice to not have to pay money to find out your finger was over the lens the whole time. If you need something cheap and disposable, this is a great little idea. The biggest downside I can see is that it takes a few seconds to process the data, giving you plenty of time to mess up your photo- because you have to remember there’s no anti-shake, blur reduction, facial recognition or any of the features that are starting to become unnoticed and commonplace with digital photography. Apparently the Ikea cardboard camera was designed so that you could take pictures of your house and share them; check out the video explaining its use below if you’re interested more about how it works. Unfortunately (or fortunately, I suppose) you can’t actually buy the camera…it’s only being given out in limited edition quantities to celebrate the launch of the PS home series.
