Well, they probably have listened in the way of looking at their sales numbers: The pack film sales have collapsed during the last decade.
The photographers have killed pack film by stopping using it.
Most of those people who are complaining ignore the fact that even in the "golden times of film" pack film was a special product for mostly professional photographers:
The two main markets for pack film were
- professional studio photographers (using it for test shots)
- professional passport / identity card photographers.
These two major markets for pack film are gone for years, eliminated by digital imaging. It's a little wonder that Fujifilm produced pack film for such a long time without its main customer base.
The number of enthusiasts still using pack film is very tiny compared to the former main markets in professional photography.
And the instant amateur mass market is using integral film for decades. Nobody of them wants the hassle with the sticky mess of the negative with pack film (especially when you are shooting outdoors; honestly: even I as pack film shooter don't like the handling outdoors because of that).
Do you remember the video of F. Kaps when he announced his try to "save" pack film? He was very honest (kudos to him) and said that he has not used pack film in the last years. If even the 'saviour' has not used it, you see which the real problem is: demand.
At the Photokina last week I had long talks with Impossible Project and Fujifilm about that topic:
Besides the massive demand problem two other aspects are or maybe important:
1. Impossible confirmed my guess that the pack film finishing machines were needed and were rebuilt for finishing Instax film to satisfy the strongly increasing demand.
Therefore selling the machines to the group around F. Kaps was not possible.
2. The assumption the Fujifilm managers I talked to have is that environmental reasons could have played a role, too: The formulation of pack film is quite old, with (perhaps) problematic chemistry which will be forbidden in some years. A needed reformulation with new chemistry is too expensive for such a very low volume niche product. You will not get a return on your investment.
Instax is an "open system". Anyone who wants can make a high(er) quality camera or camera back for it. The quality of the Instax film is good enough for that (see my post in the "Leica Sofort" thread). There is the future for those who want higher quality instant photography.
Best regards,
Henning