Originally posted by Kobayashi.K Yes there are still creative people that are making art using their camera, to hang it on the wall. You don't hear much of them because they have no time hanging around on forums.
That's very true. But it goes beyond that. The photographers making prints tend to be the serious photographers who invest in systems. They may be quantitatively a smaller group than the majority who just take snapshots; but they are qualitatively much better customers. People who buy DSLRs to shoot their kids playing sports buy an entry level camera, a kit lens, and a kit telephoto zoom. And that's pretty much it. They don't buy any of the high end stuff that sells with high margins. Unless your Canon or Nikon, you're not making any money selling cameras in volume. It's all about margins, not volume. It's about making cameras that appeal to serious photographers, not soccer moms. Sony and Olympus have been chasing volume and have lost huge amounts of money.
Connectivity features are nice; but they're not going to stop the decline in camera sales. The digital revolution is slowing down. There are no longer compelling reasons to upgrade every two or three years. Combine that with the fact that many consumers are over-burdened with credit card debt and you'll begin to understand why decline in camera sales (and computer sales as well) is inevitable.