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Kodak returns as 'very different' printing company

The iconic photography brand has emerged from bankruptcy, but don't expect a return to business as usual.

Luke Westaway Senior editor
Luke Westaway is a senior editor at CNET and writer/ presenter of Adventures in Tech, a thrilling gadget show produced in our London office. Luke's focus is on keeping you in the loop with a mix of video, features, expert opinion and analysis.
Luke Westaway

Kodak is back -- but the bankrupt company's newest incarnation will be very different to the photography giant's previous form.

The American Eastman Kodak company has had a US court sign off on its bankruptcy organisation plan, Forbes reports, and now expects to officially re-enter the business world by 3 September.

A company lawyer said that Kodak, which was founded in 1888, will now be "a very different company than the one in the popular imagination", and will focus on its corporate printing business.

Unfortunately that means you're unlikely to see Kodak making any cool new consumer tech for the likes of you and me to buy. But if you work in a big office, perhaps you'll see Kodak-branded printers popping up next to the coffee machine.

Kodak confirmed in February last year it would stop making cameras altogether. When it filed for bankruptcy, the age-old company went out suing Apple, HTC and Samsung over a matter of five patents that pertain to capturing still images while recording video.

Kodak built the very first digital camera, but the venerable firm was slow to adjust to the digital craze, clinging to in-store kiosks and photo printing. It did produce some cracking portable camcorders -- but these were rapidly outpaced by smart phones.

Kodak stands as proof to the sink-or-swim nature of the tech industry. Which firms do you think are lagging behind, and who's striding ahead? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.