The Polaroid (not quite defunct)

There is a paradox here somewhere. Last year, Polaroid not only outsold its competitors in the growing digital camera field, it even turned a slim profit on those sales. Since analysts say that no one else is making money on digital cameras, it was a coup.

But talk to Polaroid executives and they shrug off digital cameras as simply Polaroid's way of marking time. They expect that a few years down the road, people will be snapping pictures with cell phones, Palm Pilots and the like — and, they hope, printing them out on wireless Polaroid printers.

"The cameras are just another way of capturing images, many of which we hope people will want to print," said Gary T. DiCamillo, Polaroid's chief executive.

The accuracy of this forecast could determine Polaroid's chances for survival in a digital world.