20 most worthless pieces of junk: #18 -- Polaroid cameras

As worthless pieces of junk go, Polaroid cameras are on the pleasant end of the spectrum. Digital cameras have become so ubiquitous that toddlers frequently ask to see the image of themselves on the back of my (film) camera. When I tell them they'll have to wait a few weeks, they look at me confused, and run off for some other instant gratification. What they don't realize is that my generation, too, had its instant gratification, albeit the need to wait a minute or two for the image to appear. Polaroid cameras were digital cameras, before their time.

Sadly, like any technology ahead of its time, Polaroid cameras had a few major flaws. The first was the need for complex, proprietary film that could only be produced by (and purchased from) Polaroid itself. This can be great as a business strategy -- the inkjet printer and razor industries have made enormous profits by selling the "hardware" (printers, razors, cameras) cheap and making the "software" (ink, blades, film) costly. Unfortunately, in the film camera market, it was relatively unpopular; consumers were used to being able to interchange their camera and film brands. But the second was much more bedeviling, and ultimately was the fatal blow: cost.