This is truly sad:

Polaroid is shutting down factories in the United States and abroad as the company abandons the technology that made the instant photo possible. The company will cease production of its film by next year.

I’m really surprised that there isn’t enough of a niche market to continue producing the film on a small scale for artists and hobbyists alike. I’m glad to hear they’re at least open to licensing or selling the technology to make the film.

Polaroid chief operating officer Tom Beaudoin said the company is interested in licensing its technology to an outside firm that could manufacture film for faithful Polaroid customers.

It’s a little funny that the Washington Post article lays the blame on Flickr, though.

The artsy, instantly gratifying Polaroid images, reeking of processing chemicals, have finally been done in by endless Flickr Web pages full of digital images, flawlessly produced by cameras that do not require film, emulsion or anything bigger than a shirt pocket to carry them around.

If I were Flickr, and if my pockets were deep, and I wasn’t tied up in this whole recent Yahoo hullabaloo, I’d think seriously about purchasing the technology behind Polaroid’s film. Just to endear myself to the photogs even further. And as a way to get my name/brand on something out there in meatspace.

Update, 2010-03-25: It seemed only appropriate that someone (or ones) would come to the rescue. Well played.