First, you need to watch a video. This video is part of an attempt by Panasonic's marketing to look connected with their Web audience. Basically, people asked questions via email or social networking, these were then cherry-picked by Panasonic and answered via a live streaming video broadcast from Panasonic's booth at the recent IFA trade show. Nice idea, and I give them full marks for trying (if you look at all the videos you'll find that they used on-screen interviewers that didn't know much about cameras, which is just one of the small issues of why it doesn't come off as cleanly as it could have).
But my chuckle comes from the workflow involved. The answer to the question "Why doesn't Panasonic come up with a camera that lets me upload pictures to social networks?", it appears, is "use an iPhone." Which, of course, can do the same thing by itself without needing a Panasonic camera. (Also, it looks like Panasonic's answer is that Facebook is the only social site worth uploading to, but that's a different problem.)
Basically, take a picture with the Panasonic FX90 WiFi-enabled camera, have it transmit that image to the iPhone via a Panasonic iPhone App that basically builds an AdHoc WiFi network, then have the photo sent via the phone's 3G to Facebook. The steps: (1) start Panasonic iPhone App (may require WiFi settings be turned on); (2) take picture; (3) press Playback; (3) press the WiFi button; (4) press Yes on the screen; (5) click OK when image is transferred. Oh yes, and have some "technical difficulties" in the process (gotta love live demos).
People wonder why Apple is doing so well. Of course, they make very fine products, IMHO, but here we have a competitor, Panasonic, using an Apple product to do the heavy-lifting. Funny thing is, Panasonic makes cell phones with cameras in them. Why wasn't that the answer? Of course, Panasonic is going to say "well you use our camera instead of the iPhone's because we have more features, like a zoom button." This is insane marketing. Why? Because you're completely enabling and endorsing a competitor! (Which is one reason why Apple is doing so well: others are doing their advertising for them.) How long do you think it will be before the iPhone camera zooms? It already does HD video, autofocus, and a host of other things, after all. So by saying "buy a Panasonic camera to get some features that the iPhone doesn't have" now you risk also saying "you don't need the Panasonic camera once Apple adds the few missing things to their product" in the future.
I've written many times that I feel that the Japanese camera company marketing leaves a lot to be desired. Here we have a company doing many of the right things (bringing a trade show live to their Web followers) but then making some blunders in doing so (enabling a competitor). Worse still, if you look at the picture that was taken, there was no need for the Panasonic camera: the iPhone can take that same photo! In other words, the one reason why you might want to use a Panasonic camera instead of your iPhone in this instance wasn't even demonstrated. I had to infer it, and from things that weren't even said by the demonstrators.
Of course, there's a school of thought that says ANY marketing is still marketing and useful. Apparently Panasonic's execs went to that school. My former marketing instructors at the Kelly School of Business might have something different to say, though.