the future of GoPro?

[twitchyzero]

Most of us know that GoPro is synonymous with rugged action cam.
Hero4 along with GH4 brought 4K recording to the masses, so credit where due.
Many players tried to compete but does not come close in sales volume. Garmin, Contour, Polaroid, HTC, Sony
That was pre-2015.

Since then, the Session came to be a commercial failure, like the 3DR Solo. Karma's impact is unknown and there's some doubt casting due to the delay. Even if it's an amazing bird, the quadcopter market is small and a drop in the bucket. The main seller that will be Hero5 with its authentic leaks honestly doesn't seem to bring any game-changing features. Their stocks and investor confidence have been in freefall for some time. I came across this video:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

I dont agree with his reasons, but I really feel there's much better options than GoPro. Lots has happened in the 2 years since Hero4 launched. It's hard to beat Sony at their decades of video expertise nor the aggressive pricing of Xiaomi products.

the argument that GoPro has best accessories and mount is moot given a cheap adapter means cross-compatibility with other aforementioned cameras.

but of course, marketing trumps all, usually.

Will GoPro continue to dominate the market globally or is it past its peak? Will Xiaomi eventually become top dog?

On a side note, when I was traveling through East Asia I was surprised to learn GoPro isn't very well-known there.

 

[Perry Lawrence]

GoPro has focused on the base user (not pro) and with the Session being a flop for that market, they are scrambling. When Karma launches it will be a competitor if the customer support is better than the rest (DJI, Yuneec). Assuming it has features comparable to Solo et al.

One can only hope that their Hero5 strategy helps them widen their "sport centric" base and also continue to offer ground breaking features with high quality imagery.

I hope the 5 has

• Non-distortion lens
• Interchangeable lenses
• 4K 60
• RAW stills
• GPS
• Built in stabilization (even just a little bit)

That would be a true game changer.

I have heard that there is a third product that will debut with the above two. My personal hope is that it's a gimbal or stabilizer of sorts.

The video above is interesting. The osmo looks amazing! However I have not had any problems syncing my 4B to my phone or iPad and it's my preferred method of operation. He's pushing the limits of the current GP (heavy use, desert conditions, audio, etc) and he's closer to a professional user than most. However, pro users are what help you sell to the base consumer and help you keep ahead of the curve.

DJI has been successful addressing these markets (consumer-pro-sumer, pro), Apple and Adobe have as well. My fingers are crossed for GoPro's announcement. I have not had this much anticipation for a product line announcement in many years!

 

[twitchyzero]

the leaks of hero5 are very convincing....4k60, stabilization at 4k and interchangable lenses all have pretty much been ruled out.

I dont think it's unreasonable to expect GoPro to withstand harsher conditions.