GoPro has finally released their first for-sale drone.
In a product launch event Monday, Nick Woodman, GoPro’s CEO and founder, unveiled the drone along with a series of action cameras and new software for GoPro.
The drone was originally teased in late 2015 and slated for a spring 2016 release, but was ultimately postponed until the latter part of the same year.
GoPro enthusiasts such as myself have been waiting for the next big thing from GoPro, and hopefully the drone, named Karma, will be just that.
Karma offers GoPro users both an easy to control drone as well as a removable gimble that is mountable on every GoPro mount.
GoPro is rivaling DJI, a company in which has the Phantom drone series and the Osmo gimble.
Another new product GoPro unveiled Monday is its new Quik Key and Quik App. The key is a product that allows GoPro users to take their microSD cards from their GoPro, plug it in and then plug the Quik Key into the user’s phone to allow quicker download speeds. The Quik App also allows for quick editing of videos.
GoPro also unveiled its newest versions of action cameras, the Hero5 Session and the Hero5 Black.
The biggest changes in these cameras is that the Hero5 Black is waterproof without needing the standard waterproof case and that both cameras have an option for voice control, something not featured on GoPro’s products before.
Karma is debuting on shelves for $799. The Hero5 Black and Hero5 Session will be available for $400 and $300, respectively.
Stock prices
GoPro’s new products may also assist in saving the company on the markets.
The company’s initial public offering was traded at $24 in June of 2014. The company’s peak in the market hit at about $100 in October of 2014 and has generally trended downward ever since.
I fear that if maintained at its current rate, GoPro is on a dead-set course to being bought out or going under.
I feel the reason for this is that their products have become unoriginal and powered by bad software and weak user interface. By this I mean, how many action cameras does the average person need? I reckon one, at most.
GoPro’s cameras have not usually changed much from one generation to the next, with only slightly better image quality but still the same problems of having a screen users have trouble reading, a complicated set of buttons, the lack of ability to see what they are shooting without a smartphone app or an $80 remote control and having terrible, slow software that is hard for users to use.
The company’s new products seem to promise a much needed change.
Hopefully, GoPro’s new products will help turn the company around and re-revolutionize its formerly niche camera market.