It comes as no surprise that GoPro is trying to conquer new realms of profit. In fact, a number of people have been asking what took the company so long to start making its own line of drones.
“Quadcopters have a special place for us at GoPro because I was a huge radio-controlled plane enthusiast as a kid,” company CEO Nick Woodman said at the Code Conference in California. He went on to describe the new products as the ultimate accessory for GoPro’s action cameras.
The drone will be built for the purpose of carrying the GoPro cameras. According to an official announcement, these will also remain compatible with other drone varieties.
The global drone market is projected to be one of the fastest growing segments in electronics. Only last year, the market’s volume reached 84 million dollars. Analysts predict that it will expand to 300 million dollars by 2018 and one billion dollars by 2020.
Competition
Ever since GoPro was founded back in 2002, it has gained massive popularity among sports lovers and professionals across the world. With a stock market value totaling 7.3 billion dollars and sales estimated at 1.39 billion dollars for 2014, it seems that GoPro is one of the strongest players in the field of electronics.
The drone market is extremely lucrative and attractive because many are just making their first steps in this innovative field. It was nothing but natural for a giant like GoPro to show its interest in the field.
China’s DJI is the current leader but a number of smaller competitors are quickly catching up to speed – Parrot and Ehang are just two examples.
Virtual Reality Prototypes
The company’s plans extend even further, as Nick Woodman presented a brand new prototype of a camera rid. It is capable of fitting six cameras, each facing in a different direction in order to create a unique 360-degree experience.
The French startup Color was acquired by GoPro and its technology of seamlessly blending picture and video content has been incorporated in the virtual reality (VR) system.
The virtual reality content created can easily be viewed through the VR helmets already available through Google. Alternatively, customers may chose to simply share the content on various social networks. Facebook, YouTube and all other services are set on providing the necessary footage compatibility.
Challenges
Woodman, did not show any signs of concern about the launch of the 360-degree system.
“For VR to be appealing to non-gamers, it’s going to need content, photo and video content,” he said.
The VR tools are certainly innovative but analysts deem them to be suitable solely for a small group of connoisseurs due to the serious price. Allegedly, the six camera virtual reality kit will be available at a starting price of around 3,000 dollars.
Love the exposure that Drones are getting! I race FPV pretty much every weekend. I’m not saying I’m good at it, but it’s such a blast! I currently have the ImmersionRC Vortex and have no complaints, it is fast, and very versatile.
Love the exposure that Drones are getting! I race FPV pretty much every weekend. I’m not saying I’m good at it, but it’s such a blast! I currently have the ImmersionRC Vortex and have no complaints, it is fast, and very versatile.