Archive notice: This article was originally published on February 4, 2016. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
From April 2016, only three GoPro models will be offered: the Hero 4 Black, Hero 4 Silver and Hero 4 Session. The Hero+ LCD, Hero+ and Hero models will be discontinued.
GoPro chief Nick Woodman decided on this step because fourth-quarter 2015 sales were 31 percent below those of the previous year’s quarter, leaving GoPro with a loss of around 34.5 million US dollars. At the beginning of the year, the company had already been forced to dismiss 7 percent of its employees.
Cheaper Competitors
The main reason is cheaper action-camera suppliers, such as Xiaomi from Asia, which offer entry-level models for around 70 US dollars. By comparison, GoPro’s entry-level Hero model costs 140 euros, or around 155 US dollars. In addition, the action-sports filming market is fairly exhausted, because the camera replacement cycle is not the same as a smartphone’s. Users keep the models they have bought for longer.
Plans
Nevertheless, GoPro intends to launch the Hero 5 in 2016 (according to rumours, it reaches depths of up to 60 metres, films in 8K and is significantly smaller and lighter than its predecessors, but this has not yet been confirmed by GoPro), as well as a model for 360-degree videos. GoPro is also placing great hope in the Karma camera drone, which records video at 4K resolution. Whether GoPro can compete with companies such as Parrot or DJI in this area remains an exciting question until release.
All further information about GoPro’s products is available on the website.
GoPro on Mars Duty
During the filming of “The Martian”, Ridley Scott became a big fan of GoPro cameras. Initially planned only as props for the spacesuits, Scott was so impressed by the narrative possibilities after viewing the material that Prime Focus World converted it with the help of BMD’s Fusion. More about this in the next issue of DP 02 : 16, published on February 22!
