Why GoPro own drones

The plans GoPro, maker of popular action-camera, start its own line of consumer drones next year. The price will vary between $ 500-1000 for a device that will become a direct competitor of drones DJI, Parrot and 3D Robotics.





fast-growing market for drones - the possibility that the company can not afford to miss

But why GoPro this idea, instead of starting to produce aircraft in conjunction with one of the existing players? Especially, most drones have mount for cameras GoPro, and where there is none, you can use a custom lock. Is not it easier to focus on the company's cameras, and receive additional income from affiliate sales?

After a successful IPO, the company can afford to take a risk and start a new product line to diversify their income. Drones are also amazing product - buy one and you immediately need apgreydnut camera, and vice versa. And after the DJI and Parrot presented their own aircraft with cameras, GoPro wants to avoid the fate remain out of work. They have interests in the media - all these colorful frames and extreme video you can find commercial applications in the future. And GoPro just want to have sole control over the distribution of content.

GoPro, we can say, lucky for us will be easy to create a device that can successfully compete with other drones. After all, in fact, it is well familiar to all helicopters on the remote control, which is run by people for decades. Several additional rotors camera - without it they will only copter on the radio. And all of them stuffing appeared with the development of mobile technologies.

"Details for smartphones, such as sensors, GPS-sensor, camera, multi-core processors, batteries, and so on - all this costs a few dollars. Unavailable they were 10 years ago. Everything that used to be the military-industrial technology, now you can buy at the local electronics store, "- explains Chris Anderson, who left the position of editor for Wired 3D Robotics. With the availability of components GoPro can create his own drone for a year or two, and at the same time the company will not need to spend lots of money on research and development activities.



Of course, to create drones for mass simpler than for business customers. The plans of Google and Amazon to use drones as an autonomous service delivery. Only the Federal Aviation Administration United States has not established clear rules, such as drones can be used, and it is somewhat hampers business. On the other hand, the market for consumer drones actively developed. Over the last month there were news from DJI and Parrot , and 3D Robotics has hired former CEO DJI Colin Guinn and has already promised show own device in the near future.

Consequently, GoPro strives to take his place in a niche where quite closely. Although the authority of the brand and its reputation will help launch their own devices on the market, especially if connected to this famous athletes. As for the long term, the company will have to compete with other manufacturers on price, features and performance of the devices. But while the market is still far drones to saturation.

Speaking at a recent presentation of the new Inspire One, CEO DJI named device does not drone, and "aerial camera." And there is a certain sense. For lack of a better term, we call drone machine that is actually an airplane, camera and smartphone simultaneously. We still have little understanding of their capabilities and the size of the consumer market. And GoPro wants to understand the capabilities of the industry, one of the first.

Author: Dima Figol
Based on: The Verge a >

Source:
geektimes.ru/company/madrobots/blog/242032/

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