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In my free time I crew on a 52ft racing yacht. For those of you unfamiliar with the sailing sport, it is unique in the fact that it is intensely physical and a
by templaedhel 14y ago
In my free time I crew on a 52ft racing yacht.
For those of you unfamiliar with the sailing sport, it is unique in the fact that it is intensely physical and action packed, but also governed very strictly with rules and procedures. It is not uncommon for a crew to finish a race sweaty and exhausted and a few hours later meet in a ballroom in black tie attire to go through a procedure that is reminiscent of courtroom proceedings to determine if a rule was broken or if a foul play was involved.
A team who we often compete alongside recently outfitted their boat with a multitude of GoPros, one on top of the mast, 2 on the bow looking back on the port and starboard gunnel of the boat, 2 on the back looking forward, and 2 looking out on each side. They not only use these to practice, going over the "play by play" if you will, but also during the aforementioned race committee hearings, to establish innocence or wrongdoing. They swear the cameras, which cost them at most $3,000, have won them many a race.
GoPro has done a very good job finding the niche they needed to appeal to, and marketing and fueling that niche to be the backbone of what appears to be a very successful business. Best of luck to them moving forward.
- masklinn 14y ago> GoPro has done a very good job finding the niche they needed to appeal to I think they've done better than that: instead of finding a niche, they've found dozens if not hundreds of them. Each individual "extreme" sport is a tiny niche unable to support much of a video company, but by stumbling on the idea of various quality mounts and a solid (in all sense of the term), high-quality camera, gopro covers pretty much all sports at once. And from there, it spreads to every situation where a camera is "out in the open" where it might get banged up or fall. That's not really a niche anymore.
- colmvp 14y agoIndeed. Take a look at Jerry Seinfeld's recent comedic short series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. GoPro's are used in the interior of the cars he drives.
- StewartRen 14y agoI'm very surprised nobody mentioned the devastating impact of GoPro on the environment. Every single one of those cameras is going to end up in landfills. If we're lucky. Most likely the plastic, metal, and toxic battery trash will end up on slopes, in the wilderness, or in the ocean. Ironic and disappointing for a company that pretends to celebrate the outdoors.
- bronson 14y agoYou want them to make their waterproof cameras compostable? We're talking about fairly expensive electronic equipment, not disposable diapers or bottled water. Low volume. Your ire is warranted elsewhere.
- StewartRen 14y agoLow volume perhaps, but as a business their goal is to maximize profits, meaning the goal they're working toward is high volume. I live in Hawaii and I can see the impact of this (disposable electronics) every day on the beach. What's problematic is not just the waste that is the direct result of this company, it's the fact that nobody is even acknowledging the destructive impact of the company. It's hailed as a success -- and nobody notices the impact on the rest of us?
- markahern 14y agoYour argument applies to almost any electronic product - including the one you're typing this message on. There is of course some environmental impact associated with purchasing and eventually disposing of electronic good. If they are disposed of properly however, they don't end up on beaches in Hawaii.
- brohee 14y agoWhat about the impact of the very device you used to post this message? Also, considering the GoPro replaced disposable film camera (really disposable, unlike your overly extended definition) the net impact of Gopro could actually be very positive.
- 14y ago