

Zen Camcorder has 13% of the market - rms
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/20/technology/personaltech/20pogue.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

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wallflower
Word of mouth.

My mom was showing me her Flip Video about three months ago. I'd never heard
of it and she was like "what? You have to see it" She pulled out the
unassuming little brick videocorder and with enthusiasm demonstrated it. It
makes cute Tivo'esque sounds when you press a button. She is not very
technically savvy yet she has used it to shoot video and share video (via USB
copying, not YouTube) with friends and family (baby videos mostly). The video
quality is decent and it fits in her purse (important). She has shipped at
least one FlipVideo overseas.

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randomhack
Hmm there is a Sony camcorder called Network Sharing Cam which is also a
basic, really lightweight and cheap camcorder. Pretty similar to the Flip and
priced at around $200. Video is at 640x480. I have one of these Sony cams. The
Sony model predictably runs on a memory stick and can also shoot stills at 5
MP. There are 2 buttons : one for taking photo, press the another to take
video. Its a nice pocketable design and now I keep it with me at all times. I
was not too enthusiastic about videos b4 i used this easy to use cam. The Flip
looks an even simpler design.

edit : The sony model has some additional controls like (digital) zoom etc. So
slightly more features than the Flip which can either be a "feature" or a
"put-off" depending on your perspective.

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jeroen
The Sony cam seems to have 14 buttons on it. I imagine that'll be a bit
intimidating for a non-techie, whereas how to operate the Flip is very easy to
understand.

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tim2
...maybe it's just the price and size. I'm sure people wouldn't stop buying it
if it got more features.

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sarosh
I believe the lack of extraneous features is the appeal; the Flip is
successful because the user accomplishes their goal with only the most minimal
effort.

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tim2
Just trying to speculate as to what the most important aspects were. History
is too often rewritten later by writers who didn't understand why something
was popular at the time that it was actually taking off. So they just pick
whatever glamorous reason sounds the most revolutionary.

He may be right though.

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nreece
Too bad they are not selling it outside the US.

