
The GoPro Army - riledhel
http://www.inc.com/magazine/201202/the-gopro-army.html?CID=SM05001GOPRO
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templaedhel
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.

~~~
StewartRen
I'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
You 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
Low 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?

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markahern
Your 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.

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matthewhughes
I briefly worked for a GoPro competitor: VIO.

Our claim to fame was all of the added features that GoPro didn't have: a
remote control, view-finder, advanced editing, et al.

Our price was significantly higher.

We got clobbered.

GoPro's simplicity is its secret weapon.

VIO makes a terrific product but missed the mark in terms of UI/UX.

~~~
fieldforceapp
I'm curious about what you think is still a viable way to compete with GoPro:
is it only on price, or are there some missing features that a potential
competitor exploit -- the UI/UX you mention? If RED comes out with a water-
proof camera I guess that takes care of the high-end, so is the only way to
compete with GoPro to go... low end?

~~~
papalalu
Really the only downside for average consumers is that the gopro doesn't give
as spectacular images in low light - for obvious reasons at that price point,
and i haven't seen any alternatives that do much better. this is also an
aspect that is rapidly improving.. right now, i don't see any way to jump on
this bandwagon. they do it too well.

~~~
matthewhughes
As I commented above, the design and aesthetic of the GoPro could really be
improved.

I think that could move the needle.

But you're right, GoPro is killing it. Tough to beat right now.

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jessriedel
In the sidebar, they mention a 12-million-view GoPro video of a mountain biker
getting knocked over by a gazelle. It's definitely the kind of video that can
only exist when you make HD sport cameras available to every amateur athlete.
Here it is: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2oymHHyV1M>

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graupel
Best GoPro feature (as a broadcaster); it's cheap enough that if it comes
undone during something extreme and you lose, it - no big deal.

But even better, the things are so durable if you can find it, chances are
you've got an amazing shot.

One thing - if you are not a pro athlete and you are wearing more than one
camera during any kind of recreational activity, expect to be mocked
endlessly.

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pkulak
If I was rich I could see mounting a front and rear camera on my bicycle for
my commutes. I'd say once a week something happens that would have been nice
to have a record of. And with the current culture of blaming the cyclist in
all accidents, if I go, maybe I could leave some footage behind to speak for
me.

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rplnt
Just for this purpose it's fine to go with some much cheaper camera. For
example this one: <http://www.chucklohr.com/808/C16/> The video is nowhere
near GoPro's quality but it's OK as evidence. It can be mounted on a helmet
(while being discreet) which gives you a much better view.

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beloch
I snowboard and, on those rare perfect blue-bird powder days, the go-pro army
hits the slopes in force. I'm conflicted about them to be honest. Boarding (or
skiing) is very much about the story. While it's exhilarating when things go
right, the most entertaining stories come from when things go wrong. Swapping
those stores in a hot-tub or over a much-needed dinner is a big part of the
experience. Being able to toss narrative to the wind and just whip out your
phone and show off video of the insane trouble you've gotten into cheapens the
experience somehow. I get the appeal of capturing those perfect moments, but I
don't want to lose the story in the process. Maybe I'll try recording my runs
someday, but for now I prefer to live the story.

~~~
freehunter
One issue I've noticed with the GoPro army as a quad-bike rider is the
increasing amount of high-speed riders on the trails. At the sand dunes I
don't have as much of a problem with it (although not watching over your hills
is another issue), but on tight trails with people looking to get that perfect
YouTube shot it can be deadly. I don't ride with a GoPro, but I pull over for
those who do quite often.

There's nothing wrong with GoPro, and I would have one if I could justify the
cost at this point. Idiots will be idiots, the real issue is they now have an
audience larger than the other people on the trail. I'd love to see public
trails go camera-free just because (in my anecdotal experience) a small but
significant minority of riders lose all sense when the reward of a million
views is dangling over their head.

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georgemcbay
GoPro cameras are all over the place now and they've really branded themselves
well in that I've seen people call all sorts of GoPro-like cameras as "GoPros"
even if they technically aren't. They've reached a Google-like status with
their name basically defining the market segment.

One thing I've been noticing lately is a bit of a rift in various sport
communities (I've noticed it with surfers and mountain bikers anyway) between
those who use GoPros and those who don't. This rift tends to cut pretty
cleanly along generational lines with the 30+ folk looking down on the GoPro
users. I guess this shouldn't really impact GoPro commercially too much as
they are hitting the right demographic for growth.

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Apreche
I got a GoPro for my NYC bicycle commute earlier this year. I am extremely
happy with it. What I am not happy with is their mounting equipment, or at
least the handlebar mount.

It broke after a few months. I got a free replacement. Then it broke again in
a matter of days. This time my camera was also destroyed. The best they would
offer me was a new camera at 50% off. Didn't have much choice. Got an
overpriced third party mount made of metal, but this one is definitely not
breaking.

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dfischer
I really like contour. I have one and they look way better than gopro's in my
opinion!

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piotrSikora
All alternatives look much better and are much smaller than GoPro nowadays :)

\- <http://replayxd.com/cameras/replay-xd1080-camera/>

\- <http://contour.com/products/contour-plus>

\- <http://driftinnovation.com/camera/drift-hd/>

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billpg
I have a slightly negative reaction to seeing GoPro's name. Some time ago, I
was looking for a way to mount my video camera on my head, and all I could
find was GoPro.

They don't use standard tripod mounts. If I were a little more click-happy on
Amazon I may have ended up with a mount that wouldn't fit my camera.

Sure, if you're doing 'extreme' sports, then the standard tripod mount might
not be sufficent, but I was just cycling. I don't want to buy a whole new
camera just for that.

~~~
graupel
You can buy a tripod mount for like $7, I've got one, just search for it.

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magoon
I didn't read this because I was forced to a mobile home page - deep linking
be damned.

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kevinconroy
Now take Google's vision for Project Glass and get everyone in the world
recording...

(don't care if it's Google, GoPro, or other... theoretical result is still
amazing)

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gtani
I've seen a fair number of bike riders around Seattle and Bay Area with the
helmet cam's, and seen that a few hit and runs solved by them.

Also, I've seen some amazing perspectives with these and "drone" quad copters,
for < $4k, I think

[http://gizmodo.com/5900820/unbelievable-aerial-footage-of-
bi...](http://gizmodo.com/5900820/unbelievable-aerial-footage-of-bike-stunts-
shot-with-a-nimble-dslr-drone)

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trafficlight
They did some cool 'bullet time' shots with GoPros in the latest Gymkhana
video.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuDN2bCIyus>

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aith
Love this video. There's gotta be more than 10 gopro in/on the car. One even
falls off at 3:35

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clueless123
Ok, since everybody is posting .. here goes my GoPro on the air.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Zr6gf1OejE>

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bennesvig
GoPro's customers do an amazing job marketing their product.

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chubbard
Neat story, but did it need to be 5 freaking pages long? I read the first 3.

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StewartRen
I'm 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.

