Apples latest ad campaign, Shot on iPhone 6, uses iPhone photographers gorgeous still images and video to ask one question: Do you really need a standalone camera anymore? For many, the answer is noand that shows in camera companies performance. Nikons camera sales were down 15% in 2014, Canons by 7.3%.
But that pain isnt being felt universally among camera makers. One in particular is doing just fine: GoPro, which in April posted a 54% year-over-year gain in revenue, though its stock price is floating at about half its all-time high Monday after going public last June.
GoPro is succeeding in selling cameras where its bigger, older rivals are failing because its taking advantage of a major shift in consumer tastes. For many people, smartphones are now good enough to replace typical compacts, like the Canon PowerShot line. Theres no reason to carry a comparatively bulky camera if your pocketable iPhone 6 or Samsung Galaxy S6 can take snapshots of your familys trip to the zoo just fine. That leaves Canon, Nikon and other brands catering to a far smaller crowd of hobbyist and professional photographers, hurting sales.
GoPro, meanwhile, has positioned itself as the go-to brand of choice for the so-called action cameras tiny box-shaped gadgets with ultra-wide lenses that can be attached to helmets or handlebars for hikers, bikers and climbers to get rad selfies for Facebook and Instagram. Since the introduction of the entry-level GoPro HERO, the companys cameras now start at $129.99 and go all the way up to $499.99, adding bells and whistles like 4K ultra-high resolution video, Wi-Fi communication for slicker smartphone uploading and quicker burst photography along the way. The companys newest entry, unveiled Monday, makes the whole package even smaller.
GoPros cameras are great because they offer something your smartphone doesnt. Sure, you could probably mount your precious iPhone 6 on your skateboard helmet before you go bomb that killer hill. But would you really want to? Thats whyfor most peopleGoPros are the only standalone cameras worth buying right now. For everything else, theres your phone in your pocket.
Source: http://time.com/3946741/gopro-cameras/?xid%3Dtcoshare
