Will GoPro Turn Over A New Leaf And Start Innovating?

One of the most anticipated drones of the year was plagued with issues when some units lost power mid-flight.

In its heyday, GoPro was in a comfortable place. The company had made its name selling cameras to the adventurous and action-oriented, but it had branched out into other areas of the action industry, like virtual reality and drones. It seemed as if things couldn’t get much better for GoPro.

But then came Karma, a drone that was at first one of the most anticipated drones of 2016. It was a big move for GoPro: their first drone ever. They put everything they had into launching this product as successfully as possible—and it worked! The Karma sold well right off the bat. Its initial success led to even more investment from GoPro; they poured money into Karma in hopes that it would be the future of their company’s growth—but then some units lost power mid-flight and fell from the sky. CEO Nick Woodman announced he would recall all Karmas sold thus far and redesign them so this problem wouldn’t happen again. This cost GoPro millions in lost revenue and goodwill; this impacted their stock price, which in turn impacted their investors’ confidence in them as well as their ability to raise capital needed to stay afloat.

The Karma was GoPro’s first drone, and featured a clever foldable design for easy portability.

The Karma was GoPro’s first drone, and featured a clever foldable design for easy portability. It also had the Karma Grip, which was a handheld gimbal that could be attached to the drone or used as a standalone camera stabilizer. It made use of existing GoPro cameras, so if you already owned one it could be easily swapped in and out of the drone fairly quickly. The Karma Grip was also compatible with other GoPro cameras (such as the Hero4 Silver or Black), making it an attractive option for those who wanted to upgrade their old camera with newer technology (or keep using their older GoPro but get some added benefits).

“While there are other options on the market now, what sets our system apart is that we have integrated hardware that allows users to capture smooth video without having any additional equipment.”

In addition to being foldable, which made it easier to transport than some other drones available at launch time (including DJI’s own Phantom 3), this new product offered another unique feature: A “Karma Stabilizer” attachment would allow users not only take better photos but also stabilize their footage while recording videos. The system had been designed specifically for ease-of-use; instead of being required to buy separate accessories like other competing models require, GoPro gave consumers everything needed right out of box — including two batteries so you could always have one ready when needed!

A design flaw caused some Karma drones to lose power mid-flight, dropping from the sky like rocks in a couple of cases.

A design flaw caused some Karma drones to lose power mid-flight, dropping from the sky like rocks in a couple of cases.

GoPro recalled all 2,500 drones that were sold and redesigned the battery latch and made it stronger, according to GoPro.

“The new design also includes improved instructions, an additional warning label on the Karma Case,” said GoPro in a statement.

It’s unclear whether any of the recalled drones will be resold as refurbished models later this year, said GoPro.

GoPro recalled all 2,500 drones that were sold at the time and has since redesigned the battery latch in order to fix it.

GoPro’s flagship product, the Hero 5 Black, is one of the best action cameras you can buy. Using a GoPro, you can shoot stunning footage of all kinds of adventures, like cycling through Vietnam or rafting through the Grand Canyon.

That said, these cameras can be expensive, and there are plenty of cheaper alternatives that will do just fine for most people. They’re also pretty rugged and waterproof without any extra gear attached — so if your primary concern is roughing up your camera on a bike ride or a paragliding trip, your money might be better spent on another GoPro camera instead (like the $200 Session) than on a pricey drone. But if you want to get aerial shots — at an affordable price point — then the Karma may just be right for you.

GoPro has been telling customers to expect the Karma drone to return by the end of February.

GoPro has been telling customers to expect the Karma drone to return by the end of February. It’s taking a long time for that to happen because it’s such an important product for GoPro and there was so much hype about it before its launch last year. GoPro needs the Karma to fly well to compete with all of the other drones on the market.

The company is confident that it has fixed whatever was wrong with the Karma, which means that consumers should be able get it back by February 28th.

The redesigned Karma drones should be more reliable

The redesigned Karma drones should be more reliable than their predecessors, but even so, they’re still pretty far down the list.

In our tests, the two most reliable models we’ve tested are the DJI Mavic Pro and GoPro’s original Karma drone. Both offer some of the best battery life available in a portable drone, with software features that help make flying easier for newbies and pros alike. And both fold up small enough that you can easily fit them into a backpack or carry-on bag.

Conclusion

Ultimately, GoPro’s initial investment into the drone market hasn’t paid off in their favor. After only a short period of time on the market, they’ve recalled all their drones—and it may be hard to drum up much enthusiasm once they reintroduce them. If they can find a way to get back everything they invested in Karma, maybe that could change things. But if they simply re-release an unchanged drone to the public, most enthusiasts will likely pass it by this time—especially after GoPro just issued a recall.