GoPro’s latest financial records aren’t looking so hot, and as a result, the early launch of their highly-anticipated drone, Karma, has been put on hold until the holidays. The company’s quarterly earnings report revealed the disappointing news stating “we had to make the difficult decision to delay our drone, Karma, the upside is that Karma’s launch should now benefit from the holidays.”
GoPro revenue has taken a blow, dropping 49.5% since last year, and it’s no doubt the company was hoping for their new-fangled flying camera to swoop in and increase revenue. Well, not until the holidays.
Competition is buzzing in the drone industry, we’re seeing a rise in companies releasing improved iterations every year. Primes like DJI are pushing the technology of drones rapidly by making advanced features such as autonomous flight and extended battery life the norm. A launch positioned just in time for holiday shopping could prove well for Karma, but it could leave Karma behind as competition inches forward in terms of design, features, and customer appeal.
My guess is that the reveal of the DJI Phantom 4 surpassed the offerings of Karma. It’s been a while since Karma broke news, almost two years in fact. It’s quite possible GoPro was prepped for their drone’s springtime launch, but decided to abort their doomed Karma once Phantom 4 touched down.
GoPro has a lot of catching up to do in the drone race. Perhaps, like Engadget said, they should have acquired AirDog
Source: GoPro
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