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GoPro is quitting the drone business – Karma drone is the first and last of its kind

GoPro is quitting the drone business – Karma drone is the first and last of its kind

Industry News January 19, 2018

It’s official – GoPro has gone out to the public with a statement that will shock their fans all over the world. GoPro is quitting the drone business – as simple as that. With just one drone to their name, the well known GoPro Karma, this action photography giant has decided to turn its focus on other things. How did this happen and what went wrong with GoPro Karma? Well, let’s see…

GoPro Karma – The Alpha and Omega

GoPro Karma is the Alpha and Omega of GoPro drones. The first and the last one… The one and only… But, unfortunately for GoPro, it is going to be remembered as the drone which could not compete with DJI Mavic Pro. And it’s a rough statement, no doubt about it… but let’s face it – DJI Mavic Pro belongs to a level of its own. Heck, it single-handedly swept aside all full-sized drones and taken the throne as the best mainstream drone on the market.

GoPro Karma Novi

On the other hand, if I were to be completely honest with you guys, I still think GoPro Karma is a great drone. It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure – for casual drone users, DJI Mavic Pro can offer a much better user experience at roughly the same (or even slightly lesser) price tag. But this is just one reason for GoPro’s decision…

What was the other reason behind GoPro’s quitting?

Even though GoPro had problems with Karma ever since the start, there is also another reason that must have played a vital role. You see, there’s a new storm of UAV regulations hitting both the EU and the USA in the near future.

With that said, GoPro stated that these possible new regulations across the European Union and the United States, which would drastically reduce the market in the foreseeable future, are the direct reasons for their recent actions.

“These factors make the aerial market untenable and GoPro will exit the market after selling its remaining Karma inventory,” said the firm in a statement. “GoPro will continue to provide service and support to Karma customers.”

 

Conclusion

I have to admit I am a bit sad becuase of all this. I mean, GoPro Karma was a damn fine drone. If DJI Mavic Pro was out of the picture, there’s no doubt GoPro Karma would sweep the market with its foldable design and brilliant aerial photography solutions. But DJI Mavic Pro has already cemented its place at the top of the foldable drones industry. GoPro has to be given credit for trying… but even they could not compete with this masterpiece of modern-day drone technology…

But, it seems as though another challenger is just around the corner. Rumor has it that Autel Robotics are going to unveil their brand new drone on CES 2018 and that it will be a DJI Mavic Pro killer. Knowing Autel Robotics, they must have a worthy model on their hands. In other words –  2018, as far as high-end foldable drones are concerned, is going to be really interesting.

Anthony Turner
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