The Wall Street Journal is reporting that GoPro is going to start making its own consumer drones. Specifically, the action camera company is going to market "multi-rotor helicopters with high-def camera lenses late next year." Makes sense!
The report says that the new devices will retail for $500 to $1,000, putting GoPro in direct competition with the current consumer drone darling, DJI, and its wildly popular Phantom line. Colin Guinn, the former head of DJI's North American operations and a current executive at 3D Robotics, makers of the Iris+ drone, sounds a little reticent about GoPro's reported plan. "I'm happy to let GoPro keep making great cameras and we'll keep making great copters," he told WSJ.
He's right, though. GoPro and drones are like peas and carrots. A huge number of consumer drones—namely, quadcopters—already depend on third party cameras for their photography features. And do you know who dominates that third party camera market? GoPro.
So why would GoPro do something like this. Maybe it has something to with the fact that GoPro can sell cameras for $500, but they can sell drones for $1,000. Lots of drones. [WSJ]