GoPro cameras have plenty of applications beyond the action camera market. Mostly amateurs have been wearing them to capture their most thrilling moments, but some have suggested that professional athletes could wear the cameras to give fans an even more compelling view of the game.
GoPro gives first-person view of cricket
Of course there are problems with this idea, particularly in terms of safety and performance. However, that didn’t stop professional cricketer Adam Gilchrist from wearing one of GoPro’s cameras when he went up to bat. The video was uploaded to YouTube a while back but still is being enjoyed by cricket fans all over the world.
The video was taken by a GoPro camera mounted on Gilchrist’s helmet during the MCC XI versus the Rest of the World XI game at Lord’s. The pitch was about 90 miles per hour, and the first person view shows how very little time there is for the batter to react and hit the ball.
Is Xiaomi a threat to GoPro?
If it becomes more common for athletes like Adam Gilchrist to wear cameras mounted to their helmets during games, will GoPro be the camera of choice? Or does Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi pose a real threat to the company?
Xiaomi just released a $64 action camera, which apparently has a better sensor than the GoPro Hero that sells for $130. In a post on Seeking Alpha, Alcarez Research argues that Xiaomi is indeed a threat to GoPro.
The author defines himself as “someone involved in the photography business” and explains that wedding photographers in the Philippines offer shots taken with GoPro cameras as part of their premium packages. They use drones equipped with the cameras to get the photos.
Will consumers pay a GoPro premium?
So is Xiaomi able to take on GoPro in the action camera niche? Alcarez Research says yes, and indeed photographers who know more about cameras and which ones are better than others are far less likely to be blinded by a brand name than the average consumer.
However, this is an uphill battle for Xiaomi that will be interesting to watch. It’s possible the average consumer will pay premiums for GoPro cameras just as they do for Apple products, but time will tell.
As of this writing, shares of GoPro were down by 0.56% to $40.85 per share.
