Roger Fingas
GoPro on Wednesday re-released the Karma, its first aerial camera drone, having dealt with an issue that was causing some early models to drop out of the air.
The defective units had batteries popping out of place, causing them to lose power mid-flight and prompting GoPro to pull the product from sale after just 16 days on the market. During last month's Consumer Electronics Show, GoPro Chief Executive Nick Woodman claimed that owners could have conceivably solved the problem with a piece of tape.
Nevertheless the company erred on the side of safety first, and issued a recall in November. Up until that point, only 2,500 units had been sold.
In its new incarnation, two versions of the Karma are available: one with a bundled Hero5 Black camera for $1,099.99, and the other without for $799.99, even though a Black is required to fly. The Karma was originally able to work with a Hero4 or Hero5, and one bundle included the compact Hero5 Session for $999.
Much is riding on the Karma, since investors have worried about the market potential for GoPro's action cameras. One edge the company has over established drone makers like DJI is that the Karma includes a detachable gimbal grip, which can be used handheld as well as mounted. DJI sells similar hardware, but only as a separate product.
Aside from GoPro's website, the Karma is also on sale at places like Best Buy and B&H Photo Video.
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4 Comments
Nice one, Nick !
Solve problem by applying tape to the batteries. Genius.
Did you tell people to do that before they flew the drone ?
Even if these issues were fixed, GoPro really dropped the ball. The Karma doesn't have obstacle avoidance sensors or the follow me features that the smaller and more portable DJI Mavic Pro has. Their hero 5 camera also has serious audio issues, and they've yet to release a consumer priced 360 camera like their competition. I really think GoPro has to be more aggressive. They were on top for so long as the go to action camera company that I think they've become complacent.
I'm surprised anyone would buy one of these. The design is bad and really cheaply made. If anyone has used one of these, the plastic bends easily so it's no surprise batteries were falling out.
Do these have "Made in China" on them?