GoPro’s Karma drone isn’t coming out until late this year
Karma won't save the sinking company - at least not in the next few months
GoPro, the company that defined the modern action camera, is having some difficulties: its stock price has lost about 85% of its value since last autumn, and several models were discontinued to help streamline its offerings.
And GoPro’s next big bet isn’t ready now, either. The GoPro Karma, the flying drone teased a few months back, was supposed to launch this summer – but now it won’t be released until later in 2016, around the holiday season. The news even took GoPro by surprise.
“As late as this week, we believed Karma’s launch was on schedule,” said Nick Woodman, GoPro’s founder and CEO. According to Woodman, the Karma won’t just be another familiar drone like those already on the market, and as such, they need more time to get it right.
"Karma’s features make it much more than a drone," he added. "To give ourselves more time to fine-tune these features, we have made the difficult decision to push Karma’s launch to the holidays."
GoPro continues to make excellent products, but action camera demand seemed to soften at a time that the company tried to broaden its selection – and now they need a big win in another market.
The Karma sounds promising, especially since the GoPro brand has the potential to help drones explode into the mainstream. Better to get it right and launch it when it’s ready, of course, although we hope it isn’t too late for GoPro given its recent struggles.
[Sources: MarketWatch, The Verge]
Andrew Hayward
Freelance Writer 
