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by overcast 3232 days ago
I don't understand the target audience. The reason smartphones are so popular, is because they do basically EVERYTHING for the common person. They aren't going to carry around another silly device to take pics, that was called a camera, and we see how popular those are now. For anyone that is serious, they are already carrying separates.
3 comments

But we don’t always have a camera on our heads, particularly not from our POV. Imagine you’re doing something actively - you probably don’t have hands available. It’s a diff product / use case, albeit not as generalizable.
IMO id rather they made a gopro competitor. Maybe ditch the sunglasses part. Not sure.

I bring my gopro on all my trips. Its a great way to record memories without using up your phone storage or battery. It's also easier to hold, has better FoV, and much better video quality. It's a no brainer. I'm surprised action cams have not hit mainstream as far as trip-devices go.

They don't need to compete with gopro, they should integrate with gopro. Strike up an alliance. They don't need to be battling anymore losing fronts.
No offense, but I can't believe that an additional action cam brings so much extra value. Bulky and has to be charged as well. My iPhone can record memories too. Battery doesn't drain fast when recording and I have 256GB storage and media is anyway uploaded to a cloud provided shortly after. If you get an Android phone with microSD you can get even more local storage.

And why should the video quality be better? The samples I see on Youtube are ok but better?

Yes, you can fix an action cam to your helmet or surf board but this is the only feature a phone lacks.

I assume you don't own an action cam.

There is no comparison.

Easiness to hold and wide FOV are game changers.

I often record for 5-10 minute chunks. Holding my phone for that amount of time while walking around would suck.

A phone is great for a 30 second video clip here and there. but if you really want to record a whole day of activity a phone sucks to use.

In my most recent trip i took 4 hours of footage over 10 days. I would never enjoy doing that on my phone.

Who does want or watch 10 min videos?
These videos are mostly for my own and my family's enjoyment.
Isn't it easier to get a POV shot by using glasses though? It definitely makes easier and quicker to get shots that you wouldn't normally be able to get. E.g. you see someone doing some cool bike trick on the street. If you take out your phone in an attempt to capture the moment, you might miss it, while if you're using the Spectacles, you might not.
I get it, but for what? I mean, it's such a niche thing. I have to wear these ugly glasses that do ONE thing. Or just use my phone. People have their phones out CONSTANTLY. They spend more time in hands than they do pockets.
Yea but we're moving towards a world where our phones will stay in our pockets and we'll interact with it through glasses, watches, wearables, contacts, real world surfaces. If you think we're always connected now, wait for hypereality to start taking hold.
> People have their phones out CONSTANTLY. They spend more time in hands than they do pockets.

Um. Not mine. Maybe stop wildly generalizing and your market analysis will improve.

Oh brother, there is always that one person that has to call out someones "generalizations". It's just plain fact, that the current generation is hyper addicted to their smart phones. I walk into the break room, and the shop guys all in their 40-50s, are silently glued to their phones. Texting and driving is a real problem. Fear of missing out is a real problem. People walking down sidewalks oblivious to the rest of the world, is a real problem. Addiction to smartphones is a REAL problem.
I don't understand your position. This very article is evidence that his market analysis does not need to improve.
And just how much of most of these navel-gazing schleps lives are really worth capturing?