Flip Video Kills the Camcorder

by Zack Urlocker

Zack Urlocker, a regular contributor to this blog and half of the creative team at the Disruption Brothers, offers his insights on the world of technology marketing and disruptive innovation.

 If you're into photography or high-end camcorders, you probably haven't heard of the Flip Video from Pure Digital Technologies.  But for consumers who can't be bothered with complex camcorders and mind-numbing jargon, the family of Flip Video devices has become a major disruption in the photography business. 

What Flip Video does, is go back to the basics with a low-end easy-to-use point and shoot pocket-sized video recorder that gives up on all the non-essential bells & whistles to enable consumers to do two things really easily: shoot video and post it on the web.  Pure Digital's business model is a classic example of serving the underserved.  They've focused on providing basic functionality and ease of use to appeal to consumers who want to get results without the complexity or expense of a full blown camcorder.  In fact, 50% of Flip Video owners already have a camcorder, presumably in a closet gathering dust.

Since Pure Digital stripped their Flip Video down to the basics, it's also a heckuva lot cheaper than traditional camcorders which can cost close to $1000.  You can get a basic model Flip Video for $100 on Amazon, an Ultra model with slightly better video and sound for under $130 and a smaller, lighter Mino for a street price of around $150.  All models have software built-in to the device, so when you connect it to a computer with the built-in USB plug, you can quickly view, edit or post videos on the web. 

Flip Video has become the second best-selling camcorder on the market after the Sony DVD610.  Pure Digital has racked up sales of more than 1 million Flip Ultra, making it the best selling camcorder in America with approximately 20% market share. Now that Pure Digital's Flip Video has disrupted the market, it will be interesting to see how long they can hold their lead before the incumbents turn their attention to this rapidly growing market.

To really understand the Flip Video, it's better to think of it as evolving from a cell phone's built-in camera rather than from a traditional camcorder.  But unlike cell phones, it's got 60 minutes of recording capabilities at 640x480 resolution and the audio and video quality are better. While the quality is not world class, it's perfect for YouTube and it's better than not having any recording, which is exactly the point.  If you're looking for HD quality video, image stabilization, a 6x zoom lens, look elsewhere.  But for recording something quickly and easily, the Flip Video does a good job.

As the New York Times columnist David Pogue wrote:

The lesson is one that the electronics industry seems to miss over and over again: that creeping feature-itis often impairs your product instead of improving it. In the Flip's case, the size, shape, ruggedness, low price and one-button simplicity take it places where no real camcorder would go. Purses, coat pockets, beach bags. Skiing, playgrounds, house walk-throughs, museums, casual interviews, YouTube stunts, classrooms, airplanes -- and, with the $50 acrylic sealed case, even underwater.

I've posted a couple of samples below from a conference keynote and an outdoor rock concert to give you a feel for how the Flip Video does in the real world.  In fact, you can find hundreds of videos on YouTube and similar sites created with the Flip Video --proof that for many users, convenience and low price trumps complexity and even quality.

Zack Urlocker is a Silicon Valley software executive and regular blogger on open source technology at TheOpenForce and InfoWorld and about music at GuitarVibe.

Comments

[Cheapflipvideominohd m]

Thats a nice product, i like it.

:)

[Chris]

Sadly the sound quality is rather poor, and when I see my metal concerts, I want to get awesome sound and video at a low cost. I'd be disappointed with this camcorder I'm afraid :(

[German Viscuso]

Hi Zack.

I was tempted to buy one of these a few months ago but then I remembered that my small Casio digital camera can do simple video in a very decent way (640x480 and smooth). I get both pictures and video when I bring it with me.
Why do you think people is going for these video only devices instead of using the video feature which is available in most modern small digital cameras?

Best!