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Comment by thrush | Hacker News Reader

Next, GoPro announces Google Glass competitor for recording video and taking pictures.

Although this is sarcastic you do bring up a good point. GoPro is a maker of a single product - the GoPro POV camera - just as RedBull is the maker of a single product - the wing-inducing energy drink. How much longer will GoPro be able to survive in the increasing competitive market of solely POV cameras, especially with opportunities for mobile to eat up a share of the market.

By filing for an IPO Nick Woodman must believe that the GoPro brand is worth as much as the product they make itself. That is the only justification I can think of for filing. How many iterations of the camera can they make and for how much longer is this sustainable without some sort of a pivot?

There's actually a company exactly trying to fill that niche called Recon

http://www.fastcompany.com/3018645/fast-feed/this-google-gla...

http://www.reconinstruments.com/products/jet/

Jet Recon looks very promising, but professional cyclists will probably not consider it until they iterate on the design and improve peripheral vision. Proper cycling glasses have unobstructed peripheral vision on the left/bottom/right, and sometimes even top. This is where Google glass slightly edges the Recon Jet, but the Recon Jet looks to have far more stabilization for sporting than the Google Glass.

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