GoPro's Achilles Heel: Video Editing Software Isn't Apple-Easy
- As much as three hours to edit a two-minute scuba diving video
- Without fixing software, GoPro could become niche player
Nick Woodman Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
GoPro Inc.won Apple-style love from consumers and Wall Street alike because seemingly anyone with one of its tiny, rugged cameras could produce professional-quality movies of their exploits skiing, surfing or touring the African savanna. The company failed a crucial test, however: making it Apple-easy to edit and upload raw video.
Yes, the company has been widely criticized for not bringing out a new camera for Christmas. Its drone is at least six months away. And GoPro founder Nick Woodman is being urged to move quickly into virtual reality. But many analysts and consumers say the company’s biggest challenge is software. Building a user-friendly interface -- a feat Apple has excelled at since its inception -- has taken longer than many investors and analysts expected, in part because it’s much harder to manipulate data-hungry video than still images.