Demise of the Flip
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Having the ability to go mobile in the media world can give journalists an advantage when out on the field. One tool that helps them out is a camera.
In a release sent out earlier this week, Cisco announces their new restructuring system, which includes the discontinuation of the Flip video camera. Launched in 2007, the Flip camera has had hundreds of millions of customers in the U.S., and plenty more overseas.
Cameras, especially ones as convenient as the Flip version, allows journalists to shoot raw footage of whatever news is happening. Those who have these now will have to find an alternative of what seemed to be a really convenient way.
Who defeated the Flip camera?
The winner would be the smartphone. Fact is, when it comes to mobile reporting, the smartphone supercedes every ability a camera can do, tape recorder or any other tool would be. Sure, the process of uploading videos might be easier with a Flip, but the demand for them in Cisco's eyes (no thanks to the smartphone) is few and far between.
Photo Credit: Cheon Fong Liew via Creative Commons
Video Credit: Slate
4 comments:
I was thinking of getting a flip video! Maybe I will think again and get a smartphone like Brian as been saying this whole time...
This is a sad day! The Flip cameras are great for people who need to take video frequently - and who don't want to pay extra for a smartphone. What a bummer.
I know that flip cameras are very beneficial because they are easy to record and very easy to get the video off and uploaded to sites such as youtube. A problem I see with smart phones is that memory could be an issue. Also, with many us wanting to multitask, such as text and record, you can't do both on a smart phone.
I think the problem with the Flip is that they're so expensive. Many of us already have a smart phone so it's just so much easier to use that so we don't have to shell out another $100+ for.
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