Technologies, less than a year old, is making it so just about anyone can carry a video camera.
The Flip costs $120 and is the equivalent of a point and shoot camera. But easier. As David Poque of the NY Times says, this camera is not burdened with “feature creep,” so anyone can master it. Or as we like to say at Zude the market extends “from geeks to grandpas.” When you make something easy for everyone to use (read Nintendo Wii,) market share follows. The Flip already owns 13% share. The Flip has no tapes or disks. No menus. No settings, video light, special effects, headphone jacks. It just works…and works well.
The instructions read: Recording videos: 1. Press record button to start/stop. 2. Press up/down keys to zoom in/out. Playing videos: 3. Press play button to start/stop. 4. Press left/right keys to play previous/next.
Technology companies are beginning to catch on that simplicity is in great demand. Now everyone can play a video game. Everyone can make a video. Everyone can build their own website.
As more and more Flip Videos make it into pocketbooks, backpacks and pockets, we are going to find that video recording of events will grow exponentially. Unit sales will soar, the universe of buyers will increase, and we’ll see some things that will make your hair curl.