Indeed, Pure Digital is posting such impressive numbers that this small company, founded in 2001, is quickly becoming an overall leader in a $2.4 billion-a-year camcorder business.
The results also show the Flip holding back clone devices made by Sony, Kodak and Audiovoxx. The Flip sold out during its first holiday season in 2007, and according to market research group NPD, the Flip Ultra was the nation's best-selling camcorder in December, with the Mino and Mino HD close behind. In this new category - call it camcorder "lite" - Pure Digital is the undisputed leader. "If I want a great shot of the soccer goal for the family archive, that's a different purchase." "The Flip created a new category," says 's Ryder. The Flip does have some major shortcomings: Shooting time is limited to one hour, zoom and image quality aren't on par with a traditional camcorder, and editing capacity is primitive. A USB key flips (hence the name of the product) out of the camera's body to plug directly into a computer, making it simple to upload videos to Web sites such as YouTube, Facebook and other social-networking outlets. Four touch-sensitive buttons are used to zoom and navigate playback. The Flip Mino, released last summer, has only one traditional button for recording.
Pure Digital aims to make the Flip the point-and-shoot of video, expanding the market for camcorders by appealing to first-time buyers, teens and even existing camcorder users looking for a super-portable gadget to throw in a purse or backpack.īesides its portable size, the Flip boasts other easy-to-use features.
consumers purchased 35 million digital cameras last year, but they bought only about four million video cameras. Camcorder sales still trail their traditional brethren: U.S. It's no coincidence: Digital point-and-shoots make up 95% of the so-called still camera market. Instead of a traditional camcorder, the Flip resembles a point-and-shoot camera.
"You take a quick video, plug the device into computer, and immediately upload to the web." "The ease of use is incredibly seductive," says vice-president of electronics, Paul Ryder. Pure Digital's edge: It is transforming the camcorder market by making it simple to shoot and share video. Models range from $149 to $230 and are sold online and at retailers like Wal-Mart ( WMT, Fortune 500), Costco ( COST, Fortune 500) and Target ( TGT, Fortune 500). Since launching the Flip in May 2007, the company has shipped nearly two million devices. Thanks to such user-generated content, upstart Pure Digital is holding its own in the competitive consumer-electronics world, which is dominated by big conglomerates such as Sony ( SNE), Panasonic ( PC) and Samsung. A congressman gave constituents a tour of his D.C. The lead singer of a band recorded his view while crowd surfing. Another shared video of his Lasik eye-surgery. One man recently sent footage shot from the front of his dog sled in Alaska. The clips come from their customers, shot on the Flip video cameras the company makes. Costs £99 (Dh573) at YORK (Fortune) - When employees at Pure Digital Technologies get caught watching user-generated videos at work, they don't have to worry. The downside: cluttered controls and a complicated interface. You also get a boxful of accessories, including a mini USB charger, USB/HDMI cables, a pouch and cleaning cloth. Light and skinny with a 17mm body - small enough to slide into your back pocket - and a three-inch screen, this packs in an extraordinary number of features, from a slow-motion option right down to a motion sensor setting. Costs £180, (Dh1,041) at Toshiba Camileo S20 And, unlike phone cameras, it's notably good in low-light situations such as parties. The video quality - always a weak point with earlier Flips - is much improved. Then, when you want to watch what you've shot, a built-in USB port flips out to plug into your computer. Costs £999 (Dh5,778) at Flip Mino HDįor people frightened of technology, the Flip is a revelation - a thing of foolproof point-and-shoot simplicity.
And among newish models this is the one that makes pro film makers smile in approval: a full HD CMOS sensor, a built-in 65GB memory allowing 24 hours of continuous filming, a 3.5-inch touch screen, image stabilisation even at telephoto zoom, 8MP stills and - well, visit the website and you'll be sold, despite the price. The simple part of buying a top of the range mini-cam is that you have only two key names to consider: Sony and Canon.