With the House passing the ban on new DJI drones here in the US and the possibility of a similar bill passing the Senate, is it time US companies try to enter the market? Are there even any companies left that could make it work?
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The GoPro Karma is one of the most drama-ridden drones to come from a large tech company, with GoPro being forced to recall the drone due to an issue causing it to drop out of the sky. This later forced GoPro to leave the drone business altogether and let go of a large number of people.
In another very good and detailed review from DC Rainmaker about the new GoPro Hero 7, he mentions that the action camera company actually went through the trouble of updating the firmware for the Karma drone and grip to be compatible with the camera’s new features… “For the six people still flying the GoPro Karma drone”, he said with a smirk. Of course there’s more to the new camera so jump right in!
In a public statement announcing their preliminary fourth quarter 2017 results, GoPro also stated that it will exit the unmanned aerial vehicle or drone market after having laid off all its employees in their drone department last week and after selling the remaining Karma drone inventory.
Currently, you can pick up a Karma drone for $999 with a GoPro Hero6 camera, just keep in mind that you’re buying a product that has been discontinued and that will not receive any further updates, although GoPro states that it will service and support Karma owners.
It would not surprise us if GoPro were to discount the Karma even more in the future.
GoPro, the company that we know from the Karma drone and action cameras, is laying off between 200 to 300 people this week, mostly from its drone division. The company had sent its workers a letter earlier this week informing them of the layoffs. According to GoPro, the job cuts are part of a larger restructuring “to better align our resources with business requirements”.
Amazon offers the GoPro Karma Drone with HERO6 Black Camera for $999 shipped. Also at Best Buy and B&H. Today’s offer is $200 off the regular price and an Amazon all-time low. Rated 4.5/5 stars.
