Disruptive Video Innovation
June 2, 2008
I recently received a Flip Video as a gift. The Flip Video is manufactured by Pure Digital Technologies and comes in two versions: the first version stores about 30 minutes of video, and the second version stores about 60 minutes of video. The price points are about $100 and $150 respectively.
This is a great example of a disruptive innovation. The Flip Video is just good enough at what it does, while providing some significant benefits along the dimensions of ease of use, simplicity, and cost. The videos captured by this device are reasonable, but not great. However, there are no cables, no software to install on your PC, and no charger involved. Simply push a button to start recording. When finished the pop-out USB connector connects to your PC and you can copy the video to your hard drive, make use of a basic editing program stored on the device, or prepare the video to be emailed. The device just appears as a removable disk drive on your PC. All of the software is installed on the device so there is no need to install anything on your PC. A couple of simple folders are created on your PC to store your videos in albums. And that’s it.
There a just three basic buttons on the device (other than the power switch), and it runs on two AA batteries. It also has basic zoom capabilities. Simple, sweet, effective. If you are big into video, this device will not satisfy you. But if you are like me and are looking for a simple video camera that doens’t require charging, or a carrying case, and video tapes, etc., and can slip easily into your pocket, then the Flip Video is the device for you.
Look for this device to become ubiquitous in the very near future.
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