How GoPro Defeated Contour

For any thrill seeker, being able to capture your best adventuresome moments in action adds to the experience. When all is said and done you want to have something to show your friends and family, if of no other reason than to prove that you were there. Since the emergence of digital cameras there have been countless improvements and upgrades made to not just cameras, but all forms of digital media capturing devices. In the discussion of who makes the best point-of-view camera, GoPro seems to be the word on the street.

The Transition From Contour to GoPro

For almost a decade, Contour had the point-of-view action photographer market under its thumb. With a compact design and a massive following, Contour was at the top of their game, until GoPro arrived on the scene. The two companies started manufacturing POV cameras around the same time, in 2004. As time progressed though, GoPro left Contour in the dust. Because of the narrow target audience, proving to consumers that GoPro was the way to go took some time. In 2011 GoPro landed their first contract to sell with Best Buy, and the rest is history.

It isn’t just the fact of who is selling a product that makes it the best. Thanks to founder, Nick Woodman, GoPro has a competitive edge over Contour POV cameras that just cannot be denied. As a surfer himself, Woodman had a good idea of exactly what he wanted a camera to be able to do. Not only did GoPro start offering POV cameras with a more sleek design than Contour, the company took on the task of sponsoring Olympic athletes to prove its durability and supreme craftsmanship over other POV camera manufacturers. In order to do this, GoPro had to utilize some of the investments made by venture capitalists to show the world that GoPro was indeed the way to go.

The GoPro line of POV cameras allows you to get the best, sharpest pictures, with less grain than the contour because GoPro settings adjust automatically, whereas the Contour model required some manual adjustment on the part of the consumer. GoPro also added a wrist strap to their cameras, allowing athletes and adventure seekers to move about more freely without the worry of loosing their prized possession. Another advantage of the GoPro design is its capability to capture full screen shots at 1080p, the Contour is capable of full screen shots, but only at 720p or lower.

All around the GoPro line of POV cameras really do not need an explanation as to why they beat out the competition, they simply work better. GoPro has made extreme photography easier than ever before, bringing the customers to expect the high quality results they know they will receive with GoPro. The tenacious spirit of Nick Woodman, founder of GoPro, is one of the largest driving forces behind their monumental success. GoPro has thus far wiped out the competition, and continues to meet customer expectations, which is really the key to success on any business platform. All this is thanks to a surfer turned entrepreneur who did not stop until his product was perfected, leaving GoPro the only way to go.