***DISCLAIMER***
I have signed an NDA with GoPro that prevents me from revealing any “insider” details about upcoming hardware or software releases. However since I like to keep my readers informed, I can reveal information based upon “White Paper” sources and information made public (accidental or not) by GoPro staff and leadership.
***END OF DISCLAIMER***
The signs from GoPro regarding their upcoming “possible” design changes are coming fast and furious now. GoPro have been pushing the sales of all camera accessories for quite some time now. What’s interesting though is that traditionally GoPro did not allow you to combine offers, however this time around not only are they slashing prices, but they are allowing subscribers to use an additional 10% discount on top of their usual subscriber discount.
What’s even more interesting is that these sale prices aren’t just confined to a few select accessories, they also include the Hero 9/10 Media Mod, the Hero 9/10 Max Lens Mod and even the Enduro Batteries. As I’ve said before, this all points to GoPro trying to reduce inventory of these items as fast as possible and this all points to one things. The GoPro Hero 11 having a much different form factor that makes it incompatible with any previous accessories. Since no one would be happy if the Hero 11 got any bigger, it can only go smaller while changing it’s form slightly (so from a square shape to a rectangular shape)
However if you’re thinking that the GoPro Hero 11 will be released in September, you may be a bit disappointed. With such a major redesign of the camera, this is going to require additional hardware testing and software compatibility and all of this takes time. Don’t forget, with the introduction of the GP2 processor (going from 32bit to 64bit architecture) GoPro most likely don’t want to port 32bit software to run on such a processor. This would not only be a wasted opportunity to take advantage of newer hardware, but it would also under use such a powerful new processor.
So what does that mean for us, the end user? Well it brings up a couple points which may not make some people happy.
1: The camera likely won’t be released in September. Nick Woodman himself said during the earnings call that their “flagship camera” wouldn’t be released until the 4th quarter. So this puts the time frame in October for a release. GoPro will want the release day sales spike and another spike in December as people purchase this items for “Christmas”. Any later than October and people may just put off purchasing the camera and figure on waiting until “Christmas” to purchase in the hopes that there will also be a “Christmas” sale/discount.
2: A delayed release is never a good sign. Traditionally GoPro cameras have been released in September, the Hero 9 was an exception as it was being designed, built, produced and tested during the the Covid shutdowns when people were still trying to figure out how to effectively work from home. So not only was this camera delayed until October, when it was released, it also had a myriad of issues. GPS was non functional, the rear screen was terrible and laggy, the camera had constant disconnection issues from the app (and still does), there was a yellowish tinge to all footage even in the flat color profile (and that still is an issue) and there was the audio cackling/popping issue when recording (that’s never been fixed). In short, the Hero 9 was a bit of a disaster. So the Hero 11 having a major redesign and a delayed release…… not exactly building my confidence here.
3: Then there’s the “Odd number” curse. GoPro shake things up with every odd number camera. They make design changes, hardware changes, and try to “improve” things…. and that usually comes back to bite the consumer where it hurts.
The Hero 3 could record in 4K! (but only at an unusable 15 frames a second).
The Hero 4 fixed that.
The Hero 5 introduced stabilization but used older hardware so it wasn’t great.
The Hero 6 had better stabilization and introduced the GP1 chip. It even took great low light photo’s. So it fixed the Hero 5 issues.
The Hero 7 introduced “Hypersmooth” but used an overclocked GP1 chip had issues with the stability buffer resulting in Jittery footage, like frames were stuck in the buffer and re sequenced incorrectly.
The Hero 8 fixed that issue with Hypersmooth 2.0 (but introduced a brand new issue with a non replaceable front lens.
The Hero 9 had GPS issues, Audio issues, image issues and connectivity issues
The Hero 10 fixed all of the above and gave a slight resolution boost (and introduced the GP2 processor)
So now comes the Hero 11… what issues will it have? And are you better off waiting for the Hero 12 as it will really be a working Hero 11?
The truth is, some of us are going to purchase the Hero 11 sight unseen. Not only do we want the latest tech from GoPro, but we want an improved camera with new features and something that makes us glad we purchased the camera (we also want to review the camera for your benefit too). What we’re likely to get is a redesigned camera with a few extra features that makes the purchase seem worthwhile, but as the year goes on, we wish that GoPro had done just something a little….. more.
I don’t expect to be blown away by the GoPro Hero 11, I don’t expect it to change the world in terms of technical achievement or features. However, that doesn’t stop me from “hoping” that it does.
English