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GoPro to move U.S.-bound camera production out of China

reuters.com

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Re: GoPro to move U.S.-bound camera production out of China

#31

Post by all_usernames »

throwy67i4 wrote: post #5

Does GoPro actually do their own development? I remember reading an article when they were starting up, snd the founder basically went to some expo in a China and purchased OEM devices and slapped his brand on there. Edit: This isn’t the article but it sheds some more light. > Once he had the strap sorted out, Woodman would need a camera to go with it. He eventually found a 35-millimeter model made in China. Woodman…

GoPro does develop its mobile apps, camera software and hardware, and cloud offerings. You can get a flavor for what the company is working on here: https://gopro.com/careers/jobs

Re: GoPro to move U.S.-bound camera production out of China

#32

Post by devy »

ryanmercer wrote: post #4
mrweasel wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What? The GoPros sold in the US will just be produced in a third country, the article doesn’t say where though. You can still get a Chinese made GoPro in China The interesting bit is where GoPro will get the cameras for the US market produced.

>The interesting bit is where GoPro will get the cameras for the US market produced. I'd guess Thailand or Japan. I clear international freight through customs for my primary income and see a lot of finished cameras, and even just CMOS, with the most common countries being China, Japan (e.g. Canon) and Thailand (e.g Nikon). A lot of complete digital still image AND video cameras come out of Japan and Thailand actuall…

Japan has a much higher manufacturing cost (it defeat the purpose of GoPro's move of evading tariff to reduce manufacturing cost.)

Thailand, on the other hand, has a mature digital imaging electronics manufacturing industry. Some of the lower end SONY digital cameras/electronics have been made in Thailand / Malaysia too.

Re: GoPro to move U.S.-bound camera production out of China

#33

Post by chrisseaton »

jonknee wrote: post #20
trevyn wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are an infinite number of shades of grey between “slap brand on an OEM product” and “the full Apple”. Companies often shift their approach (in both directions!) over time, and it will vary for different product lines.

And "the full Apple" is still someone else makes the product (Apple purchases iPhones from Foxconn): https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/29/technology/iphone-china-a...

> Apple purchases iPhones from Foxconn

It sounds like you think that Foxconn develop a new iPhone then Apple turn up to buy them like a consumer!

Foxconn manufacture iPhones under a precise contract with Apple, who do the design and plan how they should be built. Apple don’t just purchase them off the shelf.

Re: GoPro to move U.S.-bound camera production out of China

#34

Post by jkestner »

baybal2 wrote: post #26
jotm wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably that it's a fight one can't "win". Better focus on the brand and making people aware of it and it's benefits.

My point is that they never bought the right for the design from OEM from whom they bought their first digital cameras, and that OEM itself never bothered to limit access to the design as it makes no money to them.

I don't think the rights to a 10-year-old design have much to do with what GoPro and their copycats are selling now. Knockoffs are everywhere, especially where the market-defining product has a large margin.

Re: GoPro to move U.S.-bound camera production out of China

#35

Post by theredbox »

jonknee wrote: post #29
dependsontheq wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes but Apple also finances the factories and is deeply embedded. The system might just be the most advanced integrated supply chain on the planet.

Sure, but plenty of companies actually assemble their own products (like say Samsung).

Samsung is not just samsung. Samsung is actually many companies working under the same brand and corporate culture.

You cant talk about samsung as a single company.

Re: GoPro to move U.S.-bound camera production out of China

#36

Post by llampx »

krn wrote: post #11

> GoPro has been trying to drive demand for its trademark action-cameras - once a must-have for surfers, skydivers and other action junkies — as competition ramps up. What are some better alternatives to GoPro available in Europe now? I mean original brands, not cheaper clones.

The Yi action cameras seem to get good reviews, and Sony action cameras have some of the best image stabilization around. DJI has recently gotten into the small cam battle with the Osmo Pocket as well (I hesitate to say action cam because I don't believe it is waterproof or shock proof)

Re: GoPro to move U.S.-bound camera production out of China

#37

Post by gumby »

throwy67i4 wrote: post #5

Does GoPro actually do their own development? I remember reading an article when they were starting up, snd the founder basically went to some expo in a China and purchased OEM devices and slapped his brand on there. Edit: This isn’t the article but it sheds some more light. > Once he had the strap sorted out, Woodman would need a camera to go with it. He eventually found a 35-millimeter model made in China. Woodman…

We hired a bunch of GoPro hardware engineers at castAR. They were all good engineers.

Re: GoPro to move U.S.-bound camera production out of China

#38

Post by wmf »

baybal2 wrote: post #19
metaphor wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The interesting bit is where GoPro will get the cameras for the US market produced. If silicon fab, die packaging, and rigid-flex sub-assembly of the critical camera piece were all done in China, then subsequently forwarded to another country which doesn't have a looming destination tariff threat for final assembly, would this risk still be interesting?

The PCB + sensor, while effectively are the 90% of device value, can still be justifiably declared to American customs at 110% of their cost in China, and many companies vying for coveted "made in USA" stamp do exactly that. What comes after is easy to imagine, they are being put into a very expensive casing, and stamped with their new place of "origin." You can research yourself how "made in USA" Google Pixels were…

If you look at the price difference between GoPro and clones you really are mostly paying for the brand.

Re: GoPro to move U.S.-bound camera production out of China

#39

Post by jjtheblunt »

jonknee wrote: post #20
trevyn wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are an infinite number of shades of grey between “slap brand on an OEM product” and “the full Apple”. Companies often shift their approach (in both directions!) over time, and it will vary for different product lines.

And "the full Apple" is still someone else makes the product (Apple purchases iPhones from Foxconn): https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/29/technology/iphone-china-a...

Apple purchases labor from Foxconn

Re: GoPro to move U.S.-bound camera production out of China

#40

Post by threeseed »

jonknee wrote: post #29
dependsontheq wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes but Apple also finances the factories and is deeply embedded. The system might just be the most advanced integrated supply chain on the planet.

Sure, but plenty of companies actually assemble their own products (like say Samsung).

You're making a pretty pointless distinction though.

Apple tells Foxconn how, what, when etc to assemble often using equipment that Apple owns. So the only thing Samsung has over Apple is that they employ those people. And what value is that adding ?

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