GoPro Stats 2024: How Many GoPro Cameras Have Been Sold?

Key GoPro Statistics

• GoPro has more than 36 million followers on social media platforms
• 30 million GoPro cameras have been sold
• GoPro has 1.16 million paid subscribers
• The first GoPro used 35 mm Kodak 400 film
• First 1080p video with 127° wide-angle series GoPro was released in 2010
• In 2016, GoPro Acquired Splice and Replay for $105 million
• GoPro has a market in more than 100 countries
• GoPro launched the Fusion camera, an omnidirectional camera capable of recording 360-degree footage, in 2017
• over 200 employees lost jobs from GoPro during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis.

What is a GoPro?

A smartphone or a video camera is enough for shooting a family function or something that happens on a “safe ground.”

But how do we shoot the live actions around us during surfing in the sea waves, riding a bike through the hill areas, during a motorbike solo trip, diving into the deepest ocean beds, paragliding, etc.?

Well, the only solution is a GoPro!

A GoPro is a small camera that can shoot stills and videos without the fear of easily being damaged by falling or drowning.

GoPros are the best in the action camera segment. It is smaller than an ordinary bath soap and lightweight so that you may forget its existence inside the pocket!

Currently, there are more than 15 GoPro models on the market. We can classify them based on the cost and year of release as below.

Top End – Flagship GoPro Models

2012

• Hero3 Black (October)

2014

• Hero4 Black (September)

2016

• Hero5 Black (September)

2017

• Hero6 Black (September)
• GoPro Fusion (November)

2018

• Hero7 Black (September)

2019

• Hero8 Black (October)
• GoPro Max (October)

2020

• Hero9 Black (September)

Middle Range GoPro Models

2012

• Hero3 Silver (October)

2013

• Hero3+ Black (October)

2014

• Hero4 Session (September)
• Hero4 Silver (September)

2016

• Hero5 Session (September)

2018

• Hero7 Silver and White (September)

Budget (affordable) GoPro Models

2012

• Hero3 White (October)

2013

• Hero3+ Silver (October)

2014

• Hero (September)

2015

• Hero+ LCD (October)
• Hero+ (October)

2018

• Hero (2018) (March)

How Many People Follow GoPro on Social Media?

According to stats, more than 3.6 billion people in the world use social media accounts, and more than 6 billion people use smartphones.

Hence the best way to market among the ‘smart crowd’ is to be active in social media. 

The latest stats show that GoPro has 42.87 million followers from all over the social media platforms.

Instagram         

Instagram is a photo uploading platform. Hence GoPro has its significant advantage in this platform by uploading the most appealing photos and short videos taken using their devices.

Based on the stats, GoPro has 17.8 million followers on Instagram.

Twitter     

Twitter provides brand identity and easy access to understand the customer side reviews. GoPro has 2.1 million followers on the platform, with a 250% growth compared to 2019.

Facebook          

Facebook is considered to be the most used social media in the world. GoPro has got 10.8 million likes for its posts on Facebook. When compared with 2019, it is a 96.3% growth!

YouTube            

Many YouTube content creators are travelers, and they need a compatible device that can be mounted on a helmet or strapped on the shirt during recording.

GoPro is the perfect device to perform live actions and stunts without causing any uneasiness for the content creators.

As per the statistics, there are more than 10.3 million subscribers for GoPro on YouTube. It has a significant growth (1070% growth) compared to the subscribers in 2019.

GoPro Categories

The major classifications of GoPro cameras are done in 3 ways.

SESSION(entry-level):

The Session GoPros are comparatively cheap versions with limited functions. It is shaped like a cube with buttons and no LCD screen display.

This lightweight camera is suitable for people looking for a cheap version of GoPro and doesn’t have complex use.

HERO:

Perhaps, Hero is the most famous segment of the GoPro cameras. It has LCD screens and appealing rectangle-shaped cameras. Hero GoPros are the most sought-after GoPros on the market.

FUSION:

Perhaps the most expensive GoPros are coming under this category. It was launched in 2017 and got significant updates over the years. It supports 128GB storage with 5.2K at 30fps & 3K at 60fps video resolution. 

GoPro Corporate Acquisition Statistics

Like many giant companies, GoPro also had to keenly observe the market trends over the years to catch the small fishes in the sea, which could upgrade GoPro devices to the next level.

Like Facebook acquired Instagram, Whatsapp, etc., facts show that the acquisitions made by Nick and his team were perfectly timed.

Cineform

Top budget movies such as Slumdog Millionaire, Need For Speed, etc., used Cineform Codec. GoPro acquired Cineform in March 2011

Kolor

In 2015, GoPro bought the french based virtual reality software company Kolor. Kolor software has a “spherical content” technology that can combine multiple stills or videos to make 360-degree panoramic videos, stills, etc. 

Stupeflix and Vemory

In 2016, GoPro acquired two companies by spending $105 million. Stupeflix owned replay, and Vemory owned Splice. 

“It was like out of a storybook, I literally got an email one day saying they’d been using our product.” said Hunter Powell, the CEO of Splice, when asked about the acquisition. However, the Replay was not an easy target like Splice.

It got the opportunity to present the software in front of billions during Apple’s 2014 iPad Air 2 announcement event. Replay was later rebranded as “Quik” under GoPro.

ReelSteady

In 2020, GoPro acquired a post-production stabilizing software called Reelsteady.

It is a standalone desktop application, which automatically sustains clips from GoPro HERO5 Session, HERO5, HERO6, Hero7, and Hero8 cameras by collecting the valuable metadata for gyro-based stabilization.

GoPro Shipping Stats 2014-2020

GoPro Growth History Timeline 

The growth analytics of GoPro is better demonstrated in a timeline along with some astonishing statistics.

2002

Nick Woodman created his company. 

Nick and his friends wanted to become professional surfers. However, the amateur surfers couldn’t afford the professional photographers to get some of their live actions during surfing.

Nick felt that it was one of the significant issues that they faced during surfing.

Later he created his company to focus on the issue with the help of certain small investments that he managed to raise by selling beads and shell belts for under $20 from his old Volkswagen van. And his parents supported his venture by investing $230,000 in the company.

2004

After creating his company, Nick spent two years before releasing the first product, GoPro 35mm HERO.

It used a roll of 24 exposure Kodak 400 film and captured pictures 15ft underwater. Nick described his first camera as a “reusable wrist camera.”

The first edition of the GoPro action camera series was able to raise $150,000 worth of revenue.

2006

After the 35mm HERO, the following product Nick introduced was Digital HERO1 in 2006. The HERO1 was able to capture QVGA definition 320X240 (10 fps) video of 10 seconds duration.

It also had 32MB internal memory with a dedicated SD slot. The Digital HERO1 helped Nick raise $800,000 in revenue.

2007

The third version of the GoPro series was named “Digital HERO3” and was released in 2007. The Digital HERO3 had a 3-megapixel camera that could shoot videos at standard definition 512×384.

In addition, the GoPro was able to resist water up to 30 m (98.4 feet) in depth. As a result, it became popular among people and raised $3.4 million in revenue.

2008

GoPro introduced its first 170° wide-angle lens with the model GoPro “Digital HERO Wide.” It had a 5MP camera capable of recording 512×384 at 30fps video along with a sound recording.

Other salient features include 10 second Self Timer, auto “Photo every 2 or 5 seconds” mode, and a 3X sequence photo burst.

2009

The turning point of GoPro occurred after the release of the iPhone 3GS in 2009. GoPro got plenty of support from iPhone 3GS’s “on-board video” facility.

As a result, it declined the growth of video cameras and camcorders, and the market stands with GoPro devices.

2010

GoPro introduced an HD series that shoot 1080p at 30fps and 720p at 60fps. The HD HERO 960 from GoPro was showcased in 2010 that could shoot a 960p video.

HD HERO Naked was also released in the same year, supporting 1080p video using a 5 MP sensor.

In addition, accessories such as HD Surf HERO, HD Helmet HERO, HD Motorsports HERO, etc., were also launched along with the camera.

2011

GoPro HERO2, including an 11 MP image sensor and enhanced low-light visibility, was launched. It recorded 120 fps and was sold with three different accessory packages: Outdoor, Motorsports, and Surf Editions.

2012

The HERO3 line of cameras came in three editions, black, white, and silver. In addition, they had a built-in WiFi and became compatible up to 30% smaller and 25% lighter in package compared to the previous versions.

2013

In October 2013, GoPro released the HERO3+ in two colors: Black and Silver.

The HERO3+ camera performed well in low-light conditions along with a waterproof protection enclosure. In addition, it was 20% lighter and 15% smaller compared to the HERO3’s. 

The Black Edition was able to shoot 12MP stills at up to 30 fps. Also it supported video modes of 1440p at 48fps, 1080p at 60fps, 960p at 100fps and 720p at 120fps rates.

The Silver Edition with a 10 MP sensor could shoot stills at 10fps and provided video modes at 720p at 120fps and 1080p at 60fps rates.

GoPro HERO3 HD camera was awarded the 2013 Technology & Engineering Emmy Award for its contribution to television.

2014

In September of 2014, GoPro introduced an entry-level camera named “HERO.” It was priced at $130, which can capture 5mp still images and has a 5fps burst option.

GoPro HERO can record 1080p at 30fps or 25fps and 720p at 60fps or 50fps and supported MicroSD card up to 32GB.

The LCD non-touch display on the front is waterproof down to 40m. Also, the company hired Tony Bates as its new President, who was previously a Microsoft executive.

2015

Released on July 6, 2015, the HERO series is 50% smaller and 40% lighter than the other GoPro HERO4 camera versions.

In addition, GoPro HERO+LCD comes with a touch screen option to preview the shots and navigations menu.

It records videos at 1080p at 60 fps and can capture 8-megapixel stills. Also, it had a unique feature called instant camera editing. 

GoPro HERO+LCD camera is waterproof which has a built-in waterproof case (waterproof to 131 feet (40 m)).

Other features include Bluetooth, built-in WiFi, and easy modes such as SuperView, QuikCapture, and Auto Low Light.

In 2015, the company introduced GoPro HERO+, which is their third entry-level action camera.

Another significant milestone during 2015 was, GoPro developed a video editing software named “GoPro Studio.”

It helped people edit their camera footage without the help of external software. Statistics show that the company also introduced a new app for the HERO5 called “GoPro Quik” as a platform to share and edit videos.

It also aided in editing and shooting photos and videos using the GoPro app released in 2015.

2016, 2017 and 2018

GoPro Karma Drone was released in 2016, which company had huge expectations. Even though the discussions for the drone started in 2014, it got delayed for several reasons and was finally released by 2016.

However, due to operational failure complaints from several customers, GoPro recalled Karma drones and provided a full refund to its customers.

They updated the drone and relaunched it in 2017 but still failed to reach the expected revenue.

Due to the heavy loss, GoPro had to cut down 20%(around 200 employees) of its workforce and officially end the drone business.

Some of the GoPro products during the 2016-18 time period were,

2016 – HERO5 Black and HERO5 Session

Features: automatic upload of footage to cloud and voice controls, waterproof up to 10 m, support 30fps 4K video recording, and 1080p at up to 120 fps.

2017 – HERO6 Black, Fusion

Features:  5 GHz WiFi, 4K HEVC video recording, automatic upload of footage to the cloud, etc. HERO6 Black was the first GoPro sporting with a custom system on a chip (SoC), the GP1.

The fusion camera was omnidirectional with the ability to record 360° Panorama video.

2018 – HERO (2018 entry-level edition), Seventh-generation action camera series(HERO7 Silver, HERO7 White, and HERO7 Black)

Features: HERO offered 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, no GPS, video modes 1920×1440 at 60p, 1080p at 60fps.

HERO7 Black included a heavily advanced electronic image stabilization known as “HyperSmooth” video stabilization. Also added timelapse(Timewarp), live streaming facilities.

2019, 2020, 2021

In 2019, the company released HERO7 Black in a new “dusk white” color which had no technology difference with the 2018 model.

However, In 2020 Gopro removed their “GoPro Quick” software support for MAC and Windows. Currently, it supports only mobile devices.

2019 – HERO8 Black, GoPro MAX

Features: HERO8 Black offered 4K60, 2.7K120, 1440p120, 1080p240 video modes with latest HyperSmooth 2.0 video stabilization. It had 33 ft water resistance and connecting prongs to connect accessories directly to the camera.

2020 – HERO9 Black

It is slightly bigger than other models.

Features: Major features include Improvised video stabilization using “HyperSmooth 3.0”,  a maximum video resolution of 5K, and a front-facing 1.4-inch color “selfie” screen.

2021 – HERO10 Black

Features:  New GP2 processor, 5.3K video with double the frame rate, 23MP photos, improved low-light performance, HyperSmooth 4.0 video stabilization in all modes, automatic content upload using cloud-connected technology.

What is the Future of GoPro?

Innovation is always part of a winning business. That’s the only way to thrive in a volatile technology market where new things happen on a second basis.

“That is part of our strategy to expand our total customer-base by making GoPro more relevant.” said Nick Woodman while attending CES 2020 in Las Vegas.

He believes that all the past versions of the GoPro cameras were best in their batch, and technology was not up to the mark to utilize them with their true potential.

According to him, it was the first time since the inception, and people used Hero 7 Black(released in 2019) ideally with the technology. 

Nick has specifically mentioned the future intentions of his action-camera company. 

“In the past, we focused on ‘How do we get you to fall in love with our cameras?’, and now we are more focused on ‘What’s that you are trying to do, what specific tools are you already using, and can we leverage our software to help you with that?” 

“If we can build a relationship with you purely through software, then we see that as a win. That is a shift for us as a company. You will start to see that from us this year.” He further added.

He hopes that the GoPro camera versions that are going to release in the future will accompany advanced editing and user-friendly software applications, which will make GoPro usage much better.

Facts & FAQs

Sources

Digital Trends	The Verge	Wikipedia
GoPro	GoPro	Giraffe Social Media
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