Any unhappy GoPro owners ? Could the same happen to amps ?

sev112

so, after finally getting my GoPro back from GoPro for what looks like a design fault but they were happy to replace it.  Except the replacement had to go back because it didn't work.
i finally got round to using it this weekend to record a gig we did on Saturday,
so on Sunday I decide to look at the footage on my iPad2.
except you can't any more
because GoPro have updated their App and it will not work with an Ipad2 any more.  Note they haven't just removed support for the iPad2, they have removed the old App that would do so, at the same time as introducing the new App.

so if you don't have 20:20 vision, you can't see the tiny screen to control the camera, you can't preview the camera angle, and you can't even see what you have just filmed ! Unless you are lugging a laptop around with you.  
So I have a £400 ish camera that in all practicality I cannot now use unless I go and spend £500 on a new iPad or iPhone

so wtach out anyone who has a lovely Amp which is controlled by IOS or Android - you too may find you can't use your amp if you don't keep buying new iPhones and Galaxies 


if you think that in itself if very odd "customer service"

the other thing GoPro have done is astonishing.
in order to use the new App to control all your GoPros, they now prevent you from doing so unless you establish an account and login!  Which is quite impressive if you are using your GoPro up a mountain where there is no signal.  Which wouldn't be so bad as the reason they are doing it - which is to be able to download information of your usage of the camera!!!!  Which wouldn't be so bad if it didn't involve using up my data in a foreign country to do so.



so, GoPro don't really care about this - they replied "sorry for any inconvenience" today when I asked them about this.   At least I am not relying on my GoPro for business.
They certainly won't be getting any more money from me.

but the key (apart from a much needed rant at GoPro) is how much future use of our equipment do we think we are entitled to when we buy them ?  Would you think it acceptable that Blackstar / Line 6 / Marshal, and whoever else lets you control your amp with your phone could at some point prevent stop you using it unless you upgrade your phone ?  

Ok, rant over

Keep music (and cameras) analogue I say

maybe I'll report them to that nice Donald Trump man - he seems to have the poor person's views at heart

Danny1969

Got one in for repair at the mo, somethings open circuit, customer has only used in a few times but it's out of warranty. He's not happy either, Gopro support basically said tough !

skunkwerx

Seems stupid as gopro was always (to me atleast) advertised as the action cam to use in all corners of the earth! 

I may be getting old at 28 but I can't stand anything that requires another device or apps to work properly... 

Hate draining my battery, using data up, or even having to pull a phone out to use a £400 device to its full potential. 

Maybe im not very tech savvy, but I bought a £500 panasonic camcorder a few years ago to do some basic youtube vids and filming, and even those are laden with 'features' such as wi-fi and all that, which I didnt want.. id rather they scrapped it and upped the video quality. 

Anyway my laptop wasnt powerful enough to edit or handle much so I had to replace that.. which led to all sorts of pc annoyances.. 

then theres the video editing itself.. more confusions and pains. 

Moe_Zambeek

Sounds like I won't be buying a GoPro...I was considering one but I can't be doing with that kind of hassle.

Had also been considering a Polaroid-style camera too, but the cost of the film is putting me off swings and roundabouts innit.

ThePrettyDamned

Gopro are a bit mixed... 

For me, I reckon the lower models are where it's at - they're HD, decent quality and tough enough. Cheap enough (ish) that you won't worry too much.

stickyfiddle

I don't like cameras but I don't like the idea of any device where the primary use case requires a mobile or tablet. It's begging to become obsolete - and as you've found it can only take 3 or 4 years. 

sev112

They were ally good when my camera broke 6 months out of warranty - they didn't have to, but they did replace it free. So they deserve really good kudos for that.

but really frustrating 
not least because the Internet of things knows what I've been recording going forward !

PVO_Dave

@sev112 not a complete solution, but with a memory card adaptor (micro to regular) and a memory card reader adaptor for the iPad, could you then view the videos? 

sev112

PVO_Dave said:

@sev112 not a complete solution, but with a memory card adaptor (micro to regular) and a memory card reader adaptor for the iPad, could you then view the videos? 

Thanks Dave
i can view - I just put the Sd card in the back of the iMac when I get home
its more the ability to view the camera angle and change settings while on the go 

thanks anyway

strumjoughlamps

Try 10app, it's free and might give you back the features you are missing.

sev112

Thanks - will have a look @strumjoughlamps ;

sev112

strumjoughlamps said:

Try 10app, it's free and might give you back the features you are missing.

Great spot - really helpful and looks just what I needed

thanks to FB for letting me rant and finding a solution 

happy days

ICBM

sev112 said:

but the key (apart from a much needed rant at GoPro) is how much future use of our equipment do we think we are entitled to when we buy them ?  Would you think it acceptable that Blackstar / Line 6 / Marshal, and whoever else lets you control your amp with your phone could at some point prevent stop you using it unless you upgrade your phone ?

This has crossed my mind too - or as importantly, the other way round. One of the amps I'm potentially interested in at the moment is the Marshall Code. How future-proof is it - will there come a point where it won't work with a future phone because that won't support the original app? Bearing in mind I tend to keep my musical equipment for decades rather than just a couple of years. I've already been nearly caught out a couple of times with computer software - which is why I keep two previous generations of Macs in the house, even though they are long obsolete for most purposes - and I'm not in a hurry to replace my iPhone 4S.

Cirrus

Good rant, @sev112 ;;;.

I agree, I don't like the idea of hardware that's dependent on something like an Ipad - the apple system moves too quickly and doesn't care for backwards compatibility after a certain point - they want people to keep buying their new stuff. Seems inevitable to me that 3rd party hardware tied into that model will be an easy sacrifice for them to make. Just look at how happily they discarded the headphone jack.

For inter-appliance compatibility, the standards need to be supported industry wide and last a long time - like the USB protocol, jack and phono connectors, kettle leads, windows related frameworks like Direct-X, PCI slots... problem with Apple is that they make proprietary connectors for totally closed systems then move on, presumably in the hope that everyone following the hype has got bored of the hardware by that point and won't mind.

Another thing in the same genre is something like Amazon's Echo  - a mate at work got one, I thought it'd be great for around the house. But again, it's a closed system that relies on Amazon maintaining functionality at their end. When I buy something like that I like the idea that barring an accident I'll still have it and it'll still be working in 10 years.

Jalapeno

My GoPro experience (Hero 3+)

for
+ it's compact
+ it's realtively simple to setup and use (though a darn sight easier from the App)

against
- battery life is poor
- overheats in the case if recording indoors
- sound quality is abysmal

Had to buy the frame (rather than the supplied case) to allow cooler operation and access to the SD Card/Usb ports, and an external mini condensor mic.

There are some amazing clones around now (on Amazon) - much cheaper and 4k ready.