So if you’ve been paying attention you’ll know that GoPro aren’t having the best time of late, with share prices tanking and their Karma drone becoming one of the industry’s biggest flops (HERE).

That’s why people are paying such attention to their new release, the ‘Fusion’ camera, which is a “new high-definition, 360-degree video camera”.

Launched earlier this week, here’s what Quartz has to say:

It’s small, easy to use, and allows owners to create high-quality 360-degree videos without the need for giant, complicated multi-camera setups, like the ones GoPro and others have been developing. GoPro said on its website that the Fusion will work with many of the company’s existing accessories.

If you want GoPro’s official press release just pop over HERE.

Let’s check a video promo – treat yourself and watch in HD:

Sounds and looks good, so why is it considered a risky move then?

…the Fusion will initially only be available as a part of a “pilot program” that “professional content creators” can apply for.

The last big product the company promoted before its release was the Karma drone…

Hopefully Fusion won’t suffer a similar fate, but today’s announcement puts GoPro in a risky position. It needed to show investors that it’s working on new products, because it’s been seven months since it introduced a new camera…

Since then, GoPro hasn’t announced anything other than staff layoffs. But GoPro is also saying it likely won’t get the Fusion into consumers’ hands before the end of the year, so any optimism Wall Street has about the company’s future may be short-lived…

GoPro announces its quarterly earnings a week from today, so we’ll have a better understanding of just how important this new camera might be to the company’s long-term survival after refocusing on profitability.

Those higher up the food chain at GoPro will be fine going forward, but the declining stock prices has meant serious staff layoffs. If the Fusion camera goes the way of the Karma drone, you’d imagine many more heads will roll.

Seriously though, if you’re going drone you have to go for the DJI Mavic Pro – there’s no comparison.

[source:quartz]