By Brandon Bailey, Technology Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) --Apple has patented a new design for a digital video camera that could potentially compete with the rugged portable cameras made by GoPro, a move that sent GoPro's stock tumbling.
GoPro shares dropped more than 12 percent on Tuesday after reports of the new patent surfaced on tech blogs and financial wires.
Apple has not announced any plans for the patent, which covers a design for a remote-controlled, digital camera that can be attached to a helmet, surfboard or scuba mask.
But as first reported by the blog "Patently Apple," the company's application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office says Apple's design improves on aspects of GoPro's camera. Apple says GoPro's camera "can cause excessive wind resistance and presents a high profile that is more susceptible to damage."
Representatives for Apple Inc., based in Cupertino, California, and GoPro Inc., based in San Mateo, California, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Patent office records show Apple first applied in 2012 for the patent, which was granted Tuesday.
But one tech analyst cautioned against reading too much into the filing. "Apple develops and patents lots and lots of technology all the time. Only a fraction of it ever sees the light of day in commercial products," said Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research, who tracks consumer tech products.
Apple already has developed sophisticated camera technology for its iPhones and iPads, added Dawson, who said he doubts the company would want to sell a stand-alone camera unless it could be tied in with Apple's broader family of products and services.
Still, the news seemed to make some GoPro investors nervous.
"Anytime Apple enters a market, it can be bad news for existing players," Dawson noted.
Go Pro's shares ended down $6.91 to $49.87.
Apple shares gained 97 cents, or slightly less than 1 percent, closing at $110.22.
After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More