By technical editor Matt Allard:
Mixed reports have emerged about whether Apple is looking at developing a competitor to GoPro, after website Patently Apple noted a patent lodged at the US Patents and Trademark office detailing an action camera system.
Other sites said that the patent’s history – it was previously owned by Kodak – suggested there might be other reasons for Apple to take it up.
Reuters said that the patent is for a wearable, remote-controllable camera system that can be mounted onto equipment such as bike helmets and scuba masks, and that it makes specific references to GoPro’s cameras.
According to Patently Apple, the patent “appears to now incorporate intellectual property from Kodak.”
But Apple Insider argued: “A side-by-side comparison of the application as assigned to Kodak and the patent as granted to Apple shows only minor changes, with nearly all alterations limited to housekeeping variations made to bring the document’s citations up to date.”
It added: “Apple obviously purchased the Kodak patent for a reason, but the act doesn’t necessarily mean the company is working on a GoPro competitor. If Apple is seriously considering a foray into the action cam market, a patented solution would almost assuredly come from within Cupertino. As it stands, the Kodak property could be used toward technology related to existing products, perhaps as a functional augmentation to the upcoming Apple Watch.”
It said the invention was originally credited to Keith Stoll Karn, Marc Krolczyk and Kazuhiro Joza, who reassigned the patent to Kodak in 2012. Apple bought it as part of a group of Kodak patents that year.
It’s not clear what Apple’s reassertion of this intellectual property means at this stage. Given GoPro’s huge success it’s hardly surprising that other people may want a piece of the action, but despite the best efforts of Canon, Sony, JVC and many others, GoPro’s action camera still dominates with ease. Could Cupertino really be hoping to unseat the champion?
