Flip Family of Camcorders

The Flip Video family of camcorders allows people to instantly capture, edit and share their lives with family and friends across town or across the globe. All the gear previously required to make videos—camera, power cords, external drives, software, microphones, etc.—has been compacted and simplified into one unit to make recording and sharing easy and accessible. Flip Video also integrates directly with YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and other social-media platforms so sharing is only a few easy button clicks away.

Named after its flip-out USB arm that connects the camera to the computer for editing, uploading and sharing, Flip Video has enabled consumers to embrace video as a critical tool for living a happy and engaged life. People don’t need to be a techie to operate it. People don’t need a lot of other gadgets to make it work. And it fits into real people’s lives rather than making people fit into a high-tech domain.

Its shift away from a shotgun form to a friendlier, easier-to-use upright form puts video subjects at ease and makes people want to hold it. The design and engineering teams viewed Flip as not about packing in features but about designing smartly so that everything is meaningful, purposeful and appropriate. The teams consciously omitted all nonessential features (including extra buttons, motors, circuit boards and components), further adding to the intuitive interaction and interface that serves people in a much more meaningful way.

Within a span of three years, Flip Video camcorders have democratized the use of video by creating an affordable high-quality line of products that are grounded in simplicity, portability and ease-of-use. The initial $149 price point enticed a huge number of people who had not previously owned a video camera to buy a Flip. The line has grown to capture almost 40 percent of the camcorder market.

Credit: Cisco (acquired Pure Digital Technologies, May 2009) and Smart Design

Contact: Karen Sohl: ksohl@cisco.com