Renowned action camera maker Yi Technologies (makers of Xiaomi Yi cameras) will have several announcements at NAB, at least two of which would be “game-changing” according to an anonymous insider at Yi. I have some thoughts on what these announcements might be.
The source is someone I have not communicated with before, but I have checked out the person’s credentials and they’re legit. There are also other indicators of reliability so that I’m confident that this person is who they say they are.
So assuming the new source is legitimate, what would the announcements be about?
First of all, the source approached me on their own. Since 360Rumors.com is about 360 cameras and VR, it would make sense if the announcements had something to do with 360 cameras or VR.
I think one of the announcements may have to do with Yi’s version of the Google Jump 3D 360 rig, which was announced almost a year ago. Yi’s Google Jump rig is expected to be more affordable and was scheduled to launch late 2016, but it hasn’t been launched yet. It would make sense if it were released now, and NAB Show 2017 would probably be the most relevant show for them at around this time.
As for the other announcement, I’m speculating that it’s Yi’s 360 camera. I have no proof other than the fact that 360 cameras are all the rage in China, and a 360 camera from Yi is arguably overdue. It also makes sense for them given that they already have expertise in action cameras. It would not be difficult for them to produce a 360 camera and probably a better one than many 360 consumer cameras right now. That in itself might not be game changing (unless the camera is exceptionally low cost or something), so I would speculate further that it’s 4K and waterproof without a housing, which would be a rare and desirable combination (the Nikon Keymission 360 is currently the only camera that has those specs).
How about you? What do you think Yi’s announcements will be? Prepare your prognostication and post your prediction in the comments!
What’s the speculation regarding the other announcement, namely the 360 camera from Yi?
What do you think of Yi’s announcements? Please share your predictions in the comments!