FLIP VIDEO Matthew Bozeman | ITGM 705 | Art Review 2 | Professor David Meyers | February 22, 2011

FLIP VIDEO

Flip Video is a compact digital video camcorder that was originally created by Pure

Digital Technologies -- a relatively unknown player in the world of technology. Given its humble

beginnings, this diminutive camcorder has been a very big success since its launch in 2006.

Though you could argue that its days may be numbered in light of the recent improvements in

cell phone video cameras, the Flip has held its own in the marketplace for the last 5 years. This

digital artifact is notable due to its easy operation and low cost, which have led to an

extraordinarily high adoption rate by dollar-conscious consumers and businesses during a time of

economic crisis.

Pure Digital started as a small company that marketed disposable digital cameras via Ritz

Camera. They experienced initial success, but in the face of the falling prices of non-disposable

digital cameras, their business begin to stagnate and then shrink.1 They later expanded their

original concept into disposable video cameras, sold via drugstores like CVS Pharmacy. The idea

was that the customer would rent the device, and upon its return, the contents would be

downloaded onto a DVD. The camera eventually took the name Flip Video. An ‘Ultra’ version

was released in 2007, and it has been at the top of the Amazon sales charts ever since.2

Amazon’s Vice President of Consumer Electronics described the device’s runaway success like

this: "Online, the customers tell the story about how easy the camera is to use. That really helps

sell it."3

The technology behind the Flip is not necessarily cutting edge, but it gets the job done.

Current Flip camcorders record at 1280 x 720 lines of resolution (720p). They utilize the H.264

video compression standard, along with AAC for audio saved out in the MP4 file format. Most

models can either use disposable alkaline batteries or be upgraded to a rechargeable internal

battery. The interface itself is very simple to use. The power button is on the side. On the back is

Bozeman 2

1 Ashlee Vance. "A Tiny Camcorder Has a Big Payday." New York Times, March 20, 2009., 3, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 21, 2011).

2 Wikipedia. “Flip Video.” Wikipedia, the free encylopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flip_Video (accessed February 21, 2011).

3 Graham Jefferson. "Fun Flip wows camcorder crowd with ease of use, low .." USA Today, n.d., Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 21, 2011).

a large red record button to start and stop the video, as well as a D pad and a playback and trash

button. The simple interface results in a device many find useful right out of the box, without the

need for instructions.

From humble beginnings, news of the Flip begin to spread rapidly, many times by word-

of-mouth. One sector in particular loved the device, and it was not necessarily one that the

executives at Pure Digital had in mind: education. K-12 teachers loved the thing. Early after the

Flip release in 2007, articles begin to pop up from reputable authors about the Flip’s ease-of-use

and low cost.4 Educators begin dreaming about outfitting entire classes with the camcorder. One

instructor mused, “Imagine outfitting a class of 25 students with video gear for less than $4,000

-- the price of just a few conventional camcorders.”5 Indeed, it wasn’t long before the dream

became reality. One high school class utilized Flips to film public service announcements

related to health topics. Soon, other classes were jumping on board. For educators, the same

themes kept shining though -- it was inexpensive and easy to use. For cash-strapped budgets, it

turned out that the Flip Video camera was a great way to inject new instruction methodologies in

the classroom -- keeping things fresh, and students engaged.6

In 2009, Pure Digital’s success was noticed in a big way by Cisco Systems. The 100-

person company was purchased by Cisco in March of that year for $590 million in stock. It was

quite a coup for a small company from San Francisco to do so well in a segment often dominated

by Asian tech companies. Between when they originally launched the first Flip and their eventual

acquisition by Cisco, Pure Digital managed to ship over two million units. With prices ranging

from $150 to $230 (depending on the model) you can quickly realize this tiny company

headquartered above a Gump’s department store had found themselves a winning formula.7

Contributing to Flip Video’s success have been its built-in tools. Rather than box it up

with software CDs and proprietary cables, the video records in a common standard that can be

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4 Katherine Grayson. "FLIPPIN' OUT." T H E Journal 37, no. 3 (March 2010): 35-38. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 21, 2011).

5 Jeff Hastings. "Flip Video." School Library Journal 53, no. 9 (September 2007): 23. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 21, 2011).

6 Julia Roberts and Robin Stiles. "Your Way to Easy Video Production." Knowledge Quest 38, no. 4 (March 2010): 34-39. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 21, 2011).

7 Vance. "A Tiny Camcorder Has a Big Payday."

edited very simply with the provided software, already loaded on the device. Software access and

export is facilitated by the built-in USB stick that flips out. It is this feature that led to the unique

name of the device. Using the built-in software, users can view and share their content with

friends via a variety of methods including email, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. After the

acquisition was complete, Cisco began looking into ways to improve content sharing between

multiple devices without cables. This was accomplished with a little bit of their networking

know-how, in their release of FlipShare TV. FlipShare TV was a package of paired devices that

allowed FlipVideo content to be transferred wirelessly between the user’s PC and their TV.8

What is so important to take away from the Flip Video story are the lessons of easy-to-

use and inexpensive. These are really key points that can be applied to a plethora of disciplines,

but are especially relevant to interactive design. Together, these attributes result in a product that

is accessible to the average user, which results in a rapid adoption rate by a very large cross-

section of consumers. Rapid adoption leads to cash infusion, which funds the next project. That

is called a successful business. That is something worth flipping over.

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8 Edward C. Baig. "FlipShare TV puts Flip videos on the big screen in .." USA Today, n.d., Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 21, 2011).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Baig, Edward C.. "FlipShare TV puts Flip videos on the big screen in .." USA Today, n.d.,

Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 21, 2011).

Grayson, Katherine. "FLIPPIN' OUT." T H E Journal 37, no. 3 (March 2010): 35-38. Academic

Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 21, 2011).

Hastings, Jeff. "Flip Video." School Library Journal 53, no. 9 (September 2007): 23. Academic

Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 21, 2011).

Jefferson, Graham. "Fun Flip wows camcorder crowd with ease of use, low .." USA Today, n.d.,

Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 21, 2011).

Roberts, Julia, and Robin Stiles. "Your Way to Easy Video Production." Knowledge Quest 38,

no. 4 (March 2010): 34-39. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 21,

2011).

Vance, Ashlee. "A Tiny Camcorder Has a Big Payday." New York Times, March 20, 2009., 3,

Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed February 21, 2011).

Wikipedia. “Flip Video.” Wikipedia, the free encylopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Flip_Video (accessed February 21, 2011).

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