How Insta360 Is Helping Creators Capture More Than The Moment

[00:00:04] - [Speaker 0]
Welcome back to the Tech Talks Daily Podcast. Now today's guest is someone who's helping redefine what a camera company looks like in the AI era. Because while many people might associate the company Insta three sixty with immersive three sixty degree cameras, the company has gone on to evolve into something so much bigger, a creator ecosystem built around hardware, software, AI, and workflow integration. So from action cameras and wearable devices to AI powered editing tools, professional creator solutions, webcams, and enterprise applications. I think it's fair to say that Insta three sixty has spent the last decade asking one simple question.

[00:00:51] - [Speaker 0]
How do you remove friction from storytelling? And whether that means shoot first, frame later technology or AI assisted editing or cameras designed for travelers, vloggers, filmmakers, and everyday users alike. The company has focused on making content creation faster, smarter, and more accessible to a much broader audience. So my guest name is Max Richter, and he's been with the company since its earliest days. But today, I wanna talk about how the company has evolved from a niche three sixty camera startup into one of the most recognizable imaging brands in the world.

[00:01:33] - [Speaker 0]
I will also explore why software and AI are becoming just as important as the hardware and how new products like Luna reveal exactly where the future of creator technology is heading. And if we have time, I also wanna explore the growing tension between smartphones and dedicated cameras and understand why and how AI is changing the editing process, why Insta360 believes creator workflows matter just as much as those camera specs, and what the future looks like when cameras become intelligent and creative companions rather than just a simple recording device. But enough from me. Let me introduce you to my guest right now. So thank you for joining me on the podcast today.

[00:02:23] - [Speaker 0]
Can you tell everyone listening a little about who you are and what you do?

[00:02:27] - [Speaker 1]
Cool. Thanks, Neil. Yeah. My name is Max. I work for Insta360 now for more than ten years.

[00:02:33] - [Speaker 1]
So I started joining the company from the very early age on, and we were in a very very small team. And, yeah, throughout the years, we've been growing a lot. We've been growing into new markets. We added a lot of new product innovation to our portfolio, and it's been an exciting journey. So originally, I am I am from Stuttgart, Germany, which is a town that's more renowned for cars and automotive.

[00:02:55] - [Speaker 1]
So it was quite unique, I think, to make the switch to the camera industry, but at the same time, also exciting. And now I'm actually based in Shenzhen near Hong Kong, where our headquarters is. At the same time, I work very closely with our Munich office, with our LA office, and our Tokyo office under internationalization and on our international markets. So it's a little bit of a background about me.

[00:03:17] - [Speaker 0]
Awesome. It's a pleasure to have you join me because a few weeks ago, I was in the market for a new webcam, found myself going to Google, going to AI, what is the best rated camera out there, etcetera. I quickly learned that Insta three sixty was top of many of these lists, and that's one of the reasons that I invited you to join me here today. But for people listening that are hearing about Insta three sixty for the first time, what is the company today, and how did you evolve from that niche three sixty camera setup to a a much broader creator ecosystem that you have now?

[00:03:50] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. It's a good point. You know, initially, we started with three sixty cameras. That's what I think, you know, if you look at our brand name, what everybody knows us for, we kind of created this generic trademark for three sixty cameras. If you think about Insta360, you automatically think about three sixty cameras.

[00:04:06] - [Speaker 1]
So we accomplished this goal. But over the years, we also figured out that our mission to help people capture and share their lives shouldn't just stop with three sixty cameras. And what we're doing now is to extend or leverage the initial r and d and research we've been doing in three sixty camera space into new types of products. And there are some recent examples like the Insta three sixty GO series, which is the world's smallest vlogging cameras. We have the a series, which is more traditional wide angle cameras where we pivoted not only into action cameras, but also into, you know, point and shoot cameras, vlogging cameras, where we target urban photographers, street photographers, and so on.

[00:04:46] - [Speaker 1]
And on on top of that, there's also additional verticals like enterprise products or webcam products, conferencing products. There's quite a lot that we do in in this area as well. You just mentioned the intelligent webcams that we have, which also use that unique AI tracking algorithm that you can also find in our v 60 cameras. And throughout these years, we added more and more innovation on top that can really try you know, what what still motivates us is is, I would say, firstly, our mission, which is has always been about helping peep helping people to capture and share their lives. And secondly, to re re really become one of the world's top leading camera brands through bold innovation.

[00:05:26] - [Speaker 1]
And this bold innovation, I think, is always very much paired with the deep user centric thinking or very deep community thinking where we get inspiration into our products, where and secondly, where we get these unique user insights that only Insta360 with this bold mindset is actually able to turn into real tangible products. A good recent example about this is, again, our a series, which started as a traditional action camera. But then through user observation, insights, and DIY solutions we got from our user community, we turned into a point and shoot camera. And this was done through an accessory that we introduced and turned it into a camera bundle. But secondly, also through software, updates and software integration such as new Leica filters, such as better still shooting modes, color profiles, and so on.

[00:06:17] - [Speaker 1]
And I think that's very unique about Insta360 that we focus on the innovation, about user centric innovation, and turning bold ideas into reality.

[00:06:26] - [Speaker 0]
I love that. And one of the many things that I love about what you're doing here is we're talking about incredibly complex technology and sophisticated technology. But one of the things that stands out is you're all about reducing friction between shooting, editing, and sharing. And this has traditionally been a huge pain point. But what problems in the traditional creator workflow were you trying to solve that maybe other camera brands out there have often overlooked?

[00:06:51] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. I think it also comes down to our mission, which is help people capture but also share their lives.

[00:06:56] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah.

[00:06:57] - [Speaker 1]
So if you look at also our r and d or engineering talents, you know, you would most likely think about camera companies heavily focused on r and d into hardware, into the real hard product. Right? But in fact, Insta360 has more than 60% of the engineers working on software. So 6% of our engineering workforce is is our software engineers. Our founder, JK, he has a software engineering background.

[00:07:22] - [Speaker 1]
He himself is also a software engineer. So from the very early stage on, we focus a lot on making it easier and simpler and more seamless for people to actually share that content. And, you know, what what actually drove us, and additionally, is also the just the nature of three sixty cameras. With three sixty cameras, you naturally have a lot of footage. You have a lot of data.

[00:07:42] - [Speaker 1]
Because you capture the whole world around you, capture a three sixty spherical image, you also need to, later on, choose the best moments or choose the best perspective out of that three sixty image. And that just create that just demands more consideration and developments around making it more seamless to to share this image. And this is kind of like an extra motivation or has been always an extra motivation for us in order to make that that workflow as seamless as possible, either through our own mobile app with Insta360, but secondly, partnering with with companies like Adobe, with Facebook, with Google from a very early stage on to make that sharing as seamless as possible. And nowadays, if you think about ten years later, it's really like, I would say, are at the forefront. Institute sixty is at the forefront of the that sharing aspect and making it as easy as possible for users to do that.

[00:08:38] - [Speaker 1]
And I think this also deeply resonates with the new generation of content creators. You know? Like, if you think of people who who just want convenience, like, if they are out there shooting, let's say, to share with friends and family or or sharing on their favorite short video platform like TikTok, Instagram, we really, I would say, have the best solution on the market. And one of the promising technologies going into the future is definitely also our early commitment to AI and computational imaging, which further accelerates this trend and further accelerates and and loosens the friction points in order for people to capture and share their lives. 100%.

[00:09:15] - [Speaker 1]
And I

[00:09:16] - [Speaker 0]
think we're living in a time now where everybody is a content creator, whether it's somebody doing a a hobby project on their own, an everyday consumer, or a Fortune 500 business who know to get their message out there and stay relevant, they need to be creating constant video content. And it can be overwhelming and daunting for many people outside of this traditional space. So one of the most interesting ideas I find behind your products is this shoot first, frame later approach. And I'm curious.

[00:09:44] - [Speaker 1]
Mhmm. How

[00:09:44] - [Speaker 0]
did that philosophy completely change the way people think about capturing content?

[00:09:49] - [Speaker 1]
That's a good point. Exactly. You know, that that you already talk about, I would say, the most convincing reasons for people to actually consider a three sixty camera, which is really that shoot first frame rate, which completely reverse the way of doing photography. Right? Because you always had point and shoot cameras, so now you have shoot and and frame later cameras.

[00:10:09] - [Speaker 1]
And, you know, at the beginning, though, when we started to to with our first products like the Insta360 Nano, it was not very clear about this yet. You know? We were in a space that that was actually quite heated with competition. We have players like Samsung. We had players like Ricoh from Japan who were active in this market of three sixty cameras.

[00:10:30] - [Speaker 1]
But back then, three sixty cameras were always used more for the whole three sixty image, you know, like, that you were able to choose within the moment where you wanna look, talking about virtual reality, talking about three sixty live, and so on. These were hot trends. But we also figured out the real value, again, through deep user and community understanding. It's not just this three sixty degree image. It's more the fact that you are able to capture everything.

[00:10:57] - [Speaker 1]
You're able to capture an immersive moment. You're essentially able to capture time. And then later on, you can go back into that moment and choose the best perspective, the best little moments within that frame to further share with your friends and family. And this is like something I would say that only really in SOFi six you realized, again, through user observation. And in the beginning, it was also about finding specific niche verticals, specific niche use cases that had the highest product market fit.

[00:11:28] - [Speaker 1]
Think about motorcyclists. Think about winter sport athletes. When we worked with them, we saw that they really resonated very well with this type of of feature and benefit. And then later on, we extended it into more mainstream markets. And nowadays, I think v six c cameras have gotten so good that they they they, you know, like, that everybody needs one in their home.

[00:11:49] - [Speaker 1]
And it's it's for me, it's essentially like a time capturing machine. Right? Because with the v six c, you always capture everything and you can go back into that moment. I think that's a very powerful I would say it's the most complete type of camera you can buy. But, yes, we also understand there has been frictions within the technology and within the hardware, and we try to solve them step by step by introducing new technologies.

[00:12:13] - [Speaker 1]
First one was, you know, obviously image resolution was always a bottleneck in early models. We solved this now with up to eight k video resolution and image capturing. Second one is about stabilization. We solved this with introducing our flow state stabilization. The third one was just the fact that because you have three sixty lenses, they can become fragile when you're out there in the mountains, when you're out there hiking, when you do outdoor activities.

[00:12:41] - [Speaker 1]
Right? We solved this with replaceable lens technology. So now you're able to swap out the lenses on the go whenever you want to go. And the fourth one, which I would say is is the most important and it's a good and a bad thing at the same time because with three sixty, you're able to capture capture everything. But it also requires extra time investment that you need to later go into our mobile app.

[00:13:05] - [Speaker 1]
You need to go in our software to choose the best frame out of it. So some people, they enjoy that creative process, but others, they just wanna have the convenience of getting the best shot out of that moment immediately. And here again, what comes into play is our AI technology that automatically chooses the best shots within that three sixty frame and gives you a perfect either edited video or picture to to share. So you don't need to invest a lot of time or spend a lot of time on editing. It directly gives you a very good result.

[00:13:37] - [Speaker 1]
I just recently tried this feature also when I was on vacation in in French Polynesia. I was diving with sharks, and I was very immersed underwater. It was amazing. But then also then, sometimes you don't have the time to spend that extra editing. Right?

[00:13:51] - [Speaker 1]
So so I used the AI powered feature, and and I directly got the shots. I was able to directly share this right out of coming out of the water with my friends back in Germany, and they were amazed by it. So so that that showed me, like, AI is getting better and better. And, ultimately, I think it will be able to perfectly accurately, based on your own preference, choose the best moments and the best shots. So you can actually make use of all the footage that you captured.

[00:14:16] - [Speaker 0]
Absolutely love that. And I think we do often hear creators say, hey. Smartphones are now good enough for video. And I would argue on that. They might be good enough for video in many situations, but audio is awful when recording from a smartphone.

[00:14:31] - [Speaker 0]
Does that not everything is great with the smartphone there. So where do you see dedicated cameras still offering that fundamentally different experience, especially for travel creators, vloggers, and solo filmmakers, etcetera, and indeed, people that wanted to transform their their home office too.

[00:14:48] - [Speaker 1]
Yes. I think, you know, for us, it's like you you are right. I think a lot of people already have a very powerful camera in their pocket, right, with this smartphone. But at the same time, we also see that there's limitation with smartphones on what you can capture or how you can capture it. We talked about outdoor activities.

[00:15:05] - [Speaker 1]
So when you when you just wanna be in the moment, I think it's all about where I see a tremendous market opportunity is just like whenever you want to be in the moment and not be distracted with having your phone out or or being in a situation where you where you easily get distracted, then our cameras, like three sixty cameras specifically, can come in and help you to record it more seamlessly. So I would just turn my three sixty camera on while I'm skiing, have it on my helmet, and I don't need to worry about what capture. I just capture everything and later on go back into the same moment in time and choose the best moments out of it. And at this and and during that activity, I can really focus on my sport. I can focus on my passion.

[00:15:48] - [Speaker 1]
But then there's also use cases. You mentioned traveling. You mentioned vlogging, where people also have a may have a higher requirement on on the image quality. Right? They have may a higher requirements on the sound quality, on how they look in front of the camera, specifically the pro vlogging market.

[00:16:04] - [Speaker 1]
And the vlogging market is something that that we also see growing and growing just with the emergence also of of social media platforms and people being more active there. So we also have solution for that, obviously, both with our a series, our Go series, and and then also with an upcoming new exciting product, which was also will get more towards the professional creators. But you can what what what I find so fascinating with our products is some people still call them action cameras, like, specifically the Go series. But in fact, like most of the people that we we sell these cameras through, they are not real action camera users. They are like travelers.

[00:16:42] - [Speaker 1]
They're family users. You know, they are sometimes use it for their kids. The model they the kid the the the camera on their kids' head. So it's like it's really, like, becoming more than just action. It's really becoming going into mainstream use cases, into daily life use cases, and we see a growing demand for these type of use cases across the world.

[00:17:05] - [Speaker 0]
And one of other things that I love here is you often or any business will create a product with a specific use case, and then it almost grows on its own and used for so many different things. And your products, for example, are now being used far beyond just social media creators, and they can be found everywhere from construction sites and virtual tours to education and even VR live streaming. But I'm curious, from everything you're seeing and hearing, which are the the most unexpected use cases that you've heard about that have surprised you the most?

[00:17:38] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. You you know, you just mentioned a very interesting field as well. Like, in addition to all the consumer use cases, you have, like, I would say, a whole lot of opportunities in the in the enterprise space, right, in the verticals, like you mentioned about retail, you mentioned about construction. There is, like, live streaming broadcasting. These are all tremendous opportunities as well for us, and and we we, in fact, we we set up a dedicated enterprise team who only takes care of these b to b opportunities.

[00:18:05] - [Speaker 1]
Opportunities. Some of the very unique ways of using our cameras in the consumer space is people mounting it on their pets, on their dogs. They mount it on their kids even. So so you get very, very unique type of perspectives. Or, you know, what Insta three sixty always really celebrates the user generated content that comes out of our cameras.

[00:18:23] - [Speaker 1]
Because there's so many different creators and and creative ideas coming out. So one personal my highlight so far was people actually put their three sixty camera in their mouth. So it sounds a little bit disturbing, but what you get out of it is very, very unique and creative and viral type of content. We call it the Insta three sixty No Smoke Campaign. And in fact, you know, it's also like one of the ways that Insta three sixty leverage the user base and celebrates what the user is creating.

[00:18:51] - [Speaker 1]
The fact that we saw this in our community, turned it into a a viral campaign that was hugely successful, got millions, hundreds of millions of views. I think it also just speaks for Insta360 to be, again, be a very user and community centric brand. But, yeah, you you can see endless creativity in the consumer space. And when you look in the b to b space, you also see serious applications like, you know, first responder. You see people using it for for for making real money.

[00:19:18] - [Speaker 1]
So so it's an exciting it's an exciting technology. It's exciting camera space that we operate in. And I also feel like it's really unlimited. You always explore new use cases. You always explore new creative uses of our camera, which is also very personally exciting for me.

[00:19:35] - [Speaker 0]
Well, at the end of this interview, I promise you, I'm gonna find that video. I need to check that out. And for everybody listening, I will embed it into the blog post associated with this episode. And we've mentioned AI is a tech podcast, and like it or not, AI has become a huge part of the creative process. Some creatives will see it as a good thing, some bad.

[00:19:55] - [Speaker 0]
But how are you it's the three sixty. How are you using AI to remove some of the technical barriers, but also without making creativity feel automated or or too generic and losing some of that freedom?

[00:20:07] - [Speaker 1]
That's a good point. Yeah. You know, I I talked a little bit about AI, and and I believe, actually, is the three sixty is at the forefront of AI when it comes to camera technology. In fact, from the very early years on in 2018, 2019, we started to invest into building up a team of software AI engineers that helped us to work on computational imaging, computational software that makes it easier for people to capture and share their lives. But secondly, also, saw big opportunity to enhance the image quality and enhance coloring, bit rates, and so on, like like very technical points with the help of AI.

[00:20:46] - [Speaker 1]
So in fact, I believe in the future, the competition in the camera space will not only be on the hardware side, who has the best lens technology, who has the best, you know, hardware design. It also will be around who can who has the best software algorithms to enhance the image quality. Because one side will be hardware, but the other side will be will be also the software side. And I believe we started a very early one with this. There's examples like that you can find in our cameras, like pure video, which basically helps you to capture very, very enhanced low light images.

[00:21:19] - [Speaker 1]
So when you when you have limited visibility at night, these algorithms help you to get better light light enhancements. And secondly, what we also see again, AI and software, they will be able to actually make you use of your your footage. Because that's, I think, one of the biggest issues for me. I don't know how for you, but a lot of the time, you capture a lot of amazing content. You capture a lot of amazing images, but you may never make use of it.

[00:21:46] - [Speaker 1]
So the promise of AI is that you actually will be able to find them at any time and then make use of it. We also want to combine this in the future with our cloud. So then you're able to upload all the images into the cloud, and you may get reminders. You may get hints towards images that you may have already forgotten. So we want to help you to capture and share these moments forever and make it as convenient, as simple as possible.

[00:22:12] - [Speaker 1]
And that's, I think, the big promise of AI and and I think how it can actually make your life as a photographer, as a creator better, and not create hurdles within. And then again, you you mentioned, like, things like AI GZ. I think there there's definitely a market for this, and there's, like, probably a whole creator ecosystem developing around it. We wanna keep it as an optionality for people who like AI generated, AI enhanced content. So with Insta three sixty products, you always have this optionality whether we actually wanna make use of it or not, the user can decide.

[00:22:45] - [Speaker 1]
But we believe there's definitely a trend in the future that you can enhance your image, your your footage with AI or add new layers, new creative layers on top of it, but that's really based on on the creative references.

[00:22:58] - [Speaker 0]
And Luna currently feels like a a very strategic launch for you guys there. So what what gap in the market did you think still existed in maybe pocket gimbal cameras, etcetera? And why was the the why is now the right moment to enter this space?

[00:23:14] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. You know, first, we would say, like, again, it fits into our mission to help people to have different type of people to capture and share their lives. And we also saw an opportunity in the more prosumer, pro level creator space. There's an opportunity for vlogging cameras, for enhanced vlogging cameras that have professional grade standards, but also, again, have these convenience that you know from Insta p 60 cameras. And we see this market growing.

[00:23:43] - [Speaker 1]
In fact, this market has been growing a lot through the last three years. Also, if you look into the future growth rates, it's a it's a highly trending market, a surging emerging market. And we think there's space also for more innovation. So I can't tell too much about Luna yet, but it's definitely gonna have some innovative features that will be very unique to the product category, such as a remote control built into into the the Pocket. So you're actually able to use that display also as a as a remote control.

[00:24:13] - [Speaker 1]
Or our integration into our audio system, the Insta three sixty mic series, where you're able to capture seamless content, where we really try to build up an ecosystem that makes it very complete. And then, again, also really important on the image quality. Like, we have one inch sensors built in there. We have triple AI chips that builds that brings all these these power to the camera. And and then you have features like three time zoom, six time lossless.

[00:24:40] - [Speaker 1]
So so it's a very, very advanced image and content creation tool that I would say brings it close to, you know, traditional professional grade commerce like SLR or mirrorless. But put into a more smaller form factor, into a more compact form factor, and most importantly, also adding software and hardware features that make it more seamless and convenient for people to use. And then one more very exciting thing that we added on top with this product is the partnership with Leica, where we, you know, also work with Leica on the actual image fine tuning, on the color fine tuning, and the way they helped us to really with the legacy experience and knowledge about lens technology and imaging, helped us to really perfect this product. So I think what came out in the end is a very, very complete Creator camera, Pro Creator camera, and we're very excited to see what will be the the user feedback. But I'm I'm very excited for it.

[00:25:35] - [Speaker 0]
And take a look under the hood. There's some incredibly impressive technology there, and indeed, that partnership to offer that premium image quality through the lens there. Incredibly impressive. But you often speak about designing products around the entire creator journey, not just the camera specs alone. So how much of Insta three sixty's competitive advantage do you think comes from the software, the editing tools, the workflow integration rather than just the hardware itself?

[00:26:01] - [Speaker 0]
Because it just feels like quite a complete package here, and it it's not just about the tech. Right?

[00:26:06] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. It's true. I think it's both the hardware and the software. And what's also really important, I would say, it's not just like the hardware, the camera itself. What Insta360 also really excels at is the ecosystem we build around it.

[00:26:21] - [Speaker 1]
And this is what we're doing with our accessories. Right? A good example, again, is three sixty cameras. Without accessories, this camera doesn't have to sell the same value. You need, like, very advanced accessories, whether you're a motorcycling user, skiing user, a vlogger.

[00:26:37] - [Speaker 1]
You need specific accessories that can enhance your use case. And the same is true also with new categories like the like the the the Luna where we now have our own microphone ecosystem where we have specific accessories that make it easier for you as a solo creator to film solo. Right? So so, like, there's I would say, it's both hardware and software. What just software does is it it really helps you to further enhance the post production workflow, that convenience, and that seamless sharing.

[00:27:09] - [Speaker 1]
And I think that's the big promise of the software where I think the future will become more and more important in addition to the hardware innovation. And and the good thing is about software, how we see it also, you can move very quickly. So when when we bring products to the market, usually, you can expect new features. You can expect new updates coming out on a frequent basis, helping you or making your product better over time or adding new features over time. I think there's also, like, a big promise of 60 cameras and products that we it doesn't stop after you purchase a product.

[00:27:41] - [Speaker 1]
You always get new features. You always get new new improvements over time. And I think that's also quite unique for for for camera companies to do it on such a high frequency. So so yes. But back to your question, it's hardware and software, and we try to to really be the best of both.

[00:27:59] - [Speaker 0]
And we've got to mention, of course, we're seeing such healthy competition across imaging, action cameras, smartphones, creator tools. I think that competition is a a great thing for the consumer because it pushes everyone forward to keep innovating. So how do you guys stay innovate innovative in such a a crowded market without simply just reacting to what your competitors are doing? How do you continue to lead the way here?

[00:28:24] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. It's a good point. You know, obviously, the camera space is a competitive environment. I would always compare it a little bit with the car industry, which is also highly competitive. But but for us, competition is naturally a good motivator.

[00:28:38] - [Speaker 1]
Right? Like, it helps us to really stay focused on on on our on our own beliefs, but also be open to new trends, to new developments in the market. How Insta360 also specifically how we see ourselves or the strategy has always been about how we can also try to escape the competition through innovation. I think from the very early on, our products have been extremely innovative. We barely came out with pure copycats or barely competed only on the on the price.

[00:29:10] - [Speaker 1]
For us, it was always firstly competing on the product. In fact, if you look at our product lineup and product portfolio, we most likely will always be, at least with our flagship models, always be the the premium price solution on the market. And this this is, I think, just reflects a little bit about our philosophy that we are deeply user centric, that we get inspiration from our community, and then we translate these user insights into bold innovation. So the community becomes our innovation and technology driver. This, I would say, is like a way for us, again, to escape competition, to not get distracted by competition.

[00:29:48] - [Speaker 1]
By focusing on our own strengths, we can really define the category and lead in the category. But it also comes obviously with with with the responsibility to to to think bold, to think out of the box. In fact, our company slogan is is think bold. So we really encourage our team members to look into the community, think look for bold ideas, to think about bold new approaches to camera technology, and then translate this into bold execution. And there's also, like, within that, sometimes you can fail, but most of the time, it's worth it to take that risk and to push the boundaries of what's possible.

[00:30:25] - [Speaker 1]
And ultimately, how Insta360 fused itself in the future is that we built the cameraman of the future. So you can think about the cameraman different as different parts. You know, you first you have maybe the the arms, which is like the robotics part, the gimbal part that we're working on. Then you have the brain or the head, which represents more of the AI and the software we're working on. Then you have, you know, basically different parts of the body that can that that in itself or or altogether can become an ultimate AI powered cameraman.

[00:30:57] - [Speaker 1]
And that's something that's a big vision we have that we try to work on technology that makes it as seamless as possible for you to capture and share your moments, your life in the most simplest way possible. And through emerging techno technologies like AI, through robotics, through expertise in different areas, we try to come closer to that step by step. And that's our big vision, and we we try to achieve this with really, really deep user centric thinking.

[00:31:26] - [Speaker 0]
And you serve such a broad audience there, and there is often a tension between those professional grade tools and also ex accessibility for everyday users who just wanna shoot and go. So I'm curious. How do you think about designing products that appeal to filmmakers and enthusiasts that are are not afraid to get their geek on and and push the technology to the limits without intimidating someone who simply wants to capture family moments or travel memories. I imagine it can be quite difficult, but tell me more about that.

[00:31:56] - [Speaker 1]
I think it it can be a challenge indeed because nowadays, we operate with a lot of different types of users, different type of segments. Right? You have the procreator, which may care more about traditional workflow. You know? With the Luna, we introduced just 10 bit, which has been highly frequently requested feature from the creator community.

[00:32:15] - [Speaker 1]
So finally, we delivered on that part. But then maybe for the general consumer, he doesn't care about 10 bit. He just wants the convenience to to share the best image out of out of the mobile app right away to to TikTok, let's say. So so it it can be a challenge because sometimes it's also about prioritization, who you want to prioritize or what features you wanna prioritize. I think how we try to really solve it is to have more deeper thinking about the positioning and the priorities about, like, when we design a product, it's something we want to improve.

[00:32:46] - [Speaker 1]
But secondly, also, like, we have a growing team. We have a growing team of of engineers, a growing team of team members here. And and in fact, now we, I would say, have the resource and also the the internal power to really tailor towards different markets. And in the future, we may set up more specialized team that work on different types of user segments and different types of markets. So I would say, at this moment, we can balance it quite well.

[00:33:11] - [Speaker 1]
But you are right. In for in order to further grow, we may need more prioritization, more specialization within the company, and at the same time, also stay true to our motto, which is thinking about keep that innovation high, keep that innovative thinking within the company and teams that can help us to get there.

[00:33:28] - [Speaker 0]
I'd love to take a little glimpse into the future. Have a look into my virtual crystal ball here. If you look into the future, how do you think AI wearable cameras, immersive media, and indeed creator workflows, how do you think all these things will continue to reshape the way that people both capture and share experiences? And and where do you, Insta360, where do you wanna leave that conversation to?

[00:33:51] - [Speaker 1]
I would say for us, you know, the main motivation is, again, to help people capture and share their life. I think this is our main motivation that will probably be true also for the next ten years. In fact, I would say, like, the the need there's a human need for people to capture moments, to capture their life. Even if you go back into, like, the very early ages of of humankind, people wrote their memories on the wall. Right?

[00:34:15] - [Speaker 1]
So you can still see that. So I think this is like a this is like a, I would say, a human requirement that will never change. What we see now accelerating is just the speed about how people or or and also the convenience and the the ubiquity that people can can do this. So for example, with the introduction of short video platforms like TikTok and Instagram, it becomes a big big there's kind of a democratization of of social media happening. And secondly, with the introduction of AI, we see an accelerating trend in terms of technology that makes it faster than ever to capture and share.

[00:34:50] - [Speaker 1]
So we want to be part of this dynamic, and I see Insta360 being Ultimate, the go to creator tool in the future for for any situation. Whether you are in the mountains, whether you are with your family, whether you are traveling, Insta three sixty cameras can always be there for you. And with new intelligent features, may also be able to help you get the right shots in a more convenient way, in a more immersive way, in a more seamless way. And I think that's where the whole camera industry is heading and where Insta360 is really at the forefront.

[00:35:26] - [Speaker 0]
And I think that is a powerful moment to finish on. But for everybody listening, maybe they're preparing for traveling this summer. Maybe they're left with a few questions. Maybe they wanna find out more information about many of the things that we talked about, including some of the big new releases that are coming out over the next few weeks. Where would you like me to point everyone listening?

[00:35:46] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. You can check out our website, insta360.com, or just follow us on on social media at Insta360. I also suggest you to sign up for our newsletter to never miss any news or information about our latest products.

[00:35:59] - [Speaker 0]
Awesome. Well, I will include links to everything that you just mentioned to make it easy for people to find that. If they go over to my website, techtalksnetwork.com, there'll be a blog post associated with this. I will also attach that video you mentioned where people are filming with their mouth for that unique perspective. I love to share that with people listening.

[00:36:18] - [Speaker 0]
But more than anything, just thank you for bringing all this to life today in a language everyone can understand. Really appreciate it, Tom.

[00:36:25] - [Speaker 1]
Awesome. Thank you much, Neil. Great to talk.

[00:36:28] - [Speaker 0]
Wow. One of the things I enjoyed most about this conversation today was just hearing how Insta360 thinks beyond the camera itself. And this is clearly a company focused on the full creator journey from capturing content to editing, sharing, and even rediscovering moments later through AI powered workflows. That last bit there is something that particularly excites me, especially as I create so much content. Being able to rediscover some of that feels like a real game changer moment.

[00:36:59] - [Speaker 0]
And I think there's also something fascinated in Mac's vision of the AI powered cameraman of the future where robotics, software, AI, accessories, and imaging all converge and combine into a much bigger ecosystem. Almost feels like the camera industry is is entering a completely different phase now. One where software innovation could become as important as the lenses, the sensors, and any piece of hardware. But if today's conversation sparked your curiosity, remember, you can learn more at Insta three sixty official website and follow Insta three sixty on Instagram and all their social channels. But don't worry.

[00:37:39] - [Speaker 0]
Don't you don't need a pen and paper. I will, include links to everything that we talked about today over the blog post associated with this episode at techtalksnetwork.com. And as always, if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a colleague, friend, or fellow creator if you think they would find it valuable. And I'd love to hear your thoughts, your friends' thoughts. Are dedicated creator cameras becoming more important than ever in an AI era?

[00:38:06] - [Speaker 0]
And how important is that bigger ecosystem to you if you are a creator? Once again, techtalksnetwork.com. Please let me know. You can send me an audio message or a DM. Other than that, a big thank you to Donotto for supporting the tech talks network and helping us share these conversations because AI is only ever as powerful as the data behind it.

[00:38:29] - [Speaker 0]
And Denodo gives your business trusted real time AI ready data from across the enterprise, and they do that securely and without duplication. So power smarter AI with Denodo, and you can find out more by simply visiting denodo.com. Time for me to go now. I will return into your podcast feeds bright and early again tomorrow. Thanks for listening today.

[00:38:55] - [Speaker 0]
Bye for now.