Flip Cameras have been on the market since 2006 with it’s introduction at CVS as a disposable/re-usable camera. Since then Flip cameras have enjoyed a nice life being the best selling camera on Amazon since it’s debut.
Another milestone was when Cisco bought them for $590 million in 2009. However, the Flip camera is soon to be extinct. Cisco is shutting down operation and manufacturing of the popular device this year.
Why? you might ask.. Well, you have to look at a couple of big reasons.
1. Smart Phones
2. No internet connection on them for easy sharing.
3. No connectivity to TVs or capture cards.
4. iPod Nanos

The most obvious one would be the smart phone. With the introduction of the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4. The affordable flip camera was not so appealing. Then the iPod Nano came out equipped with video recording and it seams like it was a done deal. Another big factor was no WiFi or internet connection. If you capture a precious moment with your flip you’d have to run to your nearest computer.. make sure you have the flip’s proprietary software installed.. make sure that you sync your device and then you were ready to upload. Sounds like a lot of work! With the introduction of apps that do this seamlessly on smart phones you can see why the flip lost it’s appeal.
Another downfall in my opinion was no connections to a TV. Most phones and iPods have connects to watch your videos on your TV. The flip did not have this option. This may have been good to bypass the Flip’s annoying software and give the user the ability to capture the video via our favorite editing application. Big mistake.
Finally, Apple has had Flip users in their sights for a while. Apple’s decision to give their Nano line up cameras has paid off well. Who’s going to drop $230 on a Flip camera when you can get an iPod that can do everything?.. well not everything but you know what I mean!