Pearl Automation Shuts Down After Poor Sales of Its $500 Vehicle Backup Camera

[Zorn]

A real shame.

I wanted one and was okay with the cost as long as it worked like a typical Apple product. In other words, it needed to "just work."

Unfortunately, the Bluetooth connection was seamless but was too low bandwidth to carry the video. For that, the connection needed to be over wifi, and they couldn't make that happen automatically. The upshot was that every time I wanted to use their product, I would have to fiddle with my phone first, which (obviously) wasn't going to happen. I was hoping they would find some way to resolve this, but it never happened.

Now I feel badly for the people who did buy one and now have a very expensive license plate frame that will never, ever get another update and will therefore likely stop working the next time iOS is updated. Like, this Fall.

Sean
[doublepost=1498446847][/doublepost]

Respectfully disagree. Buying (or more likely, leasing) new cars constantly is not something most people with real money do. I don't mean the very wealthy, of course - many of those don't even purchase cars at all and instead have them supplied through their companies.

Sean

Were you testing the unit? I thought it didn't make it to actual release.

Everyone on this forum predicted failure when the product was announced last year. I don't know how in the world they secured $50 million in VC funding for this fledgling company.

It's because the purse strings have gotten pretty loose the past few years with funding startups. All the VCs are afraid of missing out on the next Uber, since it's somehow valued at nearly $70 billion despite it's unprofitable and unsustainable business model. Everyone is in the mindset of chasing that next unicorn.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Damn. Where did you find that deal?

Amazon. I've got a 2 door so it's not really needed but the AppRadio I was installing supports backup cameras, so I just went ahead and added it as it was so cheap.

 

[Altis]

The last thing I'd want to do while reversing a car is have to deal with my phone. In and out of menus (which takes forever in iOS), opening apps, establishing connections...

I'm not even sure it would be legal as it could be seen as phone use unless it was properly mounted.

 

[kingtj]

I think there's still a pretty big market for reverse cameras - even if new cars are all going to start coming with them standard. The Jeep Wrangler, alone, is a good example. They've sold millions of them, up to and including 2017 models, with no backup camera option available from the dealer for them.

The problem is the price, the implementation and the feature set.

Like everyone else is saying, $500 is way too high. They sell kits with wireless license plate frame cameras and remote color screen displays (that plug into a cigarette lighter for power) for as little as $99-150 or so. Those will do just fine for people who just need something easy to move from vehicle to vehicle. Plus, they don't make you mess with your phone to see what they're displaying.

But especially for people like afore-mentioned Jeep owners? You'd probably only pay more if the camera offered views of both the rear AND both sides, viewing what's in front of each tire. Alpine and others sell (also expensive) camera kits that wire into their aftermarket stereos and provide views all around a Jeep, so you don't have to get out so often while driving offroad, to see what you're about to run over.

 

[winston1236]

Massively overpriced and it's not even an improvement on the existing solutions for cars with a backup cam, you have to pull out your phone and open an app every single time you back up? They shouldn't have developed in a bubble and really could have learned a lot if they actually talked to the real target market for this.

As previously stated they should have seen this coming.

 

[justperry]

Cookies are blocked unless from a trusted source.

Touché

 

[kdarling]

I never heard of them, but I would be interested in a rear view camera that is easy to install, streams to iPhone, and is reliable (no ongoing fiddling required). Any recommendations?

Yeah, don't waste your money on a backup camera that requires you to turn on your phone!

Like everyone else is saying, $500 is way too high. They sell kits with wireless license plate frame cameras and remote color screen displays (that plug into a cigarette lighter for power) for as little as $99-150 or so. T

Heck you can get a camera kit + 4" monitor for $33 off Amazon. For another $10, you can add wireless.

For much less than $500, you can add a Surround View four camera system that beats the pants off this.

15 years ago? Even five years ago this product may have had an impact if it was priced more appropriately and marketed thoroughly.

The basic idea was good.

Even now it could still sell to the "I don't know how to install anything using a tool more complicated than a screwdriver" crowd... if it had been far cheaper, and maybe sold at Brookstone or Sharper Image.

 

[melendezest]

No one is surprised this failed.

The idea is sound, but the problem started at "ex-Apple engineers".

Just like Apple, they were used to overpricing their devices.

Welcome to the world outside the RDF.

 

[denguydj]

The kind of people willing to spend 500$ on this kind of thing already drive a car with a backup camera...

Every single vehicle my family owns has a backup camera on it. The cameras came standard on both cars and 1 truck. each a completely different brand as well.

 

[fhall1]

Everyone on this forum predicted failure when the product was announced last year. I don't know how in the world they secured $50 million in VC funding for this fledgling company.

I think they had Erlich Bachman give their VC pitch!

 

[Lancer]

For the less money I got an entire head unit with 10" touch screen, music, movies, phone, GPS, WiFi, reverse camera and much more. Only downside is its an Android based system but for the money I can live with that, works great with my iPhone!