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What's more annoying than a selfie stick?
Selfie drones, which are rapidly becoming more affordable, lighter, and easier to use--and, as of April 12, available in Apple stores around the country.
SEE ALSO:Drone crashes through woman's apartment windowWhy would this method of self-documentation be more irksome than oblivious tourists flailing about with selfie sticks? One word: noise.
Yes, in malls across America, Apple will be conducting in-store demos to promote the Hover Camera Passport Drone, which buzzes much more loudly than a selfie stick
As the name implies, selfie drones are a class of aerial products designed to hover near the owner while filming and taking still photos. The Hover, pictured above, is a relatively slick entrant to the field. It can lock on a specific person's face and follow that individual for up to 10 minutes.
The selfie-taker is able to trigger follow and photo features with hand gestures — meaning no smartphone is required.
"Simply tap the power button, release the drone, and Hover Camera Passport hovers steadily in place," reads the Apple product page. "No people, no tripods, just you capturing your moments from new heights and unique perspectives."
The above ad demonstrates the Hover Camera in action, and, frankly, the device looks pretty cool. Importantly, however, the video has a loud soundtrack that precludes the viewer from getting a sense of the audio experience of actually using the drone.
Perhaps that was intentional.
Here's the thing: Drones, as you may or may not know, are super loud — and as test video shows, the Hover Camera is no exception.
How loud can drones get? As this video of the DJI Phantom shows, loud enough to mess with your beach chill.
As products like the Hover Camera and the Selfly drop in price and become more ubiquitous, they are likely to move from the realm of novelty to that of everyday use. When they finally buzz across that threshold, a decent pair of noise-canceling headphones is going to be a must-have.
Because when selfie drones are no longer restricted to those willing and able to trudge through technically difficult setups, it's easy to imagine a world where pretty much everyone is repeatedly yelling "say cheese" over the roar of thousands of tiny selfie bots hovering just above our collective heads.
But that's the future. Until then, you can purchase your very own Hover Camera for $499.95. Use it wisely.
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