Augment ... don't Replace

[RustyInBend]

I love my P4P+ and decided to augment my fleet with Drone #2 ... the Mavic 2 Zoom. It arrives on Thursday. No need to gnash teeth or wring hands about the Phantom Series.

Love the old and let it live as long as it can, but embrace change and give the new stuff a try.

Decided on the Zoom since I wanted that feature more than I needed a camera that is, at the end of the day, fairly similar to the one on my P4P+.

Looking forward to seeing which gadget I fly more often, and feel better piloting.

By the way ... "End Of Life" does not mean "End Of Support". I suspect that the Phantom series will be supported with firmware, software, repairs and parts for many years to come.

My only disappointment is that my P4P+ controller will not work with the new M2Z. I love the crystal clear screen and the form-factor of that controller. Oh well ... life goes on.

 

[Fly Dawg]

I suspect that the Phantom series will be supported with firmware, software,

This will not happen and has been proven. There have been no changes to any of the Phantom 3 or previous versions for quite some time. I suspect this will remain status quo.

 

[Fly Dawg]

I at one time also considered a P4P+.....But after very careful research and data analysis with so many issues with both the AC and the device. I considered this a very high risk to pursue. At the time, the Crystal Sky was flaky at best as far as the device OS goes, and the aircraft? Not that much of an improvement to jump on the bandwagon so to speak. Mavic 2 may be another can of worms. The specs look impressive, but I will personally wait for the actual user inputs to compare those to the pro's and con's. It is very unwise, IMO to jump on a new release immediately, although granted someone has to do it. It just will not be me at this point.

 

[With The Birds]

While you will probably get ongoing software support with new versions of the flight apps firmware updates are unlikely. Perhaps you will see a firmware update if DJI wants to try and impress the regulators with the addition of a feature that imposes further geofencing or flight logging functionality.

I’m getting a M2P in- the size/performance appeals to me. I will also probably get the next generation of the I2 or matrice however I will wait on that one to see what the P4P replacement delivers. All indications suggest it will be a significant improvement on what we have now.

 

[RustyInBend]

I work at HP, and have been a technology junkie my whole life. Living on the cutting edge of what is technically possible ... is where I love to live. Definitely a "gadget guy".

Interesting FlyDawg ... that your assumption is that there won't be any bug-fix releases of firmware or software, as that flies in the face of what a true technology company should do with EOL products that are still prevalent in the installed base.

I guess we'll see. I'm fully prepared to be disappointed, but also hopeful that if I haven't flown-away or crashed yet ... maybe I'll stay in the air with my aging P2P+ for years to come.

 

[Fly Dawg]

that your assumption is that there won't be any bug-fix releases of firmware or software, as that flies in the face of what a true technology company should do with EOL products that are still prevalent in the installed base.

As was stated by With The Birds, app updates have continued. But in fact, firmware changes have not in the case of P3's anyway. Not that it means much, I haven't changed any firmware in 2 years. DJI's release notes are vague at best, and I saw nothing in any releases that would provide "enhancements" to make it worth while.

 

[RustyInBend]

Meant "P4P+" in that last post (obviously).

Definitely agree with the "No Enhancements" policy on EOL products, but would hope they release bug-fix firmware when they find any new service-affecting issues. I guess we'll see ...

That said, with millions of flight hours and a huge installed base, maybe they feel like the product is sufficiently "soaked" to not require any additional FW/SW support.

 

[Timinator]

For me the beauty is that I never, ever have to worry about an update hosing my ability to fly the aircraft. With the plus controller, I never update and never have to worry about an IOS or Android update screwing things up.

 

[RustyInBend]

AMEN Timinator ... I heard they might be coming out with a similar dedicated controller (with screen) for the Mavic 2. If they do, I'll be first in line to buy it.