DJI release dates --- they seem weird ??

[Karlos-Kydd]

I've been thinking about this upcoming July 18th "See the Bigger Picture" press event from DJI. Although nobody knows for sure what is going to be revealed, many people seem to think it will be the Mavic Pro 2 ??

But the "bigger question" I have is why does DJI choose to release a new drone in the middle of summer for us folks in the northern hemisphere? To me, the drone season starts around mid-April and extends to the end of October, at least for the 100+ million people who live in the northern U.S. states and like to fly their birds without having to wear parkas, scarves, and mittens during the cold winter months. I literally put my bird away right after Christmas and don't take it out of storage until April 1.

So if DJI releases a drone halfway thru the summer, arent they short-changing their profits because they're missing out on sales they could have had from March to June? If you look at the release history, the Phantom 3 was released in April 2015 and the Phantom 4 was released in March 2016, and these dates made sense because DJI was getting an early start on the drone flying season (warmer months) and getting the maximum # of customers to whip out the credit cards and buy the new models.

Does anyone else find this mid-July announcement very odd ??

 

[BigAl07]

It's not about the "Season" but the competition. A couple of big products are hitting (or just hit) the market and right in the middle of their "Media Release". DJI is notorious for holding on to a product and releasing it after the others release something big in order to "Steal their Thunder". It's actually very smart from a marketing stand point and have served DJI very well.

So many people are dying for a new Mavic/Phantom that odds are a good majority of them would be the new release even if it was the day after Christmas.

 

[Meta4]

Or it's even possible that DJI just release something when it's ready to release?

 

[Karlos-Kydd]

It's not about the "Season" but the competition. A couple of big products are hitting (or just hit) the market and right in the middle of their "Media Release". DJI is notorious for holding on to a product and releasing it after the others release something big in order to "Steal their Thunder". It's actually very smart from a marketing stand point and have served DJI very well.

So why shouldn't DJI "steal the thunder" of competitors by releasing before their releases?

I would think right after New Year's would be the perfect time for a release of a new model. The Consumer Electronics Show is on the first weekend after New Year's and that would be a great time to do a big press event. That would give consumers in the northern states a couple months to watch reviews of the new model and get pumped up to buy it in time for the warm flying season that starts in March-April.

 

[BigAl07]

So why shouldn't DJI "steal the thunder" of competitors by releasing before their releases?

They don't know exactly what's being released until it's RELEASED. Until then it's speculation and "marketing hype". You don't "pre-steal" the show....

I would think right after New Year's would be the perfect time for a release of a new model. The Consumer Electronics Show is on the first weekend after New Year's and that would be a great time to do a big press event. That would give consumers in the northern states a couple months to watch reviews of the new model and get pumped up to buy it in time for the warm flying season that starts in March-April.

I'd imagine DJI has a fairly robust and forward thinking marketing department who have all this figured outalready. They didn't become the #1 sUAS producer on the planet by accident or with half baked marketing strategies.If you feel so strongly maybe drop them an email and suggest a New Year's release date. You might get some positive feedback.