The Future of Phantom

[AmirChar]

First, I don't intent this to turn into a gripe session (but it might). I love DJI products, had the Phantom 2, the Phantom Professional, Spark, Mavic Air, and most recently the Mavic 2 Pro (which is awesome). However, I am very dissapointed in DJI's lack of communication and transparency. I get that just like Apple and most other companies they wont talk about future versions / features of products. But, with the Phantom, they are sending very mixed messages... first their inventory shows out of stock, then their director says the Phantom line is no longer, then they say he is wrong.. Frankly, If (and when) a new company comes out with something that can compete, I would consider making the switch if they prove to have better communications skills. when car dealerships kill a make of car, they communicate it, when a TV series isn't going to be renewed it gets communicated. DJI doesn't seem to have their act together.

Am I the only one feeling this way?

 

[Deleted member 62848]

Na you not alone,,mixed messages ,no one knows what going on,,me dedicated p3 and p4 flyer,me has been stocking some parts as to not get caught out in future,,I'm sure their customer service works on whoever on smoko break and can get the phone,,

 

[N017RW]

First, I don't intent this to turn into a gripe session (but it might). I love DJI products, had the Phantom 2, the Phantom Professional, Spark, Mavic Air, and most recently the Mavic 2 Pro (which is awesome). However, I am very dissapointed in DJI's lack of communication and transparency. I get that just like Apple and most other companies they wont talk about future versions / features of products. But, with the Phantom, they are sending very mixed messages... first their inventory shows out of stock, then their director says the Phantom line is no longer, then they say he is wrong.. Frankly, If (and when) a new company comes out with something that can compete, I would consider making the switch if they prove to have better communications skills. when car dealerships kill a make of car, they communicate it, when a TV series isn't going to be renewed it gets communicated. DJI doesn't seem to have their act together.

Am I the only one feeling this way?

DJI is a privately owned and operated Chinese corporation.

They are under no obligation to you so don't try to compare to other industries.

 

[AirMan05446]

My question is: What difference does it make? If there's a Phantom you want, buy it. Batteries, parts, and service will be available for years and years even if DJI kills the line tomorrow.

 

[bill combs]

My question is: What difference does it make? If there's a Phantom you want, buy it. Batteries, parts, and service will be available for years and years even if DJI kills the line tomorrow.

thats not necessarily true,im a huge fan of dji products and have been with them from the beginning starting with the fc40 ph1 ph2 vision plus ph3 ph4 ph4 v2 mavic pro and mpp and two white goggles,you cannot buy parts for the ph2 vision plus from dji or the app for it they seem to drop these products after a while

 

[Propsontop]

I agree it would be nice to know something ahead of merely "out of stock, discontinued". But keep in mind even though drones are cutting edge technology today, in the grand scheme of things we are still in the Model T days of drones. Newer stock will always drive sales, and continuing a parts line can be hugely expensive for a company to have to maintain. Even in the car biz, parts are more often made by after-market companies through licensing (or even without it) than are actually manufactured and kept in inventory by the brand that first made them. DJI is driving sales through ever emerging technologies and new releases, just like American companies do. Trade craft breeds a lot of competition, and the Chinese play most everything they do close to the vest. I would expect someday we will see the same after-market surge in the drone space as exists today for cars, and hopefully our "antique" drones will have a better chance.

 

[Canyon Mike]

First, I don't intent this to turn into a gripe session (but it might). I love DJI products, had the Phantom 2, the Phantom Professional, Spark, Mavic Air, and most recently the Mavic 2 Pro (which is awesome). However, I am very dissapointed in DJI's lack of communication and transparency. I get that just like Apple and most other companies they wont talk about future versions / features of products. But, with the Phantom, they are sending very mixed messages... first their inventory shows out of stock, then their director says the Phantom line is no longer, then they say he is wrong.. Frankly, If (and when) a new company comes out with something that can compete, I would consider making the switch if they prove to have better communications skills. when car dealerships kill a make of car, they communicate it, when a TV series isn't going to be renewed it gets communicated. DJI doesn't seem to have their act together.

Am I the only one feeling this way?

Whatever they publish or don't publish is a marketing issue. Frankly, I don't care. When I'm at the point of a product decision, I make it based on what I know for a fact at the time. I generally don't "settle". If they don't have what I need, I move on or wait.

 

[AmirChar]

DJI is a privately owned and operated Chinese corporation.

They are under no obligation to you so don't try to compare to other industries.

I totally get that they don't have to share any information. But, public or private, there is still good business.. and honesty goes a lot farther than mixed messages and coming across like you are hiding something or don't care. I would be fine with any of the following: We have had some supplier issues, but we are working to get a new supplier and when we do, we will have new stock of P4s, or we will come out with an updated P4, or we will continue to have parts, but the P4 is outdated and we are moving forward with the Mavic line which we will continue to improve... heck even say we are not sure what we are going to do with the Phantom, but expect to make a decision within the nest couple months.. etc.

All I am saying is there are multiple different and much better ways they could (could have)handled the communications that what they actually did.

Maybe their approach is a Socialist/Communist cultural thing.. "We will tell the People what we want them to know, not what they want to know!"

 

[Dennis Frantz]

First, I don't intent this to turn into a gripe session (but it might). I love DJI products, had the Phantom 2, the Phantom Professional, Spark, Mavic Air, and most recently the Mavic 2 Pro (which is awesome). However, I am very dissapointed in DJI's lack of communication and transparency. I get that just like Apple and most other companies they wont talk about future versions / features of products. But, with the Phantom, they are sending very mixed messages... first their inventory shows out of stock, then their director says the Phantom line is no longer, then they say he is wrong.. Frankly, If (and when) a new company comes out with something that can compete, I would consider making the switch if they prove to have better communications skills. when car dealerships kill a make of car, they communicate it, when a TV series isn't going to be renewed it gets communicated. DJI doesn't seem to have their act together.

Am I the only one feeling this way?

I too am very disappointed with DJI not letting us know what the deal is with the Phantom 4 line. I am huge fan of the Phantom 4 model. I have 4 of them. I stocked up when I heard they might discontinue the line. I am still hoping that they continue manufacturing the line. The Mavic looks really nice, but the Phantom 4 is much heavier, thus more wind resistant. If they don’t continue, it would really be nice if the next model used the Phantom 4 battery. At $169.00 a piece, it doesn’t take long to exceed the cost of the Phantom itself. Having purchased the Phantom 2,3, and 4, I’m convinced that it’s a marketing strategy to change the battery with each model. I’m sure that DJI makes a lot more money if we have to buy a new model of battery with each new bird. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for the good old Phantom 4.

 

[CraigRum]

My little gem for this discussion is ... this is a chinese company . They don't have the same morals as a western company ,, and I am lead to believe there is no such thing as a private company ( as we understand the definitation ) in china .
This is not anything else than an observation .

 

[Nightwolf]

be nice if the next model used the Phantom 4 battery

You mean the ones that pop out all the time LOL

 

[N017RW]

DJI describes themselves as privately owned and operated.
I don't care about the GeoPolitics.

Corporations are not people.
They don't have feelings, morals, or emotions.

They do what they need to do to make money.

Communicating their future plans is solely at their discretion.
Why tell your competitors?

Sure, some [Corps.] are moving to be more 'green', or tell you their cars are made with Love and Dog approved... ONLY because it sells their product.

 

[MWH107]

My bet is that they are waiting for the big Interdrone Expo in Las Vegas to announce a new product. If they do I will be there to see it and buy it if available.

 

[landmannnn]

What makes DJI different in the technology sector isn't that they are Chinese, it is more due to be privately owned.
Without shareholders to (publicly) appease, they make their own decisions and are masters of their own future. After all, you don't keep a global market share over 70% by telling your competitors what your R&D department is working on.

 

[skiptv]

I too am very disappointed with DJI not letting us know what the deal is with the Phantom 4 line. I am huge fan of the Phantom 4 model. I have 4 of them. I stocked up when I heard they might discontinue the line. I am still hoping that they continue manufacturing the line. The Mavic looks really nice, but the Phantom 4 is much heavier, thus more wind resistant. If they don’t continue, it would really be nice if the next model used the Phantom 4 battery. At $169.00 a piece, it doesn’t take long to exceed the cost of the Phantom itself. Having purchased the Phantom 2,3, and 4, I’m convinced that it’s a marketing strategy to change the battery with each model. I’m sure that DJI makes a lot more money if we have to buy a new model of battery with each new bird. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for the good old Phantom 4.

Actually you are wrong about the Phantom being more "wind resistance" cause of the weight. I teach Drone Flight / aerodynamics at a local university in CA. The Mavic have a leaner and smaller aerodynamic foot print then the phantoms. The Phantoms are built like a box kite which increases their wind resistance. Put a phantom and Mavic "any brand" side by side in flight and its super easy to see which on is getting blow around more.

 

[solentlife]

Actually you are wrong about the Phantom being more "wind resistance" cause of the weight. I teach Drone Flight / aerodynamics at a local university in CA. The Mavic have a leaner and smaller aerodynamic foot print then the phantoms. The Phantoms are built like a box kite which increases their wind resistance. Put a phantom and Mavic "any brand" side by side in flight and its super easy to see which on is getting blow around more.

So you may teach ... but I can tell you straight - my P3P was seen easily to be more steady in wind than another club members Mavic. We often have various versions flying at same time at meetings alongside normal fixed wing models. The Mavic's in the club usually call it quits before the Phantoms when the wind pips up.

Yes it is super easy to see which gets blown around more.

' The Mavic have a leaner and smaller aerodynamic foot print then the phantoms.' ...... so it may - but its weight is far less ... and the cross section of parts / arms is more square than the Phantoms ..
Go to a model flight site and watch the heavier greater 'aerodynamic footprint' models defy the stronger winds than the lightweight jobs.
Using your claim - the Spark should be able to suffer winds far stronger then the Mavic / Phantom ... yeh well ...

 

[kennedye]

There very likely will not be an update to either the Phantom or Inspire until 2020 when DJI starts adding ADS-B to its models. Even if there is, I would personally wait until ADS-B models are out just for future-proofing.

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

This is marketing 101. Why do you believe this is unique to DJI (or China for you others)?

Most companies of consumer products hold their secrets close to keep their edge against competitors. Look at the camera market, for instance (Nikon vs Canon vs. Fuji vs. etc.).

It's not about you or us.

Chris

 

[Osmosis]

DJI is a privately owned and operated Chinese corporation.

They are under no obligation to you so don't try to compare to other industries.

Chinese corporation = Chinese government.

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

Chinese corporation = Chinese government.

Not so simple. That's like saying American cars are made in the USA.