Don't Get It - Think DJI Might Have Shot Themselves in the Foot

[DownandLocked]

Owned a Mavic Pro for 1 year. Continue to be impressed with technology and capabilities. So what does the Air now give us. Since it seems to be a smaller version of the Pro with the same video capabilities but with less flying time, why would I buy one? The only competition to the Air is the Pro which means that new drone buyers will likely buy the cheaper Air instead of the Pro which means reduced revenue for DJI. Seems like they have created a market overlap in their products. Shouldn't they instead have improved the weaknesses of the Pro?

 

[msinger]

why would I buy one?

I'm not sure. It's certainly not an upgrade from a Mavic Pro.

Shouldn't they instead have improved the weaknesses of the Pro?

You just wait, my friend. The Mavic Pro 2 will be here soon enough

 

[ac0j]

And those sly devils at DJI will get MORE money. Thats why the Air released first. It might have been a stale SKU with a new Mavic pro 2 out at the same time.

 

[JoshuaCarlton]

The main reason I purchased it even as a pro owner is the superior camera quality.

 

[Simmo]

The main reason I purchased it even as a pro owner is the superior camera quality.

But isnt it the same camera chip, just processed a little differently?

 

[lannes]

The main reason I purchased it even as a pro owner is the superior camera quality.

Not sure how the camera is better other than the bitrate, the MA camera is fixed focus like the Spark and the gimbal has less travel than the MP or MPP, which means you can only go about 20mph in any direction before the gimbal reaches its limit

 

[JimmyHillsChin]

Shouldn't they instead have improved the weaknesses of the Pro?

They'll do that with the MP2.
With the Air, they've (apparently) improved the weaknesses of the Spark.

You say their profits will suffer. I doubt it.

If they had "fixed" everything that's wrong with the MP with the Air, they couldn't justify the inevitable release of the MP2.

Now they'll pick up those who want more from a Spark but dont want to pay the extra for the MP.
Plus, they can cash in from those who want more from the MP when they bring out the MP2.

To them, it really doesn't matter what the new drone buyer buys as long as they buy one of their drones.

I'd say it's a very clever move by DJI to maximise their profits.

It's all about covering all the drone bases and stifling any competition.

 

[JoshuaCarlton]

But isnt it the same camera chip, just processed a little differently?

all I care about is the quality of the footage, I see a pretty big difference, no moire or artifacts, just smooth footage.

 

[JoshuaCarlton]

Not sure how the camera is better other than the bitrate, the MA camera is fixed focus like the Spark and the gimbal has less travel than the MP or MPP, which means you can only go about 20mph in any direction before the gimbal reaches its limit

There is an absolute difference in the footage, My Mavic Pro always had noise and artifacts because we had to over sharpen/over process the footage to keep the dreaded watercolor effect away. The air seems to have solved this. I fly for filming so its mostly at very low speeds so the 20 mile an hour gimbal issue won't affect me.

 

[Cut.Aussie]

Lets also not forget that you will never see the Air props in the picture at any speed

 

[Anthony Viscomi]

Seems like they have created a market overlap in their products.

Nah, just allowing more options for the consumer. Take note how Apple does it, iPad Pro 12.9, iPad Pro 10.5 and iPad Mini. All 3 perform basically the same tasks

 

[JoshuaCarlton]

Nah, just allowing more options for the consumer. Take note how Apple does it, iPad Pro 12.9, iPad Pro 10.5 and iPad Mini. All 3 perform basically the same tasks

Great point. some people get so emotional about it, I am sure DJI has more in store for us, and I will likely be buying those as well. I really enjoy the variety.

 

[halifax]

I suspect that the advent of the Air will drive DJI to make the MP2 quite a leap ahead of its current state as well as the Air.

 

[mikemoose55]

Nah, just allowing more options for the consumer. Take note how Apple does it, iPad Pro 12.9, iPad Pro 10.5 and iPad Mini. All 3 perform basically the same tasks

Exactly the point..the marketing people at dji know at least at the moment that IF THEY BUILD IT, WE WILL BUY IT"

Every one was talking about it and pre ordering it and wetting their pants waiting for it to tell us all about it. IT IS THE PERFECT STORM and they know we are happy to dance in the rain.

Anthony pinned it they are following the apple marketing plan because it works.
And wake up the MA is no different than any of the MP upgrades they have been selling us it is just another way to open wallets and keep the hype and mystery in the game.
mikemoose55

 

[thongbong]

Owned a Mavic Pro for 1 year. Continue to be impressed with technology and capabilities. So what does the Air now give us. Since it seems to be a smaller version of the Pro with the same video capabilities but with less flying time, why would I buy one? The only competition to the Air is the Pro which means that new drone buyers will likely buy the cheaper Air instead of the Pro which means reduced revenue for DJI. Seems like they have created a market overlap in their products. Shouldn't they instead have improved the weaknesses of the Pro?

The first thing to keep in mind is that DJI is notorious for cannibalizing their own products. That's their sales strategy and its been working very well. They know they need to out do competition at every turn even if it depreciates their old models. The reason is that they have their own factories, everyone else, outsources. China's workforce is specialized. Shenzhen is a manufacturing behemoth compared to the US. All this makes it more cost effective. That's why Gopro failed. That's why 3DR failed. DJI has much more talent and cheaper manufacturing. I find it comical when people make fun of Chinese products nowadays, its not like that anymore.

The second thing is the Air camera is much better than the Pro. Comparisons are coming out and the Air camera is much closer to the P4P. Lowlight and dynamic range of the Air far surpasses the Pro, IMHO.

 

[dvarapala]

The only competition to the Air is the Pro which means that new drone buyers will likely buy the cheaper Air instead of the Pro which means reduced revenue for DJI.

Maybe the profit margin is higher on the Air, which would mean more net income even though the gross revenue is lower.

 

[abridge]

There is an absolute difference in the footage, My Mavic Pro always had noise and artifacts because we had to over sharpen/over process the footage to keep the dreaded watercolor effect away. The air seems to have solved this. I fly for filming so its mostly at very low speeds so the 20 mile an hour gimbal issue won't affect me.

Huge difference. I am not sure where the sudden "Pro MP camera" crowd came from, but everyone has notoriously said that the camera is best in 2k 30 fps because the 4k footage was subpar and looked horrible when rewatching the film. The Air fixed all of that and even gave us higher FPS at 1080 and 2k and 100 mbps.... the colors are inherently better as well..

 

[Splats]

I don't have an MP as a point of reference, but I downloaded and graded some MA footage this morning and it's absolutely stunning and a very significant jump up over my Spark. Obviously more is always, well, more... but I can't even see the need for the 1" sensor of the P4P unless you are shooting commercially or hoping to make money from your footage. If that's the case, in most countries you need a license to fly (which costs money) so you'll probably have multiple drones for multiple purposes anyway.

 

[CustomRCMods]

I think when the 2 comes out the Mavic Pro will drop in price, making it more appealing against the air, and overall possibly reducing DJI’s sales on the air

 

[flylice]

Mavic Air is better in 4K video （100mbps vs 60mbps (Pro) transfer rate), smaller and easier to travel, and the additional back sensors for better pilot safety. The smooth curve design is to appeal a greater crowd of first time buyers, photographers who still thinks drones are RC toys, and especially home users. That is why they have included propeller guards to prevent kids to kill it by flying at home right out of the box. (God knows how many of MP owners crashed in their apartments or homes) I think the reason for MA to not support occusync and the range is limited for video transmission is that it was intended to be a visual piloted drone in short range. Undoubtedly the we think product line is a bit overlapped now since we have no option but to buy MP before, but not many people needed to have long flight time or run litchi for fun as a first time buyer. I think DJI knows that from the flight data they gathered and made MA. Most beginners just needed a longer selfie stick and the right price point, small form factor, and a easy/safe to pilot drone with a high quality camera. I think MA has just the right feature set to fill the needs of the market DJI wants to expand into.