Follow Me in an upgrade?

[RogerDH]

I have a $140 drone that follows me perfectly and has way points. It was disappointing not having them on the mini.

I saw the Hubsan H216a on sale at Walmart for $49, so I bought one for my son. The waypoint implementation has very limited camera control (which limits its usefulness) and the follow me isn't very smooth, but they do work. So does manual and failsafe RTH.

 

[Deleted member 123354]

I saw the Hubsan H216a on sale at Walmart for $49, so I bought one for my son. The waypoint implementation has very limited camera control (which limits its usefulness) and the follow me isn't very smooth, but they do work. So does manual and failsafe RTH.

Mine is a SG906 Beast Pro. Follow me and waypoint worked very well. Gimbal not as good nor the range but it flies very well for the price. Does have GPS.

 

[Lastrexking]

Apparently, that strategy makes sense to fans who think DJI is the only game in town, but the reason it's a stupid business strategy is that people who want that feature are buying different drones -- like, virtually any other GPS drone on the market. And no, it's not at all like providing features that cost the manufacturer more. When I bought the Mini, I simply assumed that it would support waypoints -- that's what GPS drones do -- and I still feel cheated that it doesn't.

So, if I buy a basic model Audi, should I expect the same features as the mid or top of the range? Of course not. It’s very naive to think you’ll get the full feature set on the basic model.

Imagine the uproar from those of us that paid four times the price for our drones if the Mini had all of the same features. We’d be really annoyed.

You feel cheated? Did you check the specs before you bought it? Even the Air doesn’t have waypoints. Don’t be angry because you didn’t check the specs. That’s not DJI's fault.

 

[KiloMeater]

This encapsulates it perfectly. DJI has never advertised that the Mini will have follow me, or that it will be introduced. So, if you bought the Mini - you bought it with the feature set as advertised. If you wanted follow me on a drone, you should have bought a different model.

Actually I would say it’s rather narrow minded , judging with your standards other peoples ‘ choices or expectations .
I bought the mini only because of the crazy regulations in the country where I live . I wouldn’t mind a drone double the price and would buy the Air2 tomorrow if I would not have aaaaall this intolerablere overhead and limitations >250 gr. I would even pay for the tracking as a service on the Mavic.
Nobody asked for a free lunch , just fair options.

 

[jwp721]

To be honest, if DJI is analyzing those points to avoid self-competition, it's wrong.

You might consider it wrong, but many companies out there do this exact thing. I am more inclined to believe this is why the Mini does not have Follow Me than the argument that its a weight issue.......

 

[RogerDH]

So, if I buy a basic model Audi, should I expect the same features as the mid or top of the range? Of course not. It’s very naive to think you’ll get the full feature set on the basic model.

Imagine the uproar from those of us that paid four times the price for our drones if the Mini had all of the same features. We’d be really annoyed.

You feel cheated? Did you check the specs before you bought it? Even the Air doesn’t have waypoints. Don’t be angry because you didn’t check the specs. That’s not DJI's fault.

Excuse me, but I'm talking about the supposed wisdom of DJI's marketing strategy -- if that's what it was -- of omitting standard software features that don't add cost or weight. I knew when I bought it that the Mini does not have (and never will have) obstacle avoidance, OcuSync, or 4K video from a 1" or full-frame sensor, so your argument is rather insulting. I wouldn't consider active tracking to be a standard feature, and if I cared about that feature, I would have checked the specs. But I wouldn't have needed to since most YouTube reviews were quick to point out that QuickShots didn't include active tracking. Waypoints, however, would be a different matter, since it never occurred to me that a $400 DJI GPS drone wouldn't support them. If any of those videos had pointed out that the Mini doesn't support them, I likely would not have bought it. Nonetheless, as you say, that's on me, and all I'm faulting DJI for is what looks to me like a stupid marketing strategy (if that's what it is) of thinking that the Mini's competition is other DJI drones.

 

[jwp721]

.......all I'm faulting DJI for is what looks to me like a stupid marketing strategy (if that's what it is) of thinking that the Mini's competition is other DJI drones.

Thats certainly your opinion of their strategy. Personally I see it not as competition, but as creating a need and a pathway of upgrades. Case in point I have 70 flights and 20 miles on my Mini and I am already looking at the Air 2 as my next purchase in the very near future. If DJI keeps adding new functions to the Mini via updates that will slow down my spending. And that can’t be a good business strategy........

 

[Lastrexking]

I'm faulting DJI for is what looks to me like a stupid marketing strategy (if that's what it is) of thinking that the Mini's competition is other DJI drones.

So, Apple make several versions of iPhones. Cheap ones with lower version cameras etc, and full featured expensive ones. As do Samsung, Sony....
Volkswagen make several models of cars. Cheap ones, expensive ones. All with different feature sets.
This is what most companies do. Different models of their products. Lower cost with less features. Higher cost with more features.

All companies do this. Why do you expect DJI to be different? Why do you expect their entry model to do what their premium model does?

 

[Th3DroneroGT]

So, if I buy a basic model Audi, should I expect the same features as the mid or top of the range? Of course not. It’s very naive to think you’ll get the full feature set on the basic model.

Imagine the uproar from those of us that paid four times the price for our drones if the Mini had all of the same features. We’d be really annoyed.

You feel cheated? Did you check the specs before you bought it? Even the Air doesn’t have waypoints. Don’t be angry because you didn’t check the specs. That’s not DJI's fault.

We're talking about drones, not vehicles. It's a lot different a vehicle than a drone.



Besides, you buy a vehicle to transport you, you don't have to see if it has good handling and you can make modifications like sensors, engine, etc. In a drone you can not



I simply note the envy in your comment that you don't want the ActiveTrack incorporated and I'm telling you that Spark had it and I didn't see it become self-competent, if they incorporate the ActiveTrack to the Mavic Mini I think that the people who bought more expensive drones wouldn't complain, I repeat once again that anyone who wants a good camera will go for the most expensive drones, please don't come and say that someone bought a Mavic Pro 2 would be angry to incorporate the ActiveTrack in a $500 drone

 

[Lastrexking]

We're talking about drones, not vehicles. It's a lot different a vehicle than a drone.



Besides, you buy a vehicle to transport you, you don't have to see if it has good handling and you can make modifications like sensors, engine, etc. In a drone you can not



I simply note the envy in your comment that you don't want the ActiveTrack incorporated and I'm telling you that Spark had it and I didn't see it become self-competent, if they incorporate the ActiveTrack to the Mavic Mini I think that the people who bought more expensive drones wouldn't complain, I repeat once again that anyone who wants a good camera will go for the most expensive drones, please don't come and say that someone bought a Mavic Pro 2 would be angry to incorporate the ActiveTrack in a $500 drone

Envy? How? I own a Spark. I own a Mavic Air. I own a Mavic Pro, and several Phantoms. All of my equipment is listed in my signature. What am I envious of? That makes no sense. I actually owned a Mini for a week and gave it to a friend.... I’m considering getting another one as there may be a practical use post November so, what am I envious of exactly?

Ad for the Spark. Yes, it had MotionTrack. You know what else it had? Avoidance sensors. it also had a bigger processor. A lot of the Minis processing is done in the phone. DJI have even said that’s why it doesn’t have active track.
Also, I didn’t just mention vehicles. You’re just picking the bits you like from my post. I also mentioned phones.
Be it washing machines, vacuum cleaners, microwaves, and yes cars. Manufacturers make models that start at basic, and end at premium across all kinds of products. My point stands. You can’t expect the basic product, or entry product to have the same features as the mid range or premium product. Otherwise, what’s the point of making the more expensive product!?

 

[RogerDH]

So, Apple make several versions of iPhones. Cheap ones with lower version cameras etc, and full featured expensive ones. As do Samsung, Sony....
Volkswagen make several models of cars. Cheap ones, expensive ones. All with different feature sets.
This is what most companies do. Different models of their products. Lower cost with less features. Higher cost with more features.

All companies do this. Why do you expect DJI to be different? Why do you expect their entry model to do what their premium model does?

You seem to be determined to not understand what I've already said, but if you want to use a phone analogy, what I'm talking about would be more like Samsung not supporting contact lists in their cheaper phones to encourage sales of their more expensive ones.

 

[Lastrexking]

You seem to be determined to not understand what I've already said, but if you want to use a phone analogy, what I'm talking about would be more like Samsung not supporting contact lists in their cheaper phones to encourage sales of their more expensive ones.

Not really. That’s a basic function isn’t it? The Mini does all of the basic things other drones do. It flies. Has GPS. Takes photos, videos. Going back to phone analogy. My work phone is an iPhone SE. My personal phone is an iPhone XS the SE has a whole bunch of premium features missing, which the XS has bit still does the basics. It still works well. But, it’s slower, the camera isn’t as good, and the screen is smaller. It’s still a good phone though. But, I don’t expect it to has the same features as the XS.

Similarly, the Mini doesn’t have the same tech spec as the Air, or even the Spark. DJI have even said it’s not technically possible for it to run active track. No avoidance sensors for a start. Slower cheaper processor too. The Mini is a great drone. It’s great for an ultra light, low cost unit. There isn’t a better drone for the money. But, to get the weight and cost down DJI have had to make choices on what to leave out.

 

[RogerDH]

Not really. That’s a basic function isn’t it? The Mini does all of the basic things other drones do. It flies. Has GPS. Takes photos, videos. Going back to phone analogy. My work phone is an iPhone SE. My personal phone is an iPhone XS the SE has a whole bunch of premium features missing, which the XS has bit still does the basics. It still works well. But, it’s slower, the camera isn’t as good, and the screen is smaller. It’s still a good phone though. But, I don’t expect it to has the same features as the XS.

Similarly, the Mini doesn’t have the same tech spec as the Air, or even the Spark. DJI have even said it’s not technically possible for it to run active track. No avoidance sensors for a start. Slower cheaper processor too. The Mini is a great drone. It’s great for an ultra light, low cost unit. There isn’t a better drone for the money. But, to get the weight and cost down DJI have had to make choices on what to leave out.

I'm not sure you're even reading what I wrote, so let's just drop it.

 

[Lastrexking]

I'm not sure you're even reading what I wrote, so let's just drop it.

I’m not arguing with you. It’s a discussion. Honestly, I’m trying to understand your point of view, fairly and openly.
I get you’re miffed that the Mini doesn’t have waypoints. Nobody was more annoyed than me when the first version of the Air didn’t have waypoints. But, the difference is - DJI advertised the Air with waypoints when it was first released and six months later decided to tell us they weren’t coming. So, can you imagine the uproar Mavic Air owners would give if the Mini had something the Air didn’t when it cost more than twice as much? Similarly, the Air 2 doesn’t have waypoints. There’s literally no technical reason either (unlike the Mini).

 

[EyesWideShut]

The mini is what it is. If a follow me or other features are added to the app in the future... great, but only DJI knows.

 

[Th3DroneroGT]

Ad for the Spark. Yes, it had MotionTrack. You know what else it had? Avoidance sensors. it also had a bigger processor. A lot of the Minis processing is done in the phone. DJI have even said that’s why it doesn’t have

Something similar was said with the manual mode in video, that supposedly "the processor of the mini did not give for more" and what happened? They just happened to bring out the manual video mode, didn't they?



Also the front sensor of the spark was like having nothing, a front sensor can even control the drone. It's exactly the same as not having that sensor.



But talking to you would never end that discussion.

 

[KiloMeater]

Active track on mini could only be pretty basic , limited by its hardware. It could be following you on a level terrain with no obstacles around for example .
On the contrary with what was supported above, I see it as a fantastic marketing opportunity and DJI would be wise to introduce it as such in the future. Once someone would try it could easily be hooked for a bigger model with sensors offering a much better experience.
Assuming they are targeting the mass consumer level with this product , the potential for upscales should increase significantly with this addition.
At the same time I don’t believe it would take away sales from the groups already invested in drones since some of its features are difficult to live with once you know what else is there (wind resistance, Ocusynch etc even available to the next model, air2)

Regarding the risk of having increased service requests due to accidents, I am not sure it would hurt business as they don’t actually do it for free ; repairs is a quite lucrative activity for electronic devices .

 

[makaluch]

As a MM owner Im satisfied with the current features. I believe the missing features are intentional for marketing and insurance purposes. That’s ok by me. Its an outstanding performer in its role. That said, my abilities and interests are growing and I no longer need to feel secure with the brand.

Is it a sound marketing strategy? Probably not. It’s done a great job of getting me into drones and aerial visual arts. Will I stay loyal and buy another DJI, for performance, features, and aftercare? No. Ive already purchased another unit that can do the things my MM can’t at a price point that’s more reasonable for me.

 

[Knoepel]

As a MM owner Im satisfied with the current features. I believe the missing features are intentional for marketing and insurance purposes. That’s ok by me. Its an outstanding performer in its role. That said, my abilities and interests are growing and I no longer need to feel secure with the brand.

Is it a sound marketing strategy? Probably not. It’s done a great job of getting me into drones and aerial visual arts. Will I stay loyal and buy another DJI, for performance, features, and aftercare? No. Ive already purchased another unit that can do the things my MM can’t at a price point that’s more reasonable for me.

Would you mind sharing the brand and model of the unit, you are talking about? Sounds interesting.

 

[empennage]

That's fair. My take on it is that they wanted to create an entry-level drone and left out these features on purpose, to make weight (more sensors for active tracking and obstacle avoidance = more weight), and to keep the price entry-level so they could make the drone entry-level.

Imagine a Mini with 4k, active tracking, obstacle avoidance, etc. It would cost a lot more than what I paid for it, which wouldn't make this drone entry-level. And I doubt they could cram all that into a < 250g drone either.

I also feel like they will sell a ton of MM's since they're getting under the restrictions limit for many countries (including mine) and that was the biggest reason why I purchased one. I wanted a bigger, better drone with more features (like tracking) but the MM gets me 75% or more of the way there without the headaches and I'm happy with that. I suspect most people will be as well.

Just my $0.02.

I am in total agreement with opinion.
Let the market bear the results. Being first and within government regulation parameters is Big. It's really the consumer's choice as to what to own given the choices available.