My perspective on the economics of Mavic ownership

adiru · May 17, 2017

Johnmcl7 said:
So far all I've bought for my Mavic is an extra battery and a spare set of props, I don't agree that you must buy all the accessories you've listed at all.

John

Yeah well everyone is saying "DJI CARE" like its gospel.

dmanisgnarly · May 17, 2017

Dji refresh? Lol crashed and fixed the gimbal for less than 40 bucks. Not everyone needs those add ons. I've been perfectly content with just an extra battery and a $20 VR headset for litchi

Johnmcl7 · May 17, 2017

adiru said:
Yeah well everyone is saying "DJI CARE" like its gospel.

While I haven't bought DJI care myself, even adding puts the price nowhere near your $2500 figure.

John

adiru · May 17, 2017

Johnmcl7 said:
While I haven't bought DJI care myself, even adding puts the price nowhere near your $2500 figure.

John

You forgot the Googles... after tax it comes to about 700

GooniesNeverDie · May 17, 2017

Not to mention I bought litchi for my Phantom so, that doesn't cost extra.

You're saying you bought a Car, and now you're upset the aftermarket wheels you bought cost extra.

Simple, buy the fly more, and that's that.

GooniesNeverDie · May 17, 2017

adiru said:
You forgot the Googles... after tax it comes to about 700

Goggles $700? If you think that's what they cost I'll sell you a pair!

$449 out the door and shipped.

TheWolfen · May 17, 2017

adiru said:
Yes, but my concern is the skewed ratio of sticker price to actual Total Cost of ownership.
Imagine if you went to a car dealership and bought a $25000 car later to find out it actually costs $100000

You are talking about an individual's total cost of ownership who chose to get everything you could possibly get for it and assuming everyone will do the same. However, it doesn't work like that.

To follow your analogy... Just because I added a lift kit, new bumpers, lights and a bunch of other things to my Jeep Wrangler, that doesn't mean that my total cost of ownership represents the minimal cost to enjoy the Jeep, let alone representing everyone's total cost of ownership on average! It doesn't. It simply represents what I CHOSE to buy to increase my enjoyment of the hobby.

You don't have to buy anything else for the Mavic to enjoy it completely. You can, however, choose to add things to it to improve your experience. Just like virtually every other hobby (especially an expensive one) on the planet!

Spend what you want and not one penny more. More importantly, enjoy what you have!

mravicprilot · May 17, 2017

why did you buy it at all???

regdawg · May 17, 2017

mravicprilot said:
why did you buy it at all???

Seriously right? If your gonna spend $1000 on something, dont expect your gonna stop there. When you buy a new car, your gonna buy accessories. But heres the catch......you dont have to.

Michael Ainsworth · May 17, 2017

regdawg said:
Seriously right? If your gonna spend $1000 on something, dont expect your gonna stop there. When you buy a new car, your gonna buy accessories. But heres the catch......you dont have to.

Oh but you do............ it never stops.

DonLandis · May 18, 2017

I bought a flying camera. I'm not an RC hobbyist. Sorry. I shoot video so to me it is a flying camera to add to my other cameras. I bought a set of ND filters, leg extenders, and camera open shade but find the car charger cord and the carrying bag a waste in the Fly More package. Only crashed it into the bushes once and nothing broke. But I have spare props just in case. Since, I added my existing ipad and a sun shade. Better than the iphone. Now I can see it in bright sun. I love the quality of this flying camera. As I learn about new accessories, I will be adding a few more I suspect, but for now the thing is doing what I want and didn't spend anywhere near $2500.

CCDD · May 18, 2017

Most don't even worry about their Mavic investment, I certainly am one of them. If an accessory or item becomes available and I see the benefit, I immediately buy it. If I add up the money spent so far it's likely close to $2000, that's without Refresh as well as as the aforemented apps. When and if I decide to sell it, it will still fetch a decent ROI. Spring is upon us, I can take my Harley for a ride in the nice weather or better yet, take my Mavic along for the ride as well. I feel I've already gotten my money's worth durIng the short time I've owed it.

Johnmcl7 · May 18, 2017

adiru said:
You forgot the Googles... after tax it comes to about 700

I didn't forget the Goggles, they're an optional extra for those that want them not a core necessity are you're making out.

John

CCDD · May 18, 2017

The goggles are going to be a hot item for some time to come. Sure, I purchase them and should I end up selling my Mavic, I'm guessing the goggles will still fetch a hefty price should I decide to part with those as well.

SkunkWerx's · May 18, 2017

adiru said:
And don't you think it is weird that DJI came out with the Mavic Pro first and then almost a year later the Mavic Standard?I heard it will not even have an LED screen!!!

How does one even fly without an LED screen? Sometimes at the park I like flying without the app, just with the controller. If it ever starts flying beyond visual range and I need to bring it home, sometimes it is hard to see which way it is pointed, so I use a crude form of "dead reckoning" by looking at the distance range, and then slowly turning the Mavic around in a circle (yawing with rudder) as I monitor the distance to see if it is headed in the general direction back home.

Things like being able to see battery level, speed, height, distance and these basic telemetry are core and critical....

If Mavic Standard does away with the LED screen effectively flying with only a controller will be rendered impossible! Heck you won't even know if its in ATTI or GPS mode or if things like NFZ LIMIT or BAT ERROR etc...

And I heard the range went from 4.6 miles to 0.6 miles, a rounding error! If they want to handicap the Mavic to that level, they should handicap the price too! I heard it is going to be $799..... Hmmm... I wouldn't even buy it for $299 becuase it is not capable anymore! The value prop isn't there, since I heard they are taking and removing the OA too!

The only conclusion I can draw is this:

Either DJI intends to price gouge the margins by riding the Mavic Standard gravy train, (esp after the Go Pro Karma mess that eliminated any competition) OR the Mavic Pro was a loss leader for DJI to get it out before Karma, make a splash, and then the Standard version is that they are really using to make money?

From what I understand it is only using a WiFi signal that would explain the distance issue .
Basically what your getting is a plastic holder for your WiFi capable Phone because you will more then likely be using the GO4 app
in a way I feel DJI is trying to wash there hands of the issues that are happening with the Mavic Controller that are starting to show up
very slowly, with time it will come out -- I doubt very much DJI will ever come out with another remote like the Mavic

Slantnose79 · May 18, 2017

adiru said:
Long story short, bottom line is Mavic is about drone flying. It cannot compare to a DSLR, the "aerial" photography aspect of aerial photography is only possible because of drone flying. Hence DJI drones, and especially Mavic, is first and foremost a drone that just so happens to take pictures and videos, not the other way around, it isn't first and foremost a camera that just happens to be able to fly.

The Mavic, as originally pitched, was only $799 USD. The controller itself at $299 was supposed to be optional. so in theory the only thing needed to fly is the Mavic base unit, $799 to get up and in the air.

But in reality it is more like this, without a controller ($299) the Mavic is next to useless. and add on things like DJI Care ($99) and the premium ($79) and second change being ($179) and things like an Litchi app and Autopilot app (together about $70) and some spare batteries ($400) and another accessory or two and quickly the Mavic to miscellaneous ratio has spiraled out of control.

Now they want to sell us Goggles. ($500)

Now did we go from $799 price tag to effectively almost $2500?

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Consumerism & Marketing 101 my friend. The marketing department drives a lot of how a company operates. They know how you think & act more than you know how you will think and act... That's how they turn $799 into $2,500...

Islandguy27 · May 18, 2017

Take up Golf and run the numbers. Not to mention I use their golf course to fly around for free.

AyeYo · May 19, 2017

First off, it's not an investment, it's an expendable tool for a hobby. Second, just because you chose to buy every accessory available, doesn't make what you *chose* to buy the total cost of owning a Mavic.

I have a Mavic: $1000
Extra battery: $80
Filter set: $70
Cheapo China carrying case: $15

That's it.

SYC12 · May 19, 2017

The interesting part of MP ownership costs actually starting at year 2. Once your refresh is not valid anymore, how many of MP can still flying and at what cost?