- Joined
- Jun 7, 2015
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First.... The open source isn't "supposedly". It is in practice.... All you have to do is wander over to GitHub and you can see the community at work.Earl,
I appreciate your enthusiasm for the supposedly open source of 3DR and to most consumers open or closed source means nothing. The average consumer isn't swapping out parts on a quad, I can promise you that. I think the update will be released when or before the new P3S hits shelves.
As for current quad consumers not "swapping out parts" I beg to differ. That is how 3DR has built their business from the beginning. Without that fact, 3DR would not exist. The average quad owner to date absolutely is swapping out parts..... But that wasn't my actual point.
And it isn't blind enthusiamsm either. It is seasoned reasoning. I have been around technology a LONG time and have seen a LOT of products/systems/technology come and go. As I stated earlier in another post, invariably, the "best" technology is the one that survives, and the one that survives is the technology that is most widespread. Simple as that.
The point I was making is that I predict an explosion of both 3rd party "upgrades" to Solo (I know of several in the works right now) as well as MANY different quads being designed that are based on the underlying technology that is in Solo (PixHawk and Ardupilot)
https://www.kickstarter.com/project...e-the-portable-rugged-totally-different-small
And that will certainly increase. That simply won't happen with DJI and an API. That makes the technology more widespread. That makes it a safer bet in the long term.
My opinion is not about being a fanboy of the Solo product, or even of 3DR (although I like their service better also). And I get that the term "open source" doesn't ring any bells with the average consumer.
This battle however has been played out over and over for at least the last 40 years, in everything from communication standards to PC's, to TV's, to Phones. I have sat on the standards committees. I have incorporated standards. I have seen how open source plays out, and it doesn't matter if the average consumer "gets it" or not. Simply put, DJI is Apple (only with bad service) and 3DR is Android...
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/...vCPuLLX54IitSU7zvj2LQEeslf6C2qyCEpq2p8_zVrHeQ
There is NO reason in my mind to believe this will be any different, and in fact there is considerable evidence (more than in many markets) that this will play out rather quickly as compared to past markets as it matures. If I am right, DJI will be in a "race to the bottom" of price, and will eventually get "eaten by ants" as they say....when many new companies come out with drones...
Time will tell...