A levelheaded approach to getting an Inspire 1, NOW

[jplayer]

As long time phantom 2 user I have been reading this board as I want to try to glean as much info as possible before pulling the trigger on the the inspire.

While I sympathize with some people that have legitimate problems (and from what I have seen DJI has addressed these) ill be honest that cutting through the knee jerk reactionary complaints on this and other forums has not been fun at all.

I make the assumption ( and we all know what ASSuMEing does ) that people considering, or having already purchased the inspire probably consider themselves professional & more experienced like myself.

With that assumption, below are some observations I have made in life that cause me to be super stoked about going ahead and moving forward with my Inspire purchase, despite having dug through all of the negativity.

#1. Shipping delays!! I own a iPhone 6+.. I purchased (ordered) at the end of September and received middle of November which was a little later than the ship date I was originally told. Now, let's dissect my phones name for some of those that may be slower learners... Apple -- > the brand... a well respected tech giant that has been around for 38 years. iPhone --> the product.... first design released 7 years ago. 6 --> version of Iphone... so there has been at least 6 versions of this device and truth be known if you consider the S lineup (intermediate versions) there has been 8 releases of iPhone devices and still they have shipping delays???? HUMM... Oh yeah and with each release they still have issues that have to be addressed which leads me to my next point.....

#2. Early adoption of new or even slightly modified technology/products automatically comes with expectation of some problems. Completely unrelated to the UAV / PHOTO / VIDEO field is cars and again I hope that I am right in saying that anyone considering a purchase for a $3k drone has at some time been through the process of purchasing a car. If not though let me tell you a well known fact...... Anytime a new body design or slightly different technology inside of a car comes out, and this applies to not only new electric cars and related technology's but even if they change a body style, it is expected that things will need to be ironed out (some of the the new 2015 mustangs for instance have already been recalled for a freaking fuel leak or check out this article from consumer reports about the LUXURY Tesla S... http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...has-more-than-its-share-of-problems/index.htm )

#3. Im sorry if you have to empty your life savings account for $3k to purchase this but in all honesty for this technology, $3k is truly an unbelievable price point. UAV filming is newish(within the past few years) to me but video production is not, as we have been in that industry for 10+ years. Cameras continue to this day to be very expensive... A newer lineup of camera accessories that has become more prevalent recently, especially with DSLR video capabilities , is "camera supports". These supports are nothing more than over engineered pieces of plastic / carbon fiber / rubber / steel that allow for easier handling of a DSLR if you are using the device for filming purposes. These non moving, non electronic devices commonly sell for $1000 + ( http://www.redrockmicro.com <-- this is one of many manufacturers ). Since we are talking about camera gear lets say you wanted to grab a simple old school style video camera that had 4k video capabilities of the camera on the Inspire with similar sensor specs.. Well your gonna at least be on the hook for $1k for a traditional design, consumer lineup, camcorder that NO-ONE is excited about or thinks is cool!!

#4. Apple compatibility... Mark my words..... THIS WILL RETURN!!! DJI is, and has been, way to invested in Apple integration to just bail over even somewhat of a serious hiccup. To those that say, well its out of DJI's control. While you are on the surface correct you are technically very wrong.. Have you ever heard the saying MONEY TALKS. While I know we as a consumer will never know the details of how the agreement is worked out between Apple/DJI but as a business owner and logical thinker I could see how a decision to pay Apple (if it comes to that) to get it approved could easily be rationalized from a business standpoint at DJI.. This is their future we are talking about!

#4. Firmware updates for problems small and large. Have you not owned a phantom? Have you owned a android phone, an iPhone, a computer? Heck, have you owned a smart TV or media box such as appleTV, chrome cast etc. Firmware updates are constantly released for all electronic devices and the reason for this is to address problems with the device and/or complaints by users. To those worried about launching from a boat... AGAIN, MARK MY WORDS.... THIS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT SOME POINT!!!!! Yes even the inspire that you hold right now in your hand that cannot launch from a boat.. After you sell it to someone, that person you sell it to will be launching your inspire from a boat sometime in the future!!

#5. Customer service. While I would not agree with horrible customer service from any perspective I honestly cant say that I have seen any substantiated claims that the customer service has been horrible. If they are not helpful while you are on the phone.. WELLLLLL... Yeah that is to be expected..... Do you think that they are paying engineers substantial salaries to sit on the phone and answer tons of calls where probably 80%+ of those calls go something like.... "Hi, I just pulled my inspire/phantom out the box and I don't know how to start it up."...... "Sir, have you read the startup instructions?"....... "THIS THING SHOULD START WHEN I PUSH THE BUTTON". I realize this theoretical call may be embellished a little but I would be willing to bet its not to far off. Go read through a few topics over at http://www.phantompilots.com and you will see things that just make you want to slap your head!! Im sure with age this forum will start piling up with threads like that also! From a business standpoint do you really think they should transform the whole support industry and put programmers / engineers on the phones/email to answer your call and help you immediately? Mark my words.... THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN.. Not at DJI... Not at Apple, Sony, Microsoft etc.. etc..... Sorry!!



I know there are probably many people in my same boat of trying to make a logical and well informed, smart business decision about the inspire and I just wanted to put my .02 out there to potentially help!

Looking forward to many more post in the future!!

 

[catware]

Well said. Particularly about the price point (and it's not even $3k!). I paid considerably more than that for my P2 / Lightbridge / GoPro setup with its decidedly lower quality build, and much lower capability. The ability to put a 4k camera with an outstanding stabilizing gimbal onto an aerial platform, fly it at 50mph over a mile away, all the while having streaming HD video back to you, AND have GPS controlled position fixation along with automatic RTH if you lose control, is utterly phenomenal. This would be unheard of just 10 years ago.

This thing is a STEAL for what it does. The Apple II in 1977 sold for $5000 in today's dollars. The people who write that they spent their life savings on this -- well perhaps they should be wiser with their money than spending it on becoming an early adopter of cutting edge UAV technology (for that matter, they should be investing elsewhere, if $3k is all they have), or at the very least less impetuous and wait a month or two for the major bugs to be uncovered and worked out. But as several have written on this forum, the overwhelming majority of owners, in fact I would estimate well over 95% of them, are flying with no issues.

 

[AlexanderAF]

These forums give me a great way to get early insight into how customers are enjoying their new Inspires, and first user experiences will never come without setbacks. I was about to buy a GoPro Hero 4 and the first user impressions that came out talked about it overheating and said it had Wi-Fi issues. I decided to pull the plug anyway, and I have to say I really enjoyed my Hero 4 despite those shortcomings.

I don't want to discount these issues, but I still see the pros outweighing the cons.

I hear a lot of issues on these forums, but so far the problems appear manageable with proper care, but the capabilities of the Inspire blow anything else out of the water. I'm waiting a month so I'll have the money saved without dipping into the savings I already have. For me, this gives me a little time to see some of these issues get worked out. In the meantime I'll just have to enjoy other people's amazing drone footage.

 

[Tahoe Ed]

@jplayer your comments are well stated. I do DJI forum support and I am a product support escalation person for DJI LA phone/email support. Many of the difficult cases come across my desk. The front line guys are not engineers nor do they have years of product support and flying experience. I will say that they do a great job and 99% of the time their level of experience is much greater than the user on the end of the line. With the Inspire we have engaged many of our departments for our 24/7 support. It is not perfect yet but we continue to advance our customer's experience. Thank you for your insights.

 

[jplayer]

I ordered mine yesterday!!
Pre-ordered from BH photo video along with 3 of the larger capacity batteries and an extra charger.

I was teetering on the edge of moving forward already (as you can tell from my post) and then when the following review starting popping up late yesterday afternoon it sent me way over the edge.

Flite Test Review of Inspire

 

[diverjeb]

@jplayer your comments are well stated. I do DJI forum support and I am a product support escalation person for DJI LA phone/email support. Many of the difficult cases come across my desk. The front line guys are not engineers nor do they have years of product support and flying experience. I will say that they do a great job and 99% of the time their level of experience is much greater than the user on the end of the line. With the Inspire we have engaged many of our departments for our 24/7 support. It is not perfect yet but we continue to advance our customer's experience. Thank you for your insights.

After the long wait and some postal issues my Inspire showed up yesterday - I was completely beside myself when I found out THERE IS NO IOS app for the brand new iPad I purchased for the Inspire. I purposely did not hang out on any forums because I was driving myself insane. Had I kept up to speed I might have heard about the IOS app debacle and chosen to cancel my order. I contacted DJI support and yes, they were cordial, nice, helpful, sorry but that does not get me in the air. I don't know the background as to WHY the app is no longer available for the iPad or when it was 86'd from the app store - nor do I really care. It is inconceivable to me that this entire project was BOTCHED as badly as it has been. From the terrible "release" to the delays and now the technical issues, the rushed retrofitting and finally the promises. Judging from what I have read about the IMU, propeller, and yaw issues I suppose it's a good thing that I can't fly the Inspire. I know, I'll get some fishing line and hang it from my ceiling and pretend.

 

[jplayer]

Sorry about your frustrations... As stated above.. take a minute to breath and realize that IOS support will be back.
No.. I am not a DJI employee and cannot validate my claim 100% but figuratively speaking it would be a nail in DJI's coffin if they did not pursue IOS support in every way possible. As stated before.. They have WAAAYYYYYYY more riding on this then your personal frustration!!

 

[2014fc40]

OK, I check this site a couple of times a week. I haven't run across an IOS issue.

Anyone care to fit it in a nutshell for me? How can they release the Inspire without an IOS app>?

Aaaah, I found this nutshell:
Currently we are in the holding phase as we wait on Apple to approve and add the iOS app to their App store. Sorry for the confusion as we were previously hosting the app via our adhoc link, but Apple removed that as soon as it moved into the process. Please hold tight as it is in Apple's hands now and on their timeframe of 1-2 weeks to become available and officially hosted. Sorry for the delay.

 

[jplayer]

Ive read into the details very lightly and may be way off base but here is what I gleaned (again, I may be way off!)
#1. Feeding video content through the lightning plug (as the IOS app requires) is something that Apple does not approve of.
#2. The way the initially released app made it to the iTunes store was not 100% appropriate.
#3. Because of #1 and #2, Apple and DJI are having a little spat so they have (what I believe to be temporary) removed the app from the apple app store and have also changed much of the online verbiage regarding the inspire to say that it only supports android.

 

[jonathnsmith]

After the long wait and some postal issues my Inspire showed up yesterday - I was completely beside myself when I found out THERE IS NO IOS app for the brand new iPad I purchased for the Inspire. I purposely did not hang out on any forums because I was driving myself insane. Had I kept up to speed I might have heard about the IOS app debacle and chosen to cancel my order. I contacted DJI support and yes, they were cordial, nice, helpful, sorry but that does not get me in the air. I don't know the background as to WHY the app is no longer available for the iPad or when it was 86'd from the app store - nor do I really care. It is inconceivable to me that this entire project was BOTCHED as badly as it has been. From the terrible "release" to the delays and now the technical issues, the rushed retrofitting and finally the promises. Judging from what I have read about the IMU, propeller, and yaw issues I suppose it's a good thing that I can't fly the Inspire. I know, I'll get some fishing line and hang it from my ceiling and pretend.

There are a number of workarounds posted on this forum to get the iOS app on your new iPad.

 

[mac4468]

As long time phantom 2 user I have been reading this board as I want to try to glean as much info as possible before pulling the trigger on the the inspire.

While I sympathize with some people that have legitimate problems (and from what I have seen DJI has addressed these) ill be honest that cutting through the knee jerk reactionary complaints on this and other forums has not been fun at all.

I make the assumption ( and we all know what ASSuMEing does ) that people considering, or having already purchased the inspire probably consider themselves professional & more experienced like myself.

With that assumption, below are some observations I have made in life that cause me to be super stoked about going ahead and moving forward with my Inspire purchase, despite having dug through all of the negativity.

#1. Shipping delays!! I own a iPhone 6+.. I purchased (ordered) at the end of September and received middle of November which was a little later than the ship date I was originally told. Now, let's dissect my phones name for some of those that may be slower learners... Apple -- > the brand... a well respected tech giant that has been around for 38 years. iPhone --> the product.... first design released 7 years ago. 6 --> version of Iphone... so there has been at least 6 versions of this device and truth be known if you consider the S lineup (intermediate versions) there has been 8 releases of iPhone devices and still they have shipping delays???? HUMM... Oh yeah and with each release they still have issues that have to be addressed which leads me to my next point.....

#2. Early adoption of new or even slightly modified technology/products automatically comes with expectation of some problems. Completely unrelated to the UAV / PHOTO / VIDEO field is cars and again I hope that I am right in saying that anyone considering a purchase for a $3k drone has at some time been through the process of purchasing a car. If not though let me tell you a well known fact...... Anytime a new body design or slightly different technology inside of a car comes out, and this applies to not only new electric cars and related technology's but even if they change a body style, it is expected that things will need to be ironed out (some of the the new 2015 mustangs for instance have already been recalled for a freaking fuel leak or check out this article from consumer reports about the LUXURY Tesla S... http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...has-more-than-its-share-of-problems/index.htm )

#3. Im sorry if you have to empty your life savings account for $3k to purchase this but in all honesty for this technology, $3k is truly an unbelievable price point. UAV filming is newish(within the past few years) to me but video production is not, as we have been in that industry for 10+ years. Cameras continue to this day to be very expensive... A newer lineup of camera accessories that has become more prevalent recently, especially with DSLR video capabilities , is "camera supports". These supports are nothing more than over engineered pieces of plastic / carbon fiber / rubber / steel that allow for easier handling of a DSLR if you are using the device for filming purposes. These non moving, non electronic devices commonly sell for $1000 + ( http://www.redrockmicro.com <-- this is one of many manufacturers ). Since we are talking about camera gear lets say you wanted to grab a simple old school style video camera that had 4k video capabilities of the camera on the Inspire with similar sensor specs.. Well your gonna at least be on the hook for $1k for a traditional design, consumer lineup, camcorder that NO-ONE is excited about or thinks is cool!!

#4. Apple compatibility... Mark my words..... THIS WILL RETURN!!! DJI is, and has been, way to invested in Apple integration to just bail over even somewhat of a serious hiccup. To those that say, well its out of DJI's control. While you are on the surface correct you are technically very wrong.. Have you ever heard the saying MONEY TALKS. While I know we as a consumer will never know the details of how the agreement is worked out between Apple/DJI but as a business owner and logical thinker I could see how a decision to pay Apple (if it comes to that) to get it approved could easily be rationalized from a business standpoint at DJI.. This is their future we are talking about!

#4. Firmware updates for problems small and large. Have you not owned a phantom? Have you owned a android phone, an iPhone, a computer? Heck, have you owned a smart TV or media box such as appleTV, chrome cast etc. Firmware updates are constantly released for all electronic devices and the reason for this is to address problems with the device and/or complaints by users. To those worried about launching from a boat... AGAIN, MARK MY WORDS.... THIS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT SOME POINT!!!!! Yes even the inspire that you hold right now in your hand that cannot launch from a boat.. After you sell it to someone, that person you sell it to will be launching your inspire from a boat sometime in the future!!

#5. Customer service. While I would not agree with horrible customer service from any perspective I honestly cant say that I have seen any substantiated claims that the customer service has been horrible. If they are not helpful while you are on the phone.. WELLLLLL... Yeah that is to be expected..... Do you think that they are paying engineers substantial salaries to sit on the phone and answer tons of calls where probably 80%+ of those calls go something like.... "Hi, I just pulled my inspire/phantom out the box and I don't know how to start it up."...... "Sir, have you read the startup instructions?"....... "THIS THING SHOULD START WHEN I PUSH THE BUTTON". I realize this theoretical call may be embellished a little but I would be willing to bet its not to far off. Go read through a few topics over at http://www.phantompilots.com and you will see things that just make you want to slap your head!! Im sure with age this forum will start piling up with threads like that also! From a business standpoint do you really think they should transform the whole support industry and put programmers / engineers on the phones/email to answer your call and help you immediately? Mark my words.... THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN.. Not at DJI... Not at Apple, Sony, Microsoft etc.. etc..... Sorry!!



I know there are probably many people in my same boat of trying to make a logical and well informed, smart business decision about the inspire and I just wanted to put my .02 out there to potentially help!

Looking forward to many more post in the future!!

Well said ...

 

[diverjeb]

There are a number of workarounds posted on this forum to get the iOS app on your new iPad.

Yes sir, after digging I found app, loaded and test flew today. It's sad that people have to grab a bootleg app just to use their drone. DJI should be completely mortified.

 

[Mohan]

Yes sir, after digging I found app, loaded and test flew today. It's sad that people have to grab a bootleg app just to use their drone. DJI should be completely mortified.

I would be careful about using words like bootleg. The app is not bootlegged. It was DJI own app that has a problem with how it can distributed to the end user. Please consider this. How would you feel if you wrote a app but cannot advertise it due to contractual issues with the hardware operator of the tablet. In my book bootleg is when you rip somebody else's software. The inspire community is helping each other out by sharing the app. DJI may not be mortified at all.

 

[diverjeb]

Whatever the true reason the iPad app is not available - who knows. What I DO know is that I ordered an inspire as soon as it was available, Nov 12, paid for it in full immediately, was promised an early December delivery, received it last week only to find that it has a slew of issues and wasn't I surprised to find the new iPad i dropped $800+ on solely to use with the Inspire was incompatible with the inspire app. Plus props can fall off, plus imu has flaws, plus can't launch from a boat, plus no extras or second controller available.

If DJI hadn't ironed out things with Apple - their fault, not mine. They were completely misleading on so many levels. They made no mention of Apple issues, they showed the inspire launched from a boat, they showed people using iPad as the prime platform. They promised a delivery date and failed at that several times. Like an idiot I put my faith in their empty promises and scheduled events in my own life around that. My mistake.
DJI assistance in Cali recommended I buy an android in order to use the inspire. Really? That's your sound advice? Go spend another $800 to use your inspire?! No thanks guys, my iPad does what it's supposed to - it's the Inspire that does none or little of what it promised. I think I'll get rid of that instead.
Only by the good grace of someone else was I able to use the inspire with a let's call it back door iPad app otherwise it would STILL be sitting in the box it came in, three full membership myths after I purchased it. Complete bush league ********.

 

[ianwood]

The reason the app is not available is because:

1. DJI distributed the app using an enterprise certificate, circumventing the iTunes approval and distribution controls.
2. DJI most likely did #1 because they used the Lightning connector as a video input which is not an officially approved use.

Not everyone may agree with Apple's stringent process but DJI agreed to their terms and then broke them.

P.S. Bootleg would be an appropriate term. You are circumventing the normal distribution process and obtaining what is effectively an illicit copy of an app that is not appropriately signed.

 

[tonycip]

I avoid apple products for this vary reason, I don't need Big Brother Apple telling me what I can and can not use. untill they get there approval money. I did buy an air 2 for this purpose. so call it a bootleg, call it what you want as long as it works..

 

[catware]

It's disingenuous to blame DJI for the Apple problem. DJI clearly spent a lot of time and effort developing the iOS app, and it is Apple's pointless rule that has blocked us from using it. DJI did have a viable distribution method, the same one used for the iOS Lightbridge app for the last 9 months. That app has now also been pulled. It was the media exposure of the Inspire release that finally brought this to Apple's attention. This is nothing new from Apple - since the Macintosh in the '80s they have locked down their products as much as possible from end user modification. This rule doesn't even make sense, but the anger should be directed at Apple, not DJI.

 

[diverjeb]

The reason the app is not available is because:

1. DJI distributed the app using an enterprise certificate, circumventing the iTunes approval and distribution controls.
2. DJI most likely did #1 because they used the Lightning connector as a video input which is not an officially approved use.

Not everyone may agree with Apple's stringent process but DJI agreed to their terms and then broke them.

P.S. Bootleg would be an appropriate term. You are circumventing the normal distribution process and obtaining what is effectively an illicit copy of an app that is not appropriately signed.

Thank you for explaining it! It being why apple removed the app in the first place. One would think DJI, the parent of the Phantom, Inspire, S1000 and the software to run them would have explained it to their consumers.
This DJI ******** has class action suit written all over it. How many people went out and bought apple products to use with their Inspire? Who else is either waiting for delivery of their Inspire or has an Inspire collecting dust on their desk because they either can't get an app for their tablet or are waiting for propeller locks because of a design flaw? I won't even go into the toilet bowl spin , imu bug, compass bug, stuff because of course people will say that the Phantom experienced problems too and we should be patient with DJI, they'll fix all the problems in good time.

I call ********! Since when did it become acceptable to sell something that simply did not do the things that were promised, if you could get it to work at all?
NO ONE should have to tweak the living hell out of their brand new drone , go through back door channels in order to find apps so they can actually USE their device. Am I wrong?

 

[Airwolf13]

OH NO!! Troll Alert!! Can you image this QUAD PILOT?? Someone else who has a legitimate ***** against your beloved DJI..Oh no...more trolling...

Thank you for explaining it! It being why apple removed the app in the first place. One would think DJI, the parent of the Phantom, Inspire, S1000 and the software to run them would have explained it to their consumers.
This DJI ******** has class action suit written all over it. How many people went out and bought apple products to use with their Inspire? Who else is either waiting for delivery of their Inspire or has an Inspire collecting dust on their desk because they either can't get an app for their tablet or are waiting for propeller locks because of a design flaw? I won't even go into the toilet bowl spin , imu bug, compass bug, stuff because of course people will say that the Phantom experienced problems too and we should be patient with DJI, they'll fix all the problems in good time.

I call ********! Since when did it become acceptable to sell something that simply did not do the things that were promised, if you could get it to work at all?
NO ONE should have to tweak the living hell out of their brand new drone , go through back door channels in order to find apps so they can actually USE their device. Am I wrong?

the hits just keep on coming from DJI...