I would agree, but I was born with a heart 4 sizes too small... ?
Notice From Autel About Controllers and Compatibility in the Future
- Thread starter Eagle928
- Start date
Lol.. and like the Grinch your heart will grow.. just as soon as you hold that beautiful SC in your hands..lol
Ok, I am just going to throw this out there, because we have seen this happen in the tech space before with "right to repair" and other examples.
Based on ZERO evidence, what is the possibility that DJI is using the same chip supplier and put pressure on the chip maker to STOP selling certain chips to Autel, effectively crippling their products? For me, seeing the way big tech companies operate, especially DJI....I wouldn't put this past them AT ALL. They have the money and influence to do this.
*any DJI fanbois, keep your flames to yourself. I clearly stated I have ZERO evidence.*
I don't see Autel getting out of this, but great suggestions going forward from @mshmovie on how to fix this AND keep your current customers happy. Future customers will all be getting V2 hardware, so they won't be affected. I had toyed with the idea of the possibility of picking up one of the new controllers, but didn't seriously consider it.
Lets all hope smart people over at Autel put their heads together and come out with a win. My thinking is, that they already thought through this for a while now and came to the hard conclusion, based on facts today that they are dealing with....that they can't continue on the same path they have been on and have made the extremely hard decision to do this. That doesn't mean I like it one bit, so I feel the same way most of you do.
The bad press that Autel will get over this, and the issues this brings will kill them in the high end business space, I would think. No one wants to invest $$ in a company that does this to their customers without offering some sort of upgrade path to get out of it. The sensible thing for Autel to do is to offer to upgrade current owners products with the V2 line at an extreme discount, eat the loss, retrofit all the V1 products returned and re-sell them to re-coup their losses, OR offer a retrofit path, where they will retrofit and return your V1 back to you as V2. That would keep customers happy, we all would get V2 hardware with hopefully minimal out of pocket expense. I would be happy with a solution like this. This could be done for anyone wanting to buy the new V2 controller....Autel would allow you to send in your drone and either retrofit or replace with a V2 model.
Based on ZERO evidence, what is the possibility that DJI is using the same chip supplier and put pressure on the chip maker to STOP selling certain chips to Autel, effectively crippling their products? For me, seeing the way big tech companies operate, especially DJI....I wouldn't put this past them AT ALL. They have the money and influence to do this.
*any DJI fanbois, keep your flames to yourself. I clearly stated I have ZERO evidence.*
I don't see Autel getting out of this, but great suggestions going forward from @mshmovie on how to fix this AND keep your current customers happy. Future customers will all be getting V2 hardware, so they won't be affected. I had toyed with the idea of the possibility of picking up one of the new controllers, but didn't seriously consider it.
Lets all hope smart people over at Autel put their heads together and come out with a win. My thinking is, that they already thought through this for a while now and came to the hard conclusion, based on facts today that they are dealing with....that they can't continue on the same path they have been on and have made the extremely hard decision to do this. That doesn't mean I like it one bit, so I feel the same way most of you do.
The bad press that Autel will get over this, and the issues this brings will kill them in the high end business space, I would think. No one wants to invest $$ in a company that does this to their customers without offering some sort of upgrade path to get out of it. The sensible thing for Autel to do is to offer to upgrade current owners products with the V2 line at an extreme discount, eat the loss, retrofit all the V1 products returned and re-sell them to re-coup their losses, OR offer a retrofit path, where they will retrofit and return your V1 back to you as V2. That would keep customers happy, we all would get V2 hardware with hopefully minimal out of pocket expense. I would be happy with a solution like this. This could be done for anyone wanting to buy the new V2 controller....Autel would allow you to send in your drone and either retrofit or replace with a V2 model.
mshmovie
Well-Known Member
Good and plausible thoughts. For all we know, DJI or others, could have inadvertently caused this by having well written contracts with suppliers that put Autel at a lower in the priority list.
What I like is that we're working to partner to solve a problem (we think we understand and are striving to fully understand) for the good of Autel, the suppliers and us consumers.
It's often not just the ideas, but how they're presented that'll get them heard; there's a lot of considerate thought to be proud of in this group.
Please keep the good thoughts coming; we don't know if the ones that'll solve this has already been shared or is one post away.
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A completely plausible scenario with DJI... I have had (and still have) an interest in the specialization of NDVI mapping. Up until VERY recently, DroneDeploy has only supported DJI... to my surprise, they have recently added the Skydio. Three years ago, I had inquired if they had any plans for other manufacturer support. They basically told me to go pound sand... if you want to do NDVI, get a DJI. They had practically admitted that their contract with DJI had an exclusivity clause.
i like the upgrade path idea and if autel wants to completely forgo v1 sc but help out all of us with v1 drones get to v2 equipment...as long as it doesn't take until october to get it right; cool!
mshmovie
Well-Known Member
I searched and found Randall Warnas' LinkedIn Profile where there's an active thread congratulating him on his new position as CEO and posted the following:
If you're on LinkedIn and care to join the chat directly with Randall, the link is here: See Randall Warnas’ activity on LinkedIn
Regards,
Marc
P.S. This is the article in Drone Life covering Randall's joining Autel: Randall Warnas Named CEO at Autel Robotics: What’s Next for Global Drone Manufacturer
If you're on LinkedIn and care to join the chat directly with Randall, the link is here: See Randall Warnas’ activity on LinkedIn
Regards,
Marc
P.S. This is the article in Drone Life covering Randall's joining Autel: Randall Warnas Named CEO at Autel Robotics: What’s Next for Global Drone Manufacturer
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thats alot of money i dont see that happening. Autel International will strike that down
yes i agree it's a lot of money. which is why we will probably see a v1 and v2 smart controller and a solution evolving from there.
Anzacjack
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im worried that with the shortage of V1 controllers, markets like us in Australia are going to miss out completely. Im keeping my fingers crossed, but as this thing hasnt seen the light of day yet, i wont hold my breath. I certainly cant afford to by another Evo2 at our Australian prices just to be able to buy and use the new V2 controller.
Maybe with all this blacklash there will be stock. i bet you those that have orders are mad but have not cancelled it. Becuase they dont have plans on buying another exact drone. V2 doesn't offer anything new other then possibility of better connection. I wouldn't buy v2 just for that
I honestly, being the owner of an evo 2 "v1" I am not at all satisfied with this decision of autel to manufacture 2 smart controllers, what if now I want to buy the evo 2 rtk or the evo 2 enterprise? What if I crash my evo 2 and have to buy a new evo? I would have to buy a new smart controller for the evo v2, this is not serious on the part of autel, they are clearly not complying with what they published in the presentation of the smart controller, they said, compatible with the entire evo 2 series. We as customers should not accept that Autel did that, people should cancel their orders and make autel see that customers are not satisfied with that decision, that they should rethink this move and look for an alternative solution, even if it would imply a delay in the launch of the smart controller, If all of you start buying it because of its "rarity", in the end you will be agreeing with them.
the only difference between v1 and v2, is that now the frequency of the evo will be dual, that is, 2.4 and 5.8, something that should have been the case from the beginning, another bad move by Autel.
While future compatibility would be nice, and was certainly listed in the pre-production specifications...I didn't have an pretense when I bought my Evo2 that it would be compatible with other accessories. I didn't even know a SC was coming. I'm not a wealthy man and try to make smart decisions when buying gear.
I suppose what makes this a slightly better bit of news to handle for me is my history in video. Firms cancel models all the time, discontinue accessories, etc. As I have written elsewhere, when we buy a new camera we buy every accessory we think we ever need at the time of purchase. For me Evo2, I got the filter kit, extra batteries, FoxFury lighting. In short, we bought everything the Rugged Case has a spot for except the Live Deck. (I'd have limited use for that, and figure in a pinch the SC can output HDMI to a monitor)
I've done lots of thinking about this, and have kept my pre-order in place. By the time I buy a TriplTek, mount...and perhaps a Live Deck...the SC still makes $ sense. (While I have read that there is a way to output from the TriplTek to a monitor, I can't find that process/equipment explained) For me, having everything in one piece will not only be less to set-up, but also will look more professional. I've actually a client comment that "you have to use your phone?".
I'm anxious to see how this works out moving forward. We've learned that they only difference between the 1 & 2 is the transmission between the AC and Live Deck and/or RC. I think the ideas of Autel simply replacing units at cost, selling the SC at a heavily reduced price, etc...simply aren't going to happen. They may be great ideas/solutions for end users, but I just don't see Autel doing this.
I went to Autel at a dealer's suggestion since I use mine for video. The lack of geo-fencing is a plus. While I haven't always received the answers I hoped for, Autel has always responded to my phone calls or emails. Even calls on Saturday. I have a couple pieces of DJI gear, and I don't even contact their Tech Support any more. Endless emails back and forth where they seemingly answer a different, unrelated question each time. These strings usually end with, "sorry for inconvenience".
In the end, I'm not so sure that this situation is any different that other makers. I had my Mini a short time, when the Mini 2 was released. There was a rumor floating around that the Mini would be able to be updated to the Mini 2 specs. I don't remember that occurring.
I suppose what makes this a slightly better bit of news to handle for me is my history in video. Firms cancel models all the time, discontinue accessories, etc. As I have written elsewhere, when we buy a new camera we buy every accessory we think we ever need at the time of purchase. For me Evo2, I got the filter kit, extra batteries, FoxFury lighting. In short, we bought everything the Rugged Case has a spot for except the Live Deck. (I'd have limited use for that, and figure in a pinch the SC can output HDMI to a monitor)
I've done lots of thinking about this, and have kept my pre-order in place. By the time I buy a TriplTek, mount...and perhaps a Live Deck...the SC still makes $ sense. (While I have read that there is a way to output from the TriplTek to a monitor, I can't find that process/equipment explained) For me, having everything in one piece will not only be less to set-up, but also will look more professional. I've actually a client comment that "you have to use your phone?".
I'm anxious to see how this works out moving forward. We've learned that they only difference between the 1 & 2 is the transmission between the AC and Live Deck and/or RC. I think the ideas of Autel simply replacing units at cost, selling the SC at a heavily reduced price, etc...simply aren't going to happen. They may be great ideas/solutions for end users, but I just don't see Autel doing this.
I went to Autel at a dealer's suggestion since I use mine for video. The lack of geo-fencing is a plus. While I haven't always received the answers I hoped for, Autel has always responded to my phone calls or emails. Even calls on Saturday. I have a couple pieces of DJI gear, and I don't even contact their Tech Support any more. Endless emails back and forth where they seemingly answer a different, unrelated question each time. These strings usually end with, "sorry for inconvenience".
In the end, I'm not so sure that this situation is any different that other makers. I had my Mini a short time, when the Mini 2 was released. There was a rumor floating around that the Mini would be able to be updated to the Mini 2 specs. I don't remember that occurring.
mshmovie
Well-Known Member
Exactly. I suspect Randall Warnas, and others from Autel Robotics, will read this thread, the comments on two Facebook groups, support tickets, emails to Randall, posts on LinedIn and likely more, measure the challenge and see if any of the proposed alternatives are feasible; it seems to be his style - a good thing. I also suspect that Autel Robotics did not have a goal of upsetting and/or confusing its client base, resellers and product line.
Yeah - there goes any resale value for my version 1 - I love the drone but I'd also love better transmission in heavy wifi areas. My Mavic One using occusync consistently out performs my EVO 2 Pro in congested areas. Maybe Autel will offer buy-backs to trade up to the version 2 - it might be worth it even if I had to pay a small premium.
I couldn't agree with you more.What I sent to Autel(Not going to roll over on this at all - this might be a case study on how a company lost its market share with a bad decision that was inconsiderate of its customers.)
To: [email protected] (Feel free to let them hear your voice too.)
Subject: Smart Controller and chip shortage - re. my preorder - avoiding a likely debacle and loss of market share
Hi Autel Robotics Support Team,
I own an Autel Evo II Pro Rugged bundle with a total of five batteries and have a smart controller on order from B & H Photo; my initial purchase was influenced by the upcoming release of the smart controller.
If I understand correctly:
Am I correct?
- the original intent was to release the Smart Controller with a feature that supports future Autel Products
- due to chip supply issues, there will be two versions of the smart controller
- v1 will work with already sold Autel Evo II platforms and will no longer support future Autel products (decontented feature set from what was sold in the pre orders)
- This will be first come, first serve; one of many aspects of this Smart Controller/Chip Decision decision that is massively dysfunctional. - I'm only a CTO that sold three companies for about a billion dollars, what could I know about technical decisions?
- v2 will work with the Autel Evo II platforms built with the new chip and will support future Autel Products
- there is no cross compatibility between v1 and v2 products
If so, this is massively disappointing as I purchased my bundle, filters, three extra batteries and more knowing the Smart Controller was coming with future compatibility.
I will make numerous decisions based on your response pertaining to my preorder, what I've purchased to date, and more (I also own a Skydio 2 and numerous DJI drones).
As a technologist that makes countless decisions every day, has DevOps, QA, Engineering reporting to me globally, if I was to present this on a PowerPoint slide, its title would be Debacle!
Please consider the content of this email carefully as the future of your company's market share in the UAV market is likely and unfortunately at risk.
What follows is evidence of the original promised feature set and the posting made on Facebook by Autel.
I look forward to your considerate response.
Here's my posting on autelpilots.com as well:Notice From Autel About Controllers and Compatibility in the Future
Just spotted this on FB. I have no reason to believe it isn't valid and it was confirmed by a reliable 2nd party. "Autel V2 Product Announcement Dear Supporters, In order to stay true to Autel Robotics’ commitment to transparency, this notice is to inform you of a few changes coming as a...autelpilots.com
Regards,
Marc
Note: what I referred to as "what follows" are the same images I provided in my prior post capturing the (1) evidence of the Smart Controller's feature for supporting future product and (2) Autel's post to FaceBook.
Very well written
Hello All,
I read through these messages and there are certainly a lot of strong opinions that Autel has handled this incorrectly. I want you to put yourself in my shoes for a second, as you have all selected Autel in some form or fashion to end up here. I joined the company last Tuesday, and this topic came up later in the week. You would not fully understand what created the need to redevelop the problem other than the shortage, but you know that long-term this change is necessary. Sending out a notice with my name on it, I did it because the notice is the right thing to do. Changing the chips is the right thing to do. I want to do everything I can to be the most reliable, trustworthy, upfront company in drones. The intentions here are not ill spirited. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to check back here, but get your feedback to [email protected] and I am wanting the team to give you what you need. And your combined feedback WILL right our ship. Thanks for caring enough about this technology to voice your opinions!
I read through these messages and there are certainly a lot of strong opinions that Autel has handled this incorrectly. I want you to put yourself in my shoes for a second, as you have all selected Autel in some form or fashion to end up here. I joined the company last Tuesday, and this topic came up later in the week. You would not fully understand what created the need to redevelop the problem other than the shortage, but you know that long-term this change is necessary. Sending out a notice with my name on it, I did it because the notice is the right thing to do. Changing the chips is the right thing to do. I want to do everything I can to be the most reliable, trustworthy, upfront company in drones. The intentions here are not ill spirited. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to check back here, but get your feedback to [email protected] and I am wanting the team to give you what you need. And your combined feedback WILL right our ship. Thanks for caring enough about this technology to voice your opinions!
Done. Thanks.Can a moderator merge this in to the main thread please?
Notice From Autel About Controllers and Compatibility in the Future
I got this announcement today from the Drone-Works who I placed my preorder with. This is a suicidal move from Autel and its so significant I am now struggling to justify going with Autel in the future and may as well convert to a DJI pilot as they would surely not do something so stupid and...
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