couple of points that have been brought up so this is me speaking, just my opinion.
first, faa and fcc has nothing to do with any of this. they don't have a voice.
second, so may people love their evo 1s, I don't understand why nobody loves the
evo2. why isn't anyone talking about keeping their
evo2 for 3+ years. all I read is about is how soon can i get rid of it. if you want to get rid of it so bad, what's the point of getting a
evo2 v2? I really really hope the autel deal involves the autel 3 because I have no plans to entertain a v2 unless my v1 drone crashes or breaks.
I don't know anything on the deal but I do know this: if you had a choice either to get the sc now and consider the future (yet unknown) autel deal to be "taken care of" later and you pass on it...what kind of drone life are you leading? where is the risk taking us drone pilots are known for? you fly your drone high and far away and out of sight and take beautiful pictures and you hit that button and magically trust it to return home every time but you can't trust autel to make it right? you're not going to get a smoking hot deal but it's going to be something pretty nice, I'm sure. we bought their smart controller, not a car charger or a charging hub....it's gotta count for something. why would you "exclude" yourself? if there are only 500 of us, that's even better because they maybe only need to take care of a couple of hundred folks. I understand if this is your job, your business, or you depend on this equipment you're in public safety. but us recreational pilots, we live for these drones, why would we stand on the sidelines and miss out while everyone is making choices. I'm going to enjoy the offer no matter what it is and I'm here to help autel because I believe in the autel and quite frankly they put out a pretty decent product.
the tripltek is good, not doubt. but it doesn't fly your drone so you start to pickup on that real fast once you get past the big bright screen, the full blown android, and it's tank-like features. I honestly don't think a tripltek rig compares to the sc. for me, the triptek is good for when you have a tiny, dim screen on your rc and you've had enough.
if the
evo2 is anything like evo1, sounds like we will get at least 3 years of support....maybe more. honestly I think the drone world looks a lot different by then, I'm just thankful we have options and choices....and we can still mostly fly however we wish without too much faa in our business. happy flying and enjoy the 4th!
I don't think anyone hates the
EVO II. I know I don't.
I do know that electronics companies get away with support cycles that would not be tolerated in any other industry that I'm aware of. I can find parts for cars, boats, airplanes, appliances, lawnmowers, snowblowers, even coffee makers that were made 20 or 30 years ago. But electronics manufacturers think they're doing you a favor with three years of support.
There are many, many otherwise-functional drones, phones, and other electronic devices sitting on shelves or illegally polluting landfills solely because their manufacturers withdrew some part of another (usually a battery). They are still perfectly capable of doing whatever they were designed to do, but were intentionally killed off by their manufacturers.
Anticipating having to replace a drone or other electronic device, therefore, is based on that reality, not a like or dislike of the device. The manufacturers force us to replace them while they're still perfectly-capable of being functional. It's not a choice that we make. It's a choice that they make.
The SC was marketed with the explicit promise that it would be an exception. It would be compatible with future drones, Autel promised, which said language
still hasn't been removed from the Web site. That language creates an inducement to buy because even if the consumer accepts that the drone will be artificially obsolesced in a few years, at least they can keep using the controller.
Except that they can't. V1 won't work with any future model, and V2 doesn't exist.
You also have to consider the possibility of malfunctions or accidental damage. With the two versions not being compatible, that means that if either the drone or the controller dies, you have to replace both. Drones live dangerous lives. So if I buy the SC, and crash the drone six months down the line, I have an expensive paperweight (unless a retrofit is made available).
Having two versions of the same drone also complicates redundancy for professional users who need to have spares, or who have multiple crews working. I don't do this for a living, but I do intend to start doing paid work when I'm satisfied with my own abilities.
My plan was to purchase another
EVO II to have redundancy once it becomes part of my livelihood. But now that would mean either purchasing another SC as well (which doesn't even exist at this point), or buying another V1 drone now.
But I'm hesitant to do that. The questions of whether I'll even get an SC, as well as what will happen if the drone or SC malfunction or are accidentally damaged, are more up in the air than the drone itself at this point. I'd be spending money to buy another of something I already have based on something I'm not sure I'll even get.
By the way, FCC tears down and tests every device that seeks certification; and in this case, the chip being changed is the part FCC cares most dearly about. They could give a rat's posterior about a new propeller design, but they certainly care about a chip that's part of a transceiver. They could rubber-stamp it, but they don't have to.
There are ways to make all of this right. Some are better than others. But Randall's not saying anything except that he intends to "take care of" V1 customers. That's like me saying I intend to work on my fastball so I can pitch for the Yankees next spring. Maybe I truly, sincerely, desperately want to pitch for the Yankees and fully intend for that to happen.
But don't hold your breath.
As I've said enough times that I'm getting tired of reading my own words, we need specifics. Vague assurances are meaningless. Tell us exactly how we're going to be "taken care of." Provide specifics, as well as a commitment from Shenzhen to honor them.
Until then, I'm hesitant to spend more than I paid for some cars I've owned for something that will become a very-expensive paperweight should I happen to annoy the wrong bird or get blown into a tree. I may still buy it because it solves a present problem, but it's not a slam-dunk decision for me.
