The Inspire 1 is still the DJI flagship, the cutting edge of coolness, a joy to fly, etc., I love it...

But, what can DJI be thinking on the pricing scheme for these birds?

I remember weighing the pros and cons of the Inspire 1 before I handed over my $3000. I was told by many (some of them DJI dealers) that the Inspire 1 was not really over-priced compared to the Phantom 2 because it came with an improved version of the $1400 Lightbridge, a 4K camera, etc., Okay... so, the improved Inspire 1 = BIG BUCKS...got it. However, now the same improvements on the new Phantom 3 = ABSOLUTELY FREE compared to the Phantom 2 price.

I guess I'm just not smart enough to understand the marketing geniuses at DJI. I'll write it off as a $2000 cool-factor.

So what's your explanation???  

The ninja effect and just looking super cool is probably the $2000 upcharge

nwellborn85 Posted at 2015-4-9 07:42
So what's your explanation???

I was trying to come across as tongue-in-cheek with that tittle.

A "$2000 cool-factor" charge is the only explanation I see.

I am also wondering.

The only two/three features I can see:

1- Dynamic home via the controller on the inspire (has GPS - this is important)
2- Control panning of camera (not really important to me)
3- Dual controller operation (not really important to me either as of yet)

in addition, it appears the the inspire is a bit more stable / stronger. (this is important to me)

I think I would still be happy with the P3.

Not taking into account the fact that the I1 has more handling power, here are some of the fisical parts that would account for the price difference.

- Carbon fiber and overall better construction materials.
- Retractable landing skid
- Interchangeable gimbal design
- Can be linked to up to 6 controllers (one master 5 slaves)
- Pitch and pan controllable gimbal with 320 degrees of freedom
- Two filters for the camera
- Custom case

Two Controls with:
- Internal GPS for dynamic home point
- HDMI output
- CAN bus port for future features
- Two programable back buttons
- Front retractable landing skid  lever
- 2.4 and 5.8 radios

Another way of looking... it is the same price per Gram :-)

Thought I saw the dynamic home function in the P3 video. But #2 &#3 are important to me. POI once it's enabled is even bigger for me. It's still irksome though to have paid the 2k premium.

Full control of the camera mandatory for me, but the other factors I'm not so fussed about.   

Plus you could total the P3, buy another one new and still be ahead financially.

FoxSTI Posted at 2015-4-9 08:22
I am also wondering.

The only two/three features I can see:

How would you know the Inspire is more stable??? We havent seen or known of any P3 in the wild yet... For all we know the P3 would make lunch & dinner of the Inspire...

^ that is true. I have not flow a P3. But I recently flew the inspire in a bit of wind and it was stable. While I may be incorrect, usually the larger stronger and heavier machines tend to be a little more stable.

"For all we know the P3 would make lunch & dinner of the Inspire..."

ronnydsosa@gmai Posted at 2015-4-9 20:09
How would you know the Inspire is more stable??? We havent seen or known of any P3 in the wild ye ...

Try crashing a P3 with an I1 in mid-air... I wouldn't be worried a bit about the I1 while the P3 falls like a squashed insect. You can also try flying the P3 in higher winds or better yet... normal mountain breeze but with extreme wind guts which are often met in such scenery. Once the P3 gets tilted enough, I don't think there's much chance of NOT reaching the ground. On the other hand, I1 has a much lower mass center which not only makes it harder to tilt, but might have a better chance of restoring its "vertical" position before crashing on the ground (which I agree will be much more devastating).
Allow me to make another analogy: I don't prefer to drive a car that does well in case of a roll-over crash... I prefer one that helps me avoid the roll-over crash. Once again, I am not saying I1 is capable to avoid crashes, but to me, it looks like having a better chance than other models. Oh, fingers crossed during the next firmware upgrade though!

Gonna need more than your fingers crossed... What i find real pathetic here is that now Inspire1 owners have to find excuses to justify expending that much money for something you can  now get for less than half of the price of the Inspire1... SMH... AND YES I OWN BOTH A INSPIRE1 AND P2V+.... BTW LETS PLACE A BET HERE... THE P3 GETS WAYPOINTS BEFORE THE  INSPIRE1 DOES...

DJI made a brilliant move by creating the P3 at these price points. They could have easily charged $200-$300 more for the P3 professional, but instead they will continue to gain market share and dominance in an increasingly competitive drone market.

What the company is doing is good for all of us, particularly if you take the long view. Within a few months (maybe sooner), you will likely see a lower price for the Inspire and new options for it. Those of us that paid the high price for the Inspire (me included) got what we wanted: we were the first on the block with the shiny new toy with maximum "wow" effect. In a market moving as fast as this one, we need to learn to anticipate these changes. Right now, you have a choice, buy an Inspire or a P3. The P3 is currently the best bang for the buck. But soon the Inspire will come down in price and have more configurability. Then the choice will be more nuanced. And probably within a year, you can expect a higher-end Inspire that will cost less than the original Inspire. And on and on it will go.

Abe Posted at 2015-4-10 00:14
DJI made a brilliant move by creating the P3 at these price points. They could have easily charged $ ...

Well said, however:

I am not new to buying the latest and greatest tech stuff and willingly paying the price to do so.  I understand prices will always come down, that you can’t argue with supply-and-demand price points.

But this case is so beyond anything I have ever seen: the extreme, untenable, difference in prices in light of the closely paralleled release of the new Phantom 3, and the ongoing, unresolved problems with the Inspire-1 leads me to believe that DJI has very little (if any) regard for customer satisfaction or, customer loyalty.  

I'm quite burned about this as well as I sit and wait for my Inspire to be repaired (1.5 weeks so far on a 5-6 week turnaround time)... No quote yet but I'm sure it will be 3/4 the cost of the P3 Professional.

I too feel cheated as I was able to replicate 95% of the camera movements with my P2/GoPro 4 Combo as I do with my Inspire. (Instead of using pan function I would yaw and throttle left right etc to circle a subject for instance.

Stability I guess the inspire 1 has the P3 there but other than that, if the camera is the exact same as the Inspire 1, the P3 is less than 1/2 the cost, fits in a carry on, back pack etc, can be caught from under neath, can be replaced cheaper etc.

Not a happy camper. =(

Just think with the price of the Inspire.. You could buy 3 or 2 Phantom 3's...

scooterlam Posted at 2015-4-10 02:04
I'm quite burned about this as well as I sit and wait for my Inspire to be repaired (1.5 weeks so fa ...

I feel your pain. My inspire that I sent in for repairs turned out to be totaled, so I bought a new one that arrived just a few days before the P3 was announced. In the mean time I've been flying my P2V+.

If the timing had worked out differently, I may have gone with the P3 rather than a replacement Inspire. But I'm also thinking about how long it took for the bugs on the Inspire to shake out, and the more I think about it, the happier I am that I can wait on the sidelines to let the inevitable P3 issues stabilize before I buy one. And by then I'll have a much better idea (from reading everyone else's experiences) whether it will replace my Inspire, my P2V+, or both.

Abe Posted at 2015-4-10 13:41
I feel your pain. My inspire that I sent in for repairs turned out to be totaled, so I bought a ne ...

What specifically happened to your Inspire to the point they determined it was totaled?

scooterlam Posted at 2015-4-10 14:15
What specifically happened to your Inspire to the point they determined it was totaled?

Scooterlam,

I crashed it into a 150 ft. satellite dish :-(

You can read all about it here
http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?m ... ht=OUCH&lang=en

and here
http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?m ... ht=OUCH&lang=en

Abe Posted at 2015-4-10 21:49
Scooterlam,

I crashed it into a 150 ft. satellite dish :-(

Ouch! Sorry for your loss man. You get a new one yet?

Just received it, Scooterlam. A couple of days before the P3 was announced! If it's any consolation, I just noticed at Coptershop that extra batteries and other accessories for the P3 won't arrive until late May. Us Inspire veterans have already lived through that cycle!