To preface, my Inspire has been relatively perfect since I received it. I've had practically zero issues, unlike some others on here. And there seem to be so many problems with the latest firmware versions that I hesitate to upgrade. I can't afford my Inspire to be "grounded" due to a failure in upgrading the firmware, and I don't see enough of a benefit in the last couple of versions for me to take that risk. Without starting up my Inspire and checking, I think I'm running the firmware from early March. Thoughts?

If one can't afford to be grounded for whatever reason, then one should think about a spare craft.

When you go to Vegas and you are on the roulette table, do you bet red or black?
What is the outcome?
Its the same thing with the Inspire at this point...its all a gamble and the house appears to be winning.

Never upgrade if what you are running is working! Whats the upside?

Upgrade is easy.  Just follow the instructions.  I've found the newer versions better each time!

I'm one of the lucky ones as well, I haven't had any issues upgrading either, apart from not really understanding the beeps and bleeps the first time I upgraded last month, but this past upgrade went off without a hitch. I know there have been many problems reported, but I am of the opinion that if DJI is releasing an upgrade, it's probably for a good reason. And like Dundee said


"If one can't afford to be grounded for whatever reason, then one should think about a spare craft."

Not upgrading invites a host of issues.   First and foremost you need to stay offline since as soon as the app gets a whiff of new firmware being available it will refuse to start the motors.   

Second is liability.   You crash on old firmware you won't get much sympathy from DJI, since the cause of your crash was probably addressed in that latest build.

I agree with Dundee, if you need to rely on it, have a backup plan.   This is true with professional cameras and pretty much gear in every field.

Truth is you are much more likely to get grounded by something other than upgrading the firmware so good to have a plan anyway.

jimhare Posted at 2015-5-12 05:10
Not upgrading invites a host of issues.   First and foremost you need to stay offline since as soon  ...

Although I had some major issues in the last upgrade (I literally thought I fried my Inspire for about three hours)  I would agree that upgrading is the better way to go. I believe DJI understands that the UAV market is under intense scrutiny right now and the safer and more reliable they make their product the less likely it will be for the FAA and international aviation regulators to ban their product. DJI was estimated to be worth 8 billion dollars this week. That all goes away if these regulators deem quadcopters a risk to the public. I believe these upgrades are first and foremost introduced to improve the reliability of the Inspire.