Kieran said:
It’s simple. US companies that make drones just sell them to the military for a massive markup. They don’t need to bother with the consumer market because they make way more money selling to the government.
I’ve heard Skydio is doing some cool stuff with scanning and industrial applications, though.
Yep, I’ve tried Skydio for some scanning projects, and they’ve got some impressive tech.
DJI’s success comes down to one guy—Frank Wang. He’s like the Steve Jobs of drones, bringing them to the masses. If GoPro hadn’t given up on their drones, they could’ve been a strong competitor.
Joss said:
DJI’s success comes down to one guy—Frank Wang. He’s like the Steve Jobs of drones, bringing them to the masses. If GoPro hadn’t given up on their drones, they could’ve been a strong competitor.
Some people here think China is winning in drone tech because of DJI. But honestly, US companies could probably build something better if they wanted to. They just focus on military sales instead.
Joss said:
DJI’s success comes down to one guy—Frank Wang. He’s like the Steve Jobs of drones, bringing them to the masses. If GoPro hadn’t given up on their drones, they could’ve been a strong competitor.
Some people here think China is winning in drone tech because of DJI. But honestly, US companies could probably build something better if they wanted to. They just focus on military sales instead.
China dominates because they make it easy for beginners. If you’re an expert, there’s better stuff out there, but DJI’s accessible tech is unbeatable for most.
Joss said:
DJI’s success comes down to one guy—Frank Wang. He’s like the Steve Jobs of drones, bringing them to the masses. If GoPro hadn’t given up on their drones, they could’ve been a strong competitor.
Some people here think China is winning in drone tech because of DJI. But honestly, US companies could probably build something better if they wanted to. They just focus on military sales instead.
They really do outcompete us in this space, though. The tech is just that good.
Tory said:
Joss said:
DJI’s success comes down to one guy—Frank Wang. He’s like the Steve Jobs of drones, bringing them to the masses. If GoPro hadn’t given up on their drones, they could’ve been a strong competitor.
Some people here think China is winning in drone tech because of DJI. But honestly, US companies could probably build something better if they wanted to. They just focus on military sales instead.
They really do outcompete us in this space, though. The tech is just that good.
China’s been known to take Western tech and run with it. That’s part of how DJI got so far ahead.
Brooke said:
Tory said:
Joss said:
DJI’s success comes down to one guy—Frank Wang. He’s like the Steve Jobs of drones, bringing them to the masses. If GoPro hadn’t given up on their drones, they could’ve been a strong competitor.
Some people here think China is winning in drone tech because of DJI. But honestly, US companies could probably build something better if they wanted to. They just focus on military sales instead.
They really do outcompete us in this space, though. The tech is just that good.
China’s been known to take Western tech and run with it. That’s part of how DJI got so far ahead.
It’s frustrating, but DJI’s consumer tech blows everything else out of the water. It is what it is.
Tory said:
Joss said:
DJI’s success comes down to one guy—Frank Wang. He’s like the Steve Jobs of drones, bringing them to the masses. If GoPro hadn’t given up on their drones, they could’ve been a strong competitor.
Some people here think China is winning in drone tech because of DJI. But honestly, US companies could probably build something better if they wanted to. They just focus on military sales instead.
They really do outcompete us in this space, though. The tech is just that good.
The US still dominates in military and aviation tech. We could make drones if we wanted, but there’s just no push for it.
Brooke said:
Tory said:
Joss said:
DJI’s success comes down to one guy—Frank Wang. He’s like the Steve Jobs of drones, bringing them to the masses. If GoPro hadn’t given up on their drones, they could’ve been a strong competitor.
Some people here think China is winning in drone tech because of DJI. But honestly, US companies could probably build something better if they wanted to. They just focus on military sales instead.
They really do outcompete us in this space, though. The tech is just that good.
The US still dominates in military and aviation tech. We could make drones if we wanted, but there’s just no push for it.
It’s more about focus. US companies don’t prioritize consumer drones.
Tory said:
Brooke said:
Tory said:
Joss said:
DJI’s success comes down to one guy—Frank Wang. He’s like the Steve Jobs of drones, bringing them to the masses. If GoPro hadn’t given up on their drones, they could’ve been a strong competitor.
Some people here think China is winning in drone tech because of DJI. But honestly, US companies could probably build something better if they wanted to. They just focus on military sales instead.
They really do outcompete us in this space, though. The tech is just that good.
The US still dominates in military and aviation tech. We could make drones if we wanted, but there’s just no push for it.
It’s more about focus. US companies don’t prioritize consumer drones.
Right, it’s not about capability—it’s about where the money’s being made.
Brooke said:
Tory said:
Brooke said:
Tory said:
Joss said:
DJI’s success comes down to one guy—Frank Wang. He’s like the Steve Jobs of drones, bringing them to the masses. If GoPro hadn’t given up on their drones, they could’ve been a strong competitor.
Some people here think China is winning in drone tech because of DJI. But honestly, US companies could probably build something better if they wanted to. They just focus on military sales instead.
They really do outcompete us in this space, though. The tech is just that good.
The US still dominates in military and aviation tech. We could make drones if we wanted, but there’s just no push for it.
It’s more about focus. US companies don’t prioritize consumer drones.
Right, it’s not about capability—it’s about where the money’s being made.
Yeah, it’s just not seen as profitable enough.
Tory said:
Brooke said:
Tory said:
Brooke said:
Tory said:
Joss said:
DJI’s success comes down to one guy—Frank Wang. He’s like the Steve Jobs of drones, bringing them to the masses. If GoPro hadn’t given up on their drones, they could’ve been a strong competitor.
Some people here think China is winning in drone tech because of DJI. But honestly, US companies could probably build something better if they wanted to. They just focus on military sales instead.
They really do outcompete us in this space, though. The tech is just that good.
The US still dominates in military and aviation tech. We could make drones if we wanted, but there’s just no push for it.
It’s more about focus. US companies don’t prioritize consumer drones.
Right, it’s not about capability—it’s about where the money’s being made.
Yeah, it’s just not seen as profitable enough.
We can do it, we just haven’t chosen to.
Brooke said:
Tory said:
Joss said:
DJI’s success comes down to one guy—Frank Wang. He’s like the Steve Jobs of drones, bringing them to the masses. If GoPro hadn’t given up on their drones, they could’ve been a strong competitor.
Some people here think China is winning in drone tech because of DJI. But honestly, US companies could probably build something better if they wanted to. They just focus on military sales instead.
They really do outcompete us in this space, though. The tech is just that good.
The US still dominates in military and aviation tech. We could make drones if we wanted, but there’s just no push for it.
This is just the reality we’re in.
It’s mainly about cost and production. The US just can’t make stuff as cheaply or quickly as China can. American companies do better at the high end but don’t have the same volume capabilities.
Lennon said:
It’s mainly about cost and production. The US just can’t make stuff as cheaply or quickly as China can. American companies do better at the high end but don’t have the same volume capabilities.
China churns out drones before the US can even finish a business plan. By the time ours are out, there’s a new version already out from China.
Lennon said:
It’s mainly about cost and production. The US just can’t make stuff as cheaply or quickly as China can. American companies do better at the high end but don’t have the same volume capabilities.
Don’t forget the years of R&D China’s poured into this. No one’s catching up soon.
Gregory2 said:
So, here’s what I don’t get… DJI is like the king of drones, right? You’d think a big American company would step up and compete, but it just hasn’t happened. I was looking at some US-made drones, and honestly, they don’t come close to what DJI is doing. Why do you think we don’t have a solid US competitor in the drone market?
DJI’s always offered great products at reasonable prices. That’s why they’re still on top.
Isle said:
Lennon said:
It’s mainly about cost and production. The US just can’t make stuff as cheaply or quickly as China can. American companies do better at the high end but don’t have the same volume capabilities.
Don’t forget the years of R&D China’s poured into this. No one’s catching up soon.
It’s the same reason nobody’s catching up to SpaceX. Time and money invested.
Yep. It’s a huge lead that no one’s closing anytime soon. The Inspire series is still dominating the industry.
Parker said:
Isle said:
Lennon said:
It’s mainly about cost and production. The US just can’t make stuff as cheaply or quickly as China can. American companies do better at the high end but don’t have the same volume capabilities.
Don’t forget the years of R&D China’s poured into this. No one’s catching up soon.
It’s the same reason nobody’s catching up to SpaceX. Time and money invested.
Yep. It’s a huge lead that no one’s closing anytime soon. The Inspire series is still dominating the industry.
Makes me wonder what happens when they eventually move on from the Inspire. Who’s going to step up then?
Isle said:
Parker said:
Isle said:
Lennon said:
It’s mainly about cost and production. The US just can’t make stuff as cheaply or quickly as China can. American companies do better at the high end but don’t have the same volume capabilities.
Don’t forget the years of R&D China’s poured into this. No one’s catching up soon.
It’s the same reason nobody’s catching up to SpaceX. Time and money invested.
Yep. It’s a huge lead that no one’s closing anytime soon. The Inspire series is still dominating the industry.
Makes me wonder what happens when they eventually move on from the Inspire. Who’s going to step up then?
Hopefully they won’t ban DJI altogether; it would leave a huge gap in the market.