3DR - The Rise and Fall Of A Drone Company

[Hands0n]

So much promise.  So much potential.  All squandered and lost.  What a crying shame really ...  And not a good thing at all because it leaves Consumer Drone dominance in the hands of a single company. 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2016/10/05/3d-robotics-solo-crash-chris-anderson/?refURL#714d253c4840

[Revs]

A great shame indeed. They really made a hash of Solo from early on. For everything they got wrong, DJI got things right. The result was inevitable.

[kilby]

Sadly the Solo was fairly hideous looking which may not be an issue to most of us but the public like their glossy white plastic, or sleek black

I suppose that';s also another reason why Randy MacKay has been demonstrating Ardupilot on the BeBop 1 & 2

[Hands0n]

I suppose that';s also another reason why Randy MacKay has been demonstrating Ardupilot on the BeBop 1 & 2

Is there anything that ArduPilot will not run on? ::)

I am just glad that the software is completely decoupled from the fortunes of 3DR or we';d be staring another disaster in the face.   Fortunately the ArduPilot developer camp is solid and like minded. For as long as the developer/builder community is legally allowed to survive I anticipate good fortunes for ArduPilot software.

I';m actually considering a Raspberry Pi Zero with PXF Mini shield for my next big build ... http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/pxfmini-an-open-autopilot-shield-for-the-raspberry-pi-zero

[JeremyE]

Sadly the Solo was fairly hideous looking which may not be an issue to most of us but the public like their glossy white plastic, or sleek black

Kilby hits the nail on the head. But I can extend that to all 3DR';s quads have been hideous to the general public. They were also way harder to set up and maintain.

DJI made more visually appealing products that were simpler to use (with a use case of fly well or fly away  ;D).