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from the and-you-thought-you-owned-it dept.
DJI Spark drones will not fly after September 1 until users have applied a mandatory software update:
DJI Spark drones will not fly after 1 September unless owners apply a mandatory software update, the device's maker has warned. DJI said the update to the small drone's core software fixes some flight control issues suffered by the gadget.
The drone maker said it had warned owners about the deadline so they could avoid having their craft grounded. But the mandatory update has caused some owners to question the control DJI retains over their devices.
In a statement, DJI said the update would improve how the Spark manages power. It also helps it work with smart spectacles that give owners an immersive view of what the drone films. It added: "If the firmware of either the aircraft or the battery is not updated by September 1, Spark will not be able to take off."
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Knowledge Troll on Wednesday August 23 2017, @01:17PM
This is the price you pay for having equipment that is dead simple to operate. Don't want to spend an entire summer learning how to fly a multicopter? Just use your phone. Grumble grumble grumble - none of my DJI gear can even possibly do this, it has no way to receive communication from DJI. None of my DJI gear was intended for use by people who didn't want to invest a lot of time into learning.
People don't want to take the time to learn how to fly? Take their stuff away because they aren't worrying about safety themselves. I don't have a problem with this.