Chinese firm takes over 70 percent of global civil drone market

[IPen]

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- People who love to take photos now have a new angle for photography. With a drone and gimbals both developed by a Chinese company, shutterbugs have more fun to shoot from the sky.

"Starting from the latter half of 2014, the market of civil unmanned drone flourished in short time," said Tong Shaonan, marketing manager of DJI, a company based in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

The firm is one of several makers showing their latest technology in the Unmanned Systems Marketplace, an event at the ongoing 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show, which opened Tuesday in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"DJI has taken over 70 percent of global civil drone market," Tong said.

According to the Consumer Electronics Association, organizer of the show, 400,000 drones for civilian use will be sold in 2015 for a total value of 130 million U.S. dollars, up 55 percent from last year.

By 2018, the global unmanned aerial vehicles market will rise to 1 billion dollars.

Drones are just one of the products that Chinese companies' technology is leading at this year's show. At the crowded drone section at the annual consumer electronics expo, half of the 14 exhibitors are from China.

EHang is another leading drone brand. Its Ghost, controlled via an app on an Android phone, can fly at 79 km per hour and reach an altitude of 900 meters.

Apart from drones, smartphones designed and produced by Chinese companies are also eye-catching.

Xiaomi Mi5 and Huawei Mate7 are strong competitors to Samsung Galaxy S6 and Apple's iPhone 6 in the world's 373.9-billion-dollar smartphone market.

Steve Koenig, director of Industry Analysis of the Consumer Electronics Association, admitted that Chinese smartphone brands are putting pressure to their global competitors.

Xiaomi alone sold 61 million units in 2014, with 70 percent of the sales generated online. Its latest phone, Mi5, is equipped with a 5.7-inch screen and a 20.7-megapixel camera, signaling that Chinese brands are not just focused on making cheap phones, but on quite sophisticated devices, Koenig said.

Large TV screens are another category dominated by Chinese manufacturers.

At the expo, the Guinness Book of World Records had to take a measurement and confirmed that TCL's 110-inch 4K curved screen is slightly bigger than a similar product of Samsung.

Meanwhile, Haier, China's leading household electrical appliances maker, and American company Roku Inc. announced their new Haier Roku TV, which combines Haier's excellent picture quality and slim bezel designs with the simple and easy-to-use Roku streaming experience that gives consumers access to more than 2,000 streaming channels, the largest lineup of streaming channels available on a smart TV.

Hisense, another Chinese TV manufacturer, also unveiled its latest HDTV set, the 100-inch VIDAA Max Laser Cinema TV.

As more Chinese companies would like to invest heavily on research and development, most of them are going farther in the global market.

Lin Lan, vice president of Hisense, said his company's market share in North America rose to 3.4 percent last year from 1.1 percent in 2013, adding that Hisense sold more than 2 million TVs in North America in 2014.

Feature: Chinese firms show off cutting-edge products at tech show - Xinhua | English.news.cn

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I may buy one in future, for fun.

 

[longyi]

bin Laden's crews would love to get their hands on one of these plus a suit case miniature nuclear device to got with it. I personal would love to see all drones are banned, both civilian and military ones.

 

[TaiShang]

Chinese startup takes lead in drone market

A staff member from DJI Technology Co. demonstrated the Phantom 2 Vision+ drone inside his office in Shenzhen, in south China's Guangdong province, on Dec. 15. Founded in 2009 by an engineer with a childhood love of radio-controlled model planes, DJI has become the leading supplier in the fast-growing market for civilian drones -- possibly the first Chinese brand to achieve No. 1 status in any consumer industry.


SHENZHEN, China » An amateur photographer in Portsmouth, N.H., drew crowds when he used a drone mini-helicopter made by China's DJI Technology Co. to capture images of historic church steeples and other sights.

"I get some amazing photos with it," said Scott Richardson, a voice teacher who bought DJI's four-rotor Phantom 2 Vision+ model in May. "With a drone, you can hover 3 feet above the steeple and get a picture you can't get any other way."

Founded in 2009 by an engineer with a childhood love of radio-controlled model planes, DJI has become the world's biggest supplier of civilian drones — possibly the first Chinese company to achieve that status in any consumer industry.

It has grown from 20 employees to a workforce of 2,800, including Chinese, Americans and Koreans at its headquarters in this southern Chinese city and at outposts in Los Angeles, Tokyo and Frankfurt, Germany.

"It's really amazing what they have managed to do," said industry analyst Maryanna Saenko of Lux Research Inc. in Boston.

From the start, DJI was "very polished, had just the right capabilities and the right price point" — less than $1,000 when most rivals cost at least $5,000, Saenko said. "They hit the sweet spot."

DJI's latest model, the Inspire 1, released in November, carries a camera that can send live video to a smartphone, with a GPS system to compensate for wind and hold it still in midair.

The company is part of an emerging wave of Chinese startups in fields such as robotics, clean energy and telecommunications. The Communist Party hopes they transform this country from the world's low-wage factory into a creator of profitable technology.

DJI and its rivals, including France's Parrot SA and 3D Robotics Inc. of the United States, foresee demand for drones to shoot movies and news footage, survey farmland or oilfields, inspect power lines and oil pipelines, and give firefighters a bird's-eye view of burning buildings.

Privately owned DJI, based in Shenzhen, on the outskirts of Hong Kong, declined to disclose sales or profit figures. But founder Frank Wang told the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong that revenue in 2013 was $131 million. The company says revenue grows by 300 to 500 percent a year.

For professional use, DJI launched its Spreading Wings series of bigger copters with up to eight rotors last year. They offer advanced steering and image-stabilizing systems and sell for up to $10,000.

Richardson, a former news photographer, said he got on DJI's waiting list for the latest Phantom model as soon as he read about it.

"I use it mostly to take pictures from vantage points that you couldn't get any other way," he said. Portsmouth's North Church has been around since the 1600s, but he gets photos of it that "have never been taken, ever."

In February 2012, DJI released its first full-fledged drone, the spindly Flame Wheel. Later that year, it added a camera to the first Phantom after seeing customers mount GoPro Inc.'s wearable video cameras on their drones.

Since then, research has spread to include cameras, software for imaging and control, and stabilization systems. Expanding beyond drones, the company has used its know-how in stabilizing images to create the Ronin, a hand-held camera mount. Priced at $3,000, it is marketed as a lower-cost alternative to steady cam systems used by film and TV studios.

The company has opened its software-development process to outsiders to create additional tools. A Swiss software maker, Pix4D, has designed an application to transform images shot by DJI or other drones into three-dimensional maps. Huawei says its next smartphone model will have an app to control a DJI drone and receive live video.

In October, the company briefly entered American pop culture when characters on the "South Park" cartoon used a video-equipped drone modeled on DJI's Phantom to spy paparazzi-style on their neighbors.

DJI rolls out new models as little as five months apart, a rapid pace that reflects intense competition with smaller brands promising lower prices and more features.

"The development cycle is tricky," company spokesman Michael Perry said. Referring to the Inspire 1, he said, "One of the main reasons we wanted to get this out is we didn't want anyone else to do it first."

Unusually for a startup, DJI handles almost every step of its process itself, from research and production through worldwide sales and repairs. That has led to complaints as repair centers struggle to keep pace with sales.

Richardson had to wait months for his radio control unit to be returned after a broken switch was replaced.

"I'm very happy with the product," he said, "but customer service wasn't so great."

 

[IPen]

bin Laden's crews would love to get their hands on one of these plus a suit case miniature nuclear device to got with it. I personal would love to see all drones are banned, both civilian and military ones.

Yes.Many safe problems need to be taken seriously.But it's impossible to ban it since it has been widely using in many aspects.

 

[opruh]

Of course the Chinese creates high quality drones that is why they are dominating the drone market.

 

[magic-007]

Of course the Chinese creates high quality drones that is why they are dominating the drone market.

oh, You overpraise,china stlill need to more learn from foreign countries.

 

[bolo]

oh, You overpraise,china stlill need to more learn from foreign countries.

You can only learn so much and teachers will only teach u to a point. That's when u have to use what u learn and do what u have to-do. A kung fu master will not teach u his deadliest move so u cannot kill him until u create your own deadly moves

 

[magic-007]

You can only learn so much and teachers will only teach u to a point. That's when u have to use what u learn and do what u have to-do. A kung fu master will not teach u his deadliest move so u cannot kill him until u create your own deadly moves

it just is my modest words , china needs to learn and practice at the same time.the learn i said refers to other advanced tings.

 

[xunzi]

bin Laden's crews would love to get their hands on one of these plus a suit case miniature nuclear device to got with it. I personal would love to see all drones are banned, both civilian and military ones.

Are you stupid or something? Do you think that tiny plastic drone is heavy enough to carry a grenade?

 

[Yizhi]

bravo DJI!!!! we need more chinese firms like you!
go Shenzhen! go DJI!

 

[cirr]

AEE UAV AP10 and Action Camera S80 Are Amazing at CES


January 9, 2015 08:17 AM EST

SHENZHEN, China, Jan. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Once a year, the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held on time in Las Vegas International Convention and Exhibition Center on 6th-9th January, 2015 (local time).

As the global advanced recording equipment manufacturer, every year, AEE attend CES with its most competitive products. This year, AEE also bring audience amazing products at CES site. AEE booth: South Hall 3, 30537.

At the exhibition, AEE bring TORUK AP10 UAV and a new action camera S80. TORUK AP10, own reasonable body weight and streamlined body design, fly safer and more stable. 1080i/60fps high-definition recording, 16M pixel photo-taking, 120 degree wide angle, allowing it to capture freely and capture all possibilities. It has two control methods: through remote control or mobile devices (with Wi-Fi), enjoy more convenient aircraft operation. High-voltage battery power (11.1V), making it fly more powerful, faster and higher. At the CES show site, AP10 demonstrate a variety of high difficulty flight performance, attracting much concerns and praises from visitors, professional persons and agents.

AEE also exhibited a variety of other high-tech star product, the most concerning product is the body-waterproof action camera S80, unlike the other products, S80 itself is waterproof without waterproof case. Waterproof depth reaches 1 meters, the protective standards is up to IP67; S80 also own the excellent function of 1080P/60fps high-definition recording, 16M pixel photo-taking, built-in WiFi, more intelligent operation; the comprehensive upgrading 2 inches HD touch screen (960 x 240), make the preview more convenient. High-voltage battery makes it own up to 4 hours endurance. In a word, S80 can allow you to record as you wish.

AEE UAV AP10 and Action Camera S80 Are Amazing at CES | SYS-CON MEDIA

 

[55100864]

Some awesome videos made by DJI mini drone,

 

[cnleio]

Ask @mike2000 , he had a "Made in China" drone, very funny !

 

[ayachyan]

not a surprise result.
those are just a toy after all.
who can do that better than China in the production of toys?

 

[TaiShang]

Chinese Firms Make Mark at U.S. Tech Expo
By Mason Coltrane On January 9, 2015

The show's organizer confirmed the statistic to the Chinese website tech.qq.com, which attributed the major turnout to the expansion drive that currently exists among Chinese technology companies.

This year's installment of the world's largest consumer electronics trade show was launched on Jan 6, Tuesday, in the American city of Las Vegas, Nevada, and concludes on Friday. According to the organizers, over 3,600 exhibitors are featured at the decades-old event, 250 conference sessions are delivered, and around 150,000 attendees from 140 countries pass through the CES.

The Unmanned Systems Marketplace was a particularly notable area of the CES for Chinese exhibitors. DJI, a company based in Shenzhen, formed part of the Chinese dominance of the area, as more than half of the booths represented brands from China. According to DJI's marketing manager, the company is now responsible for more than 70 percent of the worldwide civil drone market, which is projected to reach a global value of $1 billion by 2018.

Smartphone manufacturers were the other notable presence at the Las Vegas Convention and World Trade Center (LVCC). After a successful 2014, in which it placed behind Apple Inc. and Samsung in terms of sales, Chinese smartphone maker ZTE Corp. unveiled its newest handset, the ZTE Star 2. Featuring smart voice controls, the product is part of the company's intensive campaign to build upon significant achievements such as the 191-percent profit growth that was posted for the third quarter of 2014.

Lenovo was another Chinese tech company that arrived at CES with a sense of anticipation, as it had announced that Motorola smartphones will return to China after its acquisition of Motorola Mobility from Google Inc. According to Lenovo's correspondence with the Global Times on Wednesday, the new Moto X, Moto X Pro and Moto G will become available in the Chinese marketplace from Feb. 2015 onward.

The strong presence of Chinese firms at the 2015 CES represents the increasing influence of both Asian markets and producers in the technology world. CES has shown its awareness of this trend by organizing the launch of the CES Asia event, which will be held in Shanghai in May 2015.