Almost two years after the Parrot Anafi launched (and became one of my most viral videos), the drone market had changed a lot. In May 2020 I asked: what was going on with Parrot, and would we ever see a new Anafi?
The Anafi was a blast
My video about the Anafi, just me sitting in a park talking about Parrot's new drone, quickly became one of the most viral on my channel. It had lots of new features, it was super light, and many people loved it as a real alternative to DJI.
Parrot leaves the toy market
On 19 July 2019, The Verge reported that Parrot was exiting the toy drone market and shifting away from consumer sales, a market where DJI had about three-quarters of global sales. No more Mambo or Swing toy drones. The company would focus on end-to-end business drone solutions, which we'd already seen with the Anafi Thermal, and it was also working with the US military. I also read online that Parrot had stopped developing any drone except the Anafi and its variants.
Signs of life
We had already seen the Anafi FPV, which uses the same body as the Anafi Thermal: the same drone, but slightly shorter and much less flimsy. The original Anafi was great, but it felt a bit plasticky. At the beginning of May 2020, Parrot also released a firmware update fixing flight plan and return-to-home behaviour. That made me think Parrot wasn't giving up, and customer support was still going.
What I hoped for
The market was getting interesting, with new competitors like Skydio and Autel with the EVO 2. Having Parrot back in the fight would make it even better. It was time for Parrot to make a move, and I really hoped for a new Anafi, maybe on the sturdier FPV body, with an improved camera, longer flight time and the side sensors people now expect. I didn't think it would take much effort, and I'd love to try it. Competition is only good for us users.