"The first principle of innovation is user demand, not feature stacking!"
DJI and Insta360 have finally met head-on: Insta360 launched a 360-degree drone, DJI launched a 360-degree camera — which do you favor? I own both, and personally I favor Insta360. Why?
01 The First Principle of the Consumer Imaging Track
On the surface, the two sides' competition centers on parameters (such as stabilization performance and sensor size), features (such as underwater shooting and AI editing), and markets (such as online channels and KOL partnerships). But the deeper conflict lies in:
• DJI believes that "stable hardware + full-scenario coverage" is the core, and relying on its accumulated flight-control technology (such as gimbal control and obstacle-avoidance algorithms), it tries to build a moat through "from sky to ground" technology transfer;
• Insta360, by contrast, insists on "software-defined hardware," lowering the barrier to user creation through multi-lens synchronization and AI stitching algorithms (such as FlowState stabilization and the invisible selfie stick), and seizing the mindshare of the "all-in-one creation tool."
Is the essence of consumer imaging "the maximization of hardware performance" or "the democratization of user creation"?
To answer this question, we must first return to the industry's first principle — the essence of consumer imaging devices is the "efficiency and quality of recording and expression." What users buy is not "a pile of parameters" but the ability to "record life more easily and express themselves with more texture." On this basis, we can break down whether the two companies' competitive strategies align with this essence.
02 The First Principle of the Insta360–DJI Competition
The essence of the divergence in DJI's and Insta360's technology paths is "two solutions for efficiency and quality"
1. DJI: Using "hardware integration capability" to enhance the "certainty of recording"
DJI's core moat comes from its ability to transfer flight-control technology. Its early drone business accumulated gimbal control (such as the Zenmuse series), obstacle-avoidance algorithms (such as OcuSync video transmission), and battery-life optimization (such as intelligent batteries) — all naturally suited to the hard demand of action cameras for "stable shooting." For example, the "super stabilization" of the Action series action cameras is essentially the miniaturization of drone attitude-control algorithms; the "omnidirectional obstacle avoidance" feature is a dimension-reduced application of industrial-grade drone perception technology.
The advantage of DJI's technology route lies in "certainty": users need not learn complex parameter adjustments and get a stable picture the moment they power on (such as cycling follow-shots or underwater shooting). But the limitation is that the marginal cost of hardware integration is high (hardware must be customized for different scenarios), and over-reliance on "parameter leadership" may ignore users' need for "flexible creation" (such as multi-angle shooting and quick editing).
2. Insta360: Using "software algorithm capability" to unleash the "freedom of expression"
Insta360's underlying logic is to "let users become creators, not mere recorders." Its core technologies (such as 360° panoramic stitching and AI portrait tracking) are essentially about "moving post-processing to the shooting end." For example, the One RS's "modular lens" design lets users switch with one tap between wide-angle, 360°, and 1-inch-sensor modes; the FlowState stabilization algorithm uses AI to correct the frame in real time, eliminating the need for secondary cropping in post; it even launched an "invisible selfie stick" feature that uses algorithms to remove the selfie-stick trace and directly output cinematic camera movements.
The advantage of Insta360's technology route lies in "freedom": users need no professional editing skills to produce high-quality content (such as vlogs and travel shorts). But the challenge is that the algorithm's generalization ability needs continuous validation (such as stitching precision in complex lighting), and the "all-in-one" positioning may blur the product's positioning (users find it hard to tell clearly "which features they need").
3. The Endgame of Competition: Returning to the "Dynamic Balance of User Demand"
The essence of the two sides' competition is the complementarity of "efficiency" and "freedom," not a simple substitution relationship.
• For ordinary users (such as family records and travel check-ins), DJI's "stability first" better meets the basic need to "take a good photo";
• For content creators (such as vloggers and short-video teams), Insta360's "flexible creation" better satisfies the advanced need to "shoot a good story."
In the future, whoever can faster capture the migration of user demand and, through technology iteration, keep lowering the threshold of "recording and expression" will maintain the advantage in competition.
03 Returning to the First Principle of Innovation
The highest dimension of business competition is the "precise definition of the industry's essence." What I see from the DJI–Insta360 business war is:
• There is no absolute good or bad in technology paths; the key is whether they can match users' core demand for "efficiency" or "freedom";
• A company's moat is not in the spec sheet but in the "ability to turn technology into user value" — DJI turns flight-control technology into "stable certainty," Insta360 turns algorithm capability into "creative freedom," and both are, in essence, deep responses to the essence of "recording and expression."
The first principle of innovation is user demand! Rather than chasing and surpassing rivals' "parameter metrics," it is better to return to users' most primitive needs and redefine the "way of meeting those needs" — that is the real difference. All competition, in the end, returns to the essence of "value creation."
