Sony has announced it will discontinue the AirPeak S1 drone next year. The decision comes three years after the company started taking orders for the remotely controlled flying machine.
In a message on its Japanese website, the tech giant said it will stop selling the drone and most of its related products at the end of March 2025. However, battery packs for the AirPeak will continue to be available through March 2026, and repairs and software maintenance will be offered until the end of March 2030.
Sony put its decision down to “changes in the business environment,” which feels like company-speak for: “We weren’t selling enough of them.”
In what seemed like a brave move to take on drone giant DJI, Sony launched the AirPeak S1 in 2021, targeting professional filmmakers and photographers with a system that enabled the use of Sony’s high-end mirrorless cameras. In an even braver move, the company charged $9,000 for the aircraft, a hefty price that may well have been its undoing.
Sony unveiled the AirPeak S1 to great fanfare, trumpeting its top speed of 55 mph and its dual-operation mode that lets one person fly the drone while someone else focuses on controlling the camera. It also has the ability to stay steady in winds as strong as 44.7 mph, allowing filmmakers to capture smooth footage in challenging conditions.
But one early review of the machine was particularly damning. Photography specialist site PetaPixel criticized the AirPeak S1 for its complex set-up process, poor performance, camera feed issues, and app limitations. It titled its review: “A rare, utter flop for Sony.”
The company had been rolling out gradual improvements via software updates, but evidently they were not enough to save the machine. Sony has no other drones among its myriad of product offerings, and it looks likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future.