Xtra Implies the Muse 2 Pro Delay Is Actually Caused By Its High Standards

Yesterday, Xtra posted to Threads and apologized to customers who are still waiting for the Muse 2 and Muse 2 Pro to come to market. The delay is most certainly due to issues with the U.S. government, but Xtra is now saying it’s actually because the company cares too much.

“We know many of you are eager for an exact date. We promise we are testing and manufacturing around the clock to make MUSE 2 & 2 PRO accessible as fast as humanly possible! But until every single unit meets our zero-compromise standard, we won’t tease a speculative timeline,” the company writes on Threads.

For the past several weeks, Xtra has posted numerous times about how the gimbal camera is “coming soon,” but it refuses to provide an actual timeline for what that might actually mean. The real reason Xtra can’t provide a timeline is likely because it doesn’t know: it’s currently in a showdown with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding its importing of what appears to be DJI technology.

View on Threads

As we’ve explained in the past, the FCC has been investigating Xtra as part of a broader effort involving companies accused of bringing technology associated with restricted DJI products into the United States. In July, the FCC proposed a $25,000 forfeiture against Xtra and separately proposed prohibiting the continued importation and marketing of equipment from Xtra and several other companies. Those proposed actions are part of an ongoing regulatory process, rather than an immediate blanket ban on every Xtra product.

“We are currently in close communication with the relevant authority (the FCC) regarding Xtra’s status in the U.S. As part of this process, last week we initiated official refunds for customers who had placed early-access reservations for the Xtra Muse 2 Pro, since we are not yet able to confirm a specific launch date,” Xtra told PetaPixel in July.

View on Threads

The thing is, we know the delay isn’t due to a compromised product because we’ve tested one of the few examples that has made it into the U.S. It’s great and works exactly as advertised.

Given how harshly the U.S. government has treated DJI, it seems highly unlikely that Xtra will be able to sway the minds of those in charge of the FCC. Continuing to market the Muse 2 Pro as if it’s imminently arriving—and now twisting the story to sound like the delay is due to the company wanting to get every detail right on a product that’s clearly already finished—feels particularly dishonest.

Look, it stinks what is happening with DJI and with Xtra. These are great products that are being blocked from U.S. customers for political reasons (reasons that have never been explicitly explained). But at the same time, misleading marketing rubs me the wrong way. It’s not fair to lead potential customers on like this, especially when starting these weird claims with “pinned for transparency.” Beyond that, Xtra might garner more support if it continued to be publicly transparent with the truth: it wants to sell the Muse 2 Pro in the U.S. and is ready to right now, but it can’t because it’s not being allowed to.