Hey Garmin, ya you, I’m talking to you
Thursday, April 10th, 2008In keeping with my end of the world rant, let’s turn our paranoia to GPS manufacturers - Garmin and Magellan.
Premise: Google and Apple have it out for you. The only thing that is standing between you and the utter erosion of your handheld and portable business is the fact that the iPhone doesn’t have GPS capability. That is about to change. It is all but absolutely, positively confirmed that the upcoming 3G version of the iPhone will have GPS. Couple this with an open 3G SDK (which we can safely assume will lag the release date by some months) and you have the makings of a handheld GPS unit with a superior user interface- oh ya, it can also browse the web, play videos, play music, email and make phone calls. Consumers: If your iPhone can take the place of your handheld or portable GPS unit, why buy both?
I can think of a couple of reasons but they’re all niche: ruggedization and waterproofing.
Think for a second. Wrist GPS units are everywhere. You see them on walkers, bikers and runners. What else do you see? Yep, an iPod. Nary a health nut goes by without wires hanging from their ears. Again, I ask, why would you buy both when you already have it in your iPod? (more…)
