Recently, I came across two well written articles on Personal Navigation Devices. Out of the two, Telecomcircle article articulated the future of PNDs very nicely, emphasizing on the fact that, Google & Nokia holds the key to future of navigation industry and road is closing down for PND companies like Tom Tom & Garmin. The second article, which is in fact a recent report, published by ABI Research on “Commercial Navigation Systems” predicts that, global commercial navigation system shipment will grown from three million to 7.5 million in 2015. What does future hold for Navigation Industry? Let’s take broader view of personal navigation.
I often relied on my Garmin 12 Channel PND for my basic navigations need. So be it finding Cell Towers or recording Lat-Long of particular location, it worked perfectly for me for quite some time. I was indeed very happy with the device, till I bought my Android Phone. Since the arrival of my Android device, I often relied on Google Maps & in-built GPS receiver to locate Cell Towers and find addresses across Delhi. More over applications like ‘GPS Status’ from Android Market are equipping my device to level of PND capability (In built Compass etc). Also due to inbuilt A-GPS, I could track GPS Signals inside cars or even at home too. What’s more, due to availability of Internet Connection I could simply update Maps or make my own customized maps for future use at any time. In short, my Android device was more than perfect replacement for Garmin PND.
But why am I sharing all this? Yesterday, the Dutch Navigation Company, Tom Tom, announced the released of its high end “Go Live 1000” PND, which has long awaited features like Internet Connectivity & Speed improvement. This new product calculates the routes almost instantly and also alerts users to upgrade their already in-use high end PNDs. But will this gimmick of adding Internet Connectivity to high end PNDs prove its worth? I think; it’s not enough!
Now, when I look back to my Garmin PND, I see how rudimentary it is. This battery powered, black & white screen device needed a special mount to rest on car-roof top. The display of the device is no-where upto the mark and street maps shown are of inferior quality to those of Google Maps. Where will my Garmin PND go from here? I feel Smartphone navigation is equally powerful feature, where PNDs are felling short of expectations. Navigation companies like Tom Tom often relied on their core business to an extent where they started losing in to new technology challenges. Navigation systems of Google & Nokia have shown us that, no matter how established the existing business model is, you can always bring new things to table with better value proposition, to shake up entire industry. And now, when Tom Tom is waking up to challenges from Smartphone segments, they have certainly lost the quality time in introducing features like Internet connectivity & Speed to low cost PNDs. The road is closing down for PNDs. And according to Mr. Jeffery, the technology analyst at Noruma, Tom Tom was doing well as it could, but crucial step would be in moving new technology to its cheapest products. He adds, “How successfully they do it will determine where they are in three years’ time”.
Message is clear- It’s battle of survival for PNDs.
