@Phenostar: The kind that only Sparks and brownies can manufacture.

Kaiser-Machead

So far I've held off, because, let's face it, many of the little gems like used book stores, tiny tuck-away restaurants with stellar chefs, that small town with the invaluable b&b, those off-beat mountain treks, you won't find with a GPS unit installed.
On the other hand, when you really, really need to get somewhere, and get there in time (traffic nonewithstanding), a GPS beats your old-fashioned fold-away map any day of the week. And with the right hardware already present in your cellphone/DAP/car stereo/digital watch, why pay extra for another gadget to carry around?
I wouldn't be surprised if one of these updates, my Samsung P2 could do GPS via my cellphone. It can already answer calls, carry my powerpoint presentations and possibly give me cancer from bluetooth radiation (hey, it might be true!).

Hvedhrungr

@Kaiser-Machead: "one-time-buy device" ... "no service fees"

What iPod Touch have you been using?!

Phenostar

I've owned a few Garmin GPS units over the years and the one thing I really hate about them is how expensive it is to update the maps. Their hardware is decent but the costs if you want to keep the maps updates is very high. If I could do the same things with an iPhone AND get free updates to maps thanks to the likes of Google I'd dump all my Garmin goodies in a heartbeat unless Garmin started offering free map updates. If they did that then I might very well stick with Garmin for GPS thanks to some other features they offer.

IphtashuFitz

my car gps gets beatup alot, so i'd still rather have a dedicated cheap gps for uses such as in the car instead of using a $400 iPhone that could fall off the dash etc.

ice2032

What do I know, but I think Garmin will be fine. It's like RIM and the iPhone. This just squeezes the smaller players out of the market. Garmin has the biggest contracts the highest percentage of the market, etc. It's #s 3 & 4 that are likely doing the most sweating.

(Not that Garmin is likely pleased...)

92BuickLeSabre

If the iPhone 2's GPS unit performs like the one built into the Nokia N810*, TomTom and Garmin have nothing to worry about.

* i.e., absolutely no indoor receiption, and takes forever to triangulate outdoors.

dsevil

Will maps be downloaded in realtime or stored on the unit? The advantage of a standalone GPS is that everything is on the machine and no wireless or cell connection is needed to make it work.

jstimson

If the iPod touch were to suddenly be fitted with a GPS unit, they'd probably shit their pants, because that's basically a one-time-buy device with no service fees and lots more functionality than anything Garmin or TomTom deliver.

Kaiser-Machead

lmao....That's why I laughed my dad in the face when he said he wants to buy a Nuvi 660 GPS thingee.....It's only a matter of time before the iPhone gets GPS and once it does, the screen size, combined with its UI, combined with its portability will invalidate dedicated use GPS units....

TheSonOfKrypton

If they're not ALL scared, they deserve the shock they'll get when the smartphone makers eat their lunch.

Synik103

Actually good to hear as long as you have the ability to get a good connection. GPS me now?

Grifter

@plailleur: Not just tomtom, I would assume when the other GPS makers find out they will be scared shitless too, unless you attach it to the cars at the factory

WD40

FineDigital?

justinpe

Steve Jobs is drinking your milkshake, GarTom.

bobdobbs

Uh oh....time to liquidate Garmin stock!

whiteknight

Harmin' Garmin....

scoobydoo

Tomtom?

plailleur

ITs more than likely NOT Garmin. Since their Nuvifone is goign to kill. I would imagine it is tomtom, magellan or mio, something like that - they dont have cellphone dedicated hardware convergence, so I would guess its one or more of them.

Nuvifone may not take away iphone sales, but, it will keep garmin users from going elsewhere.

Stacky Botrus

@nwaringa: uhhh, correct me if I'm wrong, but 3 meters is as good as you'll get, so says Uncle Sam, unless you're the military. But hey, 9'10" isn't too far off your magic number.

Synik103

@jstimson:
You don't need preloaded maps when you have 3G. Also, the google app caches the path of your trip in case you lose signal
@dsevil:
Indoor? Why do you need GPS indoors? Most GPS doesn't work indoors anyways, I've taken a tomotom and a garmin indoors and they get no signal. So iphone would be no worse.

auroragb

@IphtashuFitz: Check with the parts department of your local Toyota dealership or one of the many places selling Toyota parts online(also Toyota dealers). The most current version(at least for the DVD nav in my Camry) is 7.1, which was released in Fall '07.

aka Bitter

@jswilson64: I havent dropped my iPhone, but I dropped my nano through a crack in an elevator shaft on the 5th floor of a building. It fell 5 floors onto concrete in the elevator pit. I had to pry the headphone jack open with some needlenose pliers, but other than that the little bastard was fine. Still works.

Gann

so which company might supply the gps chip in the new iphone?

eblingmis

All TomTom and Garmin have to do is come out with a revolutionize-the-way-people-think-about-cellphones feature for their GPS units and they will have nothing to worry about.

Gann

I can't wait for aviation GPS programs on the iPhone. Would be a great solution for private pilots like myself with good taste :-)

ramman345

I dropped my handheld GPS into the water the other day -- it's still working.

Anyone care to bounce their iPhone off a rock and into a stream?

jswilson64

@Scott: it doesn't.

nwaringa

I don't know. I think there's something to be said for having the map data entirely contained within the unit and not downloaded piecemeal as you drive or when you look up new directions.

Pender

there is an Installer.app/jailbroken iPhone/iPod Touch app that allows you to save, then later come back to, Google Maps cache files, which would allow you to save maps. for when you don't have any reception.

that said, i'm sure some enterprising developer or three will come up with something official/for the iTunes App Store.

either way, i purposely held off buying a standalone GPS unit this past christmas, in anticipation of true GPS on the iPhone 2.0.

what i'm really hoping for is full-blown Google Earth, with full GPS capabilities, including GPS datalogging and downloading of said logged data to my laptop.

TonyRockyHorror

@Scott: There's supposedly a little troll in a little car that drives around with a GPS logger and wifi sniffer. Pretty weird, huh?

[www.skyhookwireless.com]

itchytooth

And they're not scared about the GPS that's been in high-end Nokia's for years now, despite Nokia's far larger market share?

I guess they only watch the ads, too.

Mr. Gunn

I have an iPhone and a Garmin Nuvi.

I havn't really taken the Nuvi ANYWHERE since i got the iPhone.

Yes the iPhone turn by turn sucks, but you know what, it gets the job done, and I don't have to take an extra box along.

Throw in a real GPS, and I'll kiss the Nuvi goodbye completly.

bpatten

The three things Apple needs for this to succeed against Garmin:

1) Precise maps... it is more of a Google limitation. However if Google adds true 24k topo life would be freaking awesome.

2) A precise GPS receiver. Something that is accurate to 8 feet or less would be nice, any further and it could be an epic fail.

3) Audible turn by turn routes.

nwaringa

By the way, how does the locate function in Google Maps work on an Ipod Touch? Is it looking for info from your ISP?

Scott

@hmooby: No one's saying it's the first, but you can't deny that people would give a shit about GPS a bit more if it was on the iPhone.

Kaiser-Machead

@beyondthetech: I have an in-dash GPS in my car and it's got it's advantages & disadvantages. The biggest disadvantage is that I've been entirely unable to get any sort of update from Toyota for it. The map data is 2 years old and I live in Boston where the Big Dig was recently formally completed. The road configurations have changed drastically over the past few years so the maps were a bit out of date when I got the car and now they're even more out of date in some places. And yet it's virtually impossible to get updates from Toyota short of buying a new damned car...

IphtashuFitz

Oh, yeah, I forgot about the traffic update capability. GPS navigators still rely on a live data source, and few people will or know how to connect their data-enabled cell phone to the GPS device via Bluetooth or cable. The iPhone will still be all-in-one. Ok, scared shitless justified.

beyondthetech

I hope they crush Garmin. Years of selling over priced maps and hardware will finally be your downfall... Garmin is the pinnacle of GPS evil.

nwaringa

@sonicwind: If you shit yourslef you no longer contain shit within yor bowels, hence you are without shit or shitless.

Leonard Nimrod

I can understand that GPS manufacturers have something to be worried about because of the residual income they get for selling the most updated maps, whereas the iPhone would simply reach out to Google Maps to get the latest info.

But, I would still like to have a dedicated (read: in-dash) GPS in my car, that is until car manufacturers decide to build-in iPhone docks with replicating 7" multi-touch LCDs for an enhanced driving experience. Then, it will really be all over.

Granted, like hmooby has said, Nokia and HTC have done it by coupling with TomTom, iGo, and Navigon, so it's the same setup as GPS devices, but the iPhone is still taking it a step further, and not adding any additional subscription costs other than data service.

It's kinda like an HTC or a Blackberry running the free Nav4All.com, although their interface and UI leave much to be desired.

beyondthetech

Last I heard, TomTom was in the process of buying TeleAtlas, so even if the hardware business fails, they've got the map data to fall back on.

Limekiller

I talked to a friend of mine a few years back, what would it look like if Apple made a GPS. I'm super excited because I trust Apple with all my heart that they will make it user friendly and based on what the end user needs and not the developers. Which is very important. I have Maestro 4250 which is dubbed one of the best GPS out there, but operating it, it's not convenient at all.

I talked to my friend, those GPS companies were better realized sooner to really focus on an end user and make it better before Apple seized it.

But oh well, maybe they just love their comfort zone that much

Playstation

Yeah, I've been making do with the fuzzy GPS of the current iPhone, just on the chance that it gains the ability to pair with bluetooth GPS receivers. Or I buy iPhone 2, with real GPS. So, sadly, TomTom and Garmin have lost my business to imaginary Apple products.

itchytooth

just what exactly does "scared shitless" mean? Don't really, really scared people shit themselves?

Anyway, as I was driving down the sidewalk the other day trying to see and tap and slide and resize my iPhone map directions...

sonicwind

The thing you're missing (currently) with a non-subscription GPS device is traffic updates. Perhaps with enough people using GPS, this could become a free internet service in the future.

Either way, my BlackBerry Curve has had GPS since last year. I've never glanced at a seperate GPS device, since it does everything I need. I assume new iPhone owners will feel the same way. It also integrates with Google Maps.

generally

as if the iphone is the first cellular device with gps built-in...Nokia's done it...HTC has done it...

hmooby

Since the location is provided by an open API aren't the GPS makers free to develop their own applications for the iPhone and sell them?

Personally I figured that turn by turn would be provided by a third party application for sale in the store anyways, not included for free with the phone.

jmckee

@jswilson64: Show me a link, because everything I've read says that the best you're going to get is an average of 2 to 4 meters over a timespan of 3-4 hours.

Synik103

I say good for them. Garmin and Magellan have been cranking out innovation-free, incremental upgrade crap for years. If they had bothered to spend some money on real R&D and sold some innovative products of their own, they wouldn't be shitting their pants about Apple's.

matto

The iPhone already has this.

Step 1.) Make a photo with the text on it "You are here!"
Step 2.) Add photo to iPhoto
Step 3.) Sync
Step 4.) Bring up photo on iPod.
Guaranteed to work indoors and to be accurate with in one arm length.

DeadWriter

... details:
you connect through the data channel.. and you use his wireless client to connect to the banks network ... and from there do the dirty work ..
that would imply a sort of connection sharing ..
(a bridged networking environement) ...

madlogik

@aec007: You can, it's called airplane mode.

R2B2

IPHONE + gps + data channel = Massive Wireless Wardrive Geocaching Capabilities!

(imagine doing a wardrive ... only multiply that by x iphone users and add gps data + combine in one massive database mirrored over a couple sites under a short TTL domain .. and you've got an instant, always on, constantly updated map of all the wireless access points arround.

step2: add the posibility for each iphone to become a "router" ... so to say... more like a proxy ...
and you've got remote / tunneled and impossible to detect way of hacking that wireless network from your home! ..

imagine that:
yeah .. humm hi ... I'm calling you on your iphone because you happend to be right next to the bank ... it may sound extremely odd, but would you mind staying there for the next 15 minutes? ... come to think of it .. would'nt you mind to go even closer to that flashing green spot on the ceiling? ahh much better.. thanks... wait for my call back! :)

you could ssh into his iphone and do it all from there .. but that would imply that he has a "jailbroken" iphone ...
if I never updated.. you could always root through metasploit ... but I didnt see any exploits for 1.1.4 otb.

I'm getting an iphone. v2 ... ;) That's for sure.
as of now: I only own an ipod touch... but it's all I need ;) along with a cellphone..

k . nuff said ;)

madlogik

What are you planning to do with an iPod Touch if it has GPS? Unless you're geocaching, it's not going to do a lot of good, since you're not going to have map data on the highway. Now, if Apple were to get into the map data business (say, a $79 yearly sub and you get updates that sync through iTunes to a iPhone/Touch) then you've got a Garmin killa.

TVGenius

Keeping unnecessary gadgets in your car (gps, stereo head unit) is just stupid as it makes you a rip-off target.

The head unit manuf. (Clarion, etc.) should be crapping in their pants as they are the next to go.

With my 8525 (or most advanced phones) you can stream music over web, via fm, from memory card...there is no reason for head unit.

I want to take my advanced phone and 'dock' it in the car. The car provides 5.1 sound, perhaps bigger display and possibly keyboard...with my "device" having the brains and some built-in memory.

mikeklein

@Synik103: OK, you're wrong. A WAAS-enabled GPS chipset can get you to 1-2 meters.

jswilson64

@jswilson64:
Don't forget the battery life... Standard GPS units can go for weeks on end with a set of "replaceable" batteries.
The iPhone does not have a replaceable battery nor can it last for weeks on a single charge.
So if you hike... better get a solar charger and hope for sunny days or a hand held winder/charger for your gear...not the ideal setup for a backpacker... weight/volume and additional crap is what you want to avoid just to support your iPhone.
Also, a hiker in the wilderness would take a cell phone but power it off when out in the boonies and out of range.

Can you power OFF the cellphone function in the iphone? so you do not burn power needlessly when you're in the wild?
Dunno, but I bet you can't.

This might not work for everyone... It's a nice though though...

aec007

@auroragb: the gps on my BB 8310 works fine inside, given I'm not inside a bank vault or at the bottom of Nakatomi Towers.

Synik103

I'm surprised it took him so long to realize that.

Bokusatsu_Tenshi

I counted 12 references to "Iphone" on the main page.

I think the future of iGizmodo is safe now :)

Lman

or... a garmin with wifi and a browser + linux/bsd or any open source shit you may wish for! :) (garmins already pair bluetooth with your current cellphone...

madlogik

" well - there is the market of Iphone afficianados that don't own any GPS Devices - because we actually know where we are and don't get lost in the first palce_"

Well, aren't you a little cocky asshole. I don't get lost either but when you're driving from Texas to Indiana (like I will be come fall) for the very first time, it's nice to know that you have a back-up plan if you get lost.

MBPro

I'm actually waiting for iPhone 2 and because of the GPS, I will not be buying another seperate GPS. I was looking at Garmin and found some really good ones but the iPhone 2 will get the same thing accomplished. Even if it's not as good as the moderate to top line of Garmin (which I was looking at), I'll be satisfied with my iPhone.

COME OUT ALREADY.

MBPro

From the intarwebs:

How much improvement in accuracy can I expect when WAAS corrections are working properly?
Answer: This is difficult to say with any certainty. We have observed that MOST OF THE TIME WAAS appears to improve averaged accuracy at a fixed location for maybe 5 minutes averaging from about 7 meters to perhaps 3 meters. Sometimes there has been no improvement and a few times (when WAAS signals were not of good quality or when we were far from a WAAS correction station) the measurements have actually had more error with WAAS than without.

The upshot of this is: WAAS is a tool for casual GPS users. It is not guaranteed to work, it is not guaranteed to increase accuracy, it is not really able to tell you when it will improve accuracy, when it will have no effect, or when it will make for less accuracy than the normal GPS signal. Under good conditions when YOU ARE OUT IN THE CLEAR AND RECEIVING A GOOD SIGNAL FROM THE WAAS SATELLITE, you should get both improved accuracy and improved position stability. YOU must insure that you have the proper conditions so as to experience the improvement at YOUR location.

This is just the way it is and remember: If you do not like the current limitations of WAAS there is a very simple option -Turn it off

Synik103

well - there is the market of Iphone afficianados that don't own any GPS Devices - because we actually know where we are and don't get lost in the first palce_

Then There is the fact that Google Maps is not accurate by as little as a block to as much as several miles when trying to find an address_

So TomTom or Garmin or Magellan or whoever shouldn't be too worried - first_ And second There will be some overlap in the GPS market with the iPhone market but there are still going to be plenty of consumer for each niche market that do not buy into the other product_

One more thing - seeing as how the iPhone relies on a wireless connection to a land-based node or a cell signal to a cell-phone tower - that kind of kills the joy of being miles and miles from anything and still using GPS on the iPhone as the mobile dedicated GPS gadgets typically get a Satellite feed_

uberfu

then again .. some things are better left unsaid :)

madlogik

@IphtashuFitz: The only reason I ever bought a standalone GPS unit (not a car one btw), was so I could have one that was reasonably weatherproof for hiking/backpacking/camping. (also, I bought that one a number of years ago before in car GPS was at all common, and WAY before cell phone based GPS was an option)

I presently have an AT&T Tilt and so long as I am out doors it locks-on in about 10sec & ur gtg. 8GB micro sd means I have space for several gb of on-board maps if/when I'm out of cell range.

Recently added a car mount and Nuvi/TomTom/Garmin/etc. can kiss my purple happy starfish!

FYI anyone with a GPS capable WinMo phone that has slow lock-on times should look into switching to a different AGPS client program.

bpapa9013

How quickly people forget. The Garmin NuviFone is on its way. They were smart enough to see this coming. If they price it right and it isn't locked into the whore that is ATT then I would definitely consider it.

Only one other person mentioned this...

fragglepac

I think the GPS manufacturers will be fine. The leading companies, like Garmin could (and can) do all sorts of things to give them an edge over an iPhone with GPS. I'm excited about it just because more competition means more innovation. The iPhone, for example, helped influence cell phone makers to incorporate better touch screens and features such as visual voice mail into typical phones. They had the technology to do this before, but didn't need to use it until competition drove them to.

Paint Swatch

I can certainly see if smartphone trends in general keep adding GPS to the offering than the TomToms and Garmins have something to worry about.

@iPhone haters: almost one year out of the gate and you still don't know the basic functions of it?

thechansen

@Paint Swatch: "The leading companies, like Garmin could (and can) do all sorts of things to give them an edge over an iPhone with GPS."

I'm curious what you think those things are.

The big advantages I see for the iPhone are: 1) large multi-touch screen (yes, many GPS receivers have large screens too, multitouch less likely; other phone makers will not have this advantage across their lines); 2) most always carry their cellphone, not true of GPS receivers; and 3) Apple will not even need to provide all of the software -- Google and 3rd parties will do the majority of heavylifting. This is the big one: GPS becomes really powerful when its leveraged in location-aware shopping, social networks, gaming, messaging... can GPS manufacturers create the software platform and maintain the marketshare to attract the developers, or will these developers flock to the iPhone, Android, and Nokia's offering?

Tim Faulkner

Yeah, they're fucked once we get a GPS + 3G iPhone.

robotleawesome

The iPhone GPS better be fucking amazing if it's going to beat a true GPS unit. I've had GPS in everything from my N810 to my Mogul, and none really perform as well as my dedicated unit (currently a TomTom 930).

scoobydoo

It has to be Garmin's CEO since they are coming with the nuvi Phone. If they fail, they are done.

ninelife777

The people people who travel a lot will still buy dedicated units because of the maturity of the systems. I've been using various Garmin units through 3 iterations and have seen the capabilities that have added, and how truly helpful they are, which won't be found in a Google Maps type program. That being said, there's a reason Garmin is eying the phone market with it's Nuvi Phone and you've hit it on the nose. Normal people will want GPS as a feature and this will be sufficient for most.

spyder91

There is one thing that you guys have forgotten! The problem with GPS in the iPhone (as well as any cell phone device right now) is that you rely on Google maps which is downloaded over Edge 3G or GSM 2.5G. So if you're in a location where you don't have a cell signal, you won't get any map to track where you are.

I know because I've run across this while trying to go snowboarding in West Virginia. We were by some maximum security prison and my boy had an HTC phone with GPS and Maps. We got a great GPS signal, but no cell phone service so the program was utterly useless. When we finally got to a decent signal, we realized we were 1 hour off course. Now w/ integrated maps in the iPhone, this would be a completely different story.

Joseph

@aec007: I suspect that, like with 3G and Bluetooth and WiFi, you'd probably be able to turn GPS on and off when needed. Or the entire phone, for that matter.

ghmlco

Guess what? looking at a tiny phone screen while trying to navigate and drive is a good recipe for getting to really know your insurance company. Call me a contrarian, but I'll take the bigger screen and dedicated functionality of a stand alone unit in my vehicle any day. I want to glance at it for info, not have to pick it up and study the details while I drive. If they make a heads up unit like the HUD in a fighter plane, I'll pay a significant premium for that one, and give me some kind of thin remote input device I can attach to my steering wheel for data inputs/control. Power it with one of those magic flashlight shaking generators so I don't need to screw with batteries, there's enough dynamic motion in a car to shake it up. I am available to beta test this...ummm Garmin?

allenjnl

I've always been amazed that so many people have no idea where they are or how to get where they're going...

steveand

If Apple and Google are thinking, the really scary thing will be enabling real-time traffic on the iPhone by turning every iPhone (with permissions of course) into an anonymous indicator of traffic like the Dash. After all, it already has the radio and data communications.

Dedicated GPS is dead... :(

Jamie

@Joseph: "There is one thing that you guys have forgotten!"

Actually, I think you forget the iPhone has/will have 8+ GBs and an open third-party developer framework. I think the best the GPS companies can do is hop onboard and start developing their software and maps for the iPhone or someone else will.

Sure, some (snowboarders, adventurers, hikers) will still want dedicated GPS. Cars, commercial applications, and the high-end will still exist. But the issue is, the GPS makers don't want to hold onto a niche they already captured. They thought they were going to have a growing consumer market. TomTom just tanked on an 80% reduction in profits because gear has gotten dirt cheap.

Everyone talked about how cellphones were going to kill the iPod for three years. Now that Apple has developed a transition path, few noticed that the explosion of the GPS market was threatened.

Tim Faulkner

@allenjnl: I suspect that it will impact the market for handheld units the most. As to driving, more and more new vehicles are providing screens and GPS as optional or even standard equipment. So while it may not be a good substitute for a dash-mounted system, the number of after-market solutions will be decreasing over time anyway.

Besides, the few times I've needed directions I've pulled over into a parking lot, used Google maps. figured out which way I needed to go, and got back on the road again. No need for second-to-second directions.

And if anyone should be worrying, it's Rand McNally...

ghmlco

I'll be giggling on the 9th when they announce the new phone and it has half of all the things all the websites say it will have. People will be pissing and moaning for a week.

I won't be surprised if it doesn't have GPS. This is Apple here. They don't make huge jumps in features, they trickle them out so you keep buying upgrades. It took a couple of years for them to add a gapless playback feature in the ipod when my CD-based MP3 player, that I had a few years before my first ipod, had that ability. And that unit didn't come with the feature originally, it was something added in a firmware update within 6 months.

bitgod

@Tim Faulkner: Ah yeah I've been following the GPS stocks. Both TomTom and Garmin are getting hit. I know that iPhones will have the space and that's where the solution will have to ultimately lay. Google maps is great, but I don't think it will provide a complete solution. I mean I've been on the highway in many places and lost cell phone signal. Thrid party apps are coming hard and fast, I mean I'm even working on one right now.

Joseph

The iPhone is like walmart. At first everyone loves it cause it has something for everyone, but then it shows it's true colors, takes over the world, and puts everyone else outta business. wait, maybe that's a good description of Apple itself. Hmm...

kabuk1

well, they haven't been "innovating" for a long time, my father owns one of those Garmin units and man it sucks! moves around the map as slow as possible and sometimes doesn't even show the map all while you wait, black and white or retro 256 colors on high end units! waterproof? you wish!, batteries? good but not great for a camping trip. Did I mention they are slow?

VakeroRokero

I have a Garmin eTrex Legend. It loads maps via a cable that comes with it, it's pretty cheap, runs for 18 hours on 2 AAs, can snap onto the handlebars of my bike or car mounts, can be rained on and take heavy vibration, and even a fair bit of shock and impacts. If it can't... it can be cheaply replaced.

GPSes are still often used off the beaten path and not just cars so I think even if all in one devices cut heavily into their sales I think they will always have a niche cut out for them. Garmin and Magellan will probably have to totally overhall their interfaces to stay competetive if this happens though.

fuchikoma

It's not like Apple didn't give them fair warning... they completely left GPS out of the first iPhone for no reason I can discern. Garm-omto-vigon had to know that the clock was ticking.

macserv

@fragglepac:

"Only one other person mentioned this.."

Yeah, doesn't that tell you just how many people consider Nuvi to be even relevant ;-P

Dearhaw

GPS on mobile phones is going to be like 3MPX and above cameras on mobiles.

People serious about GPS will still feel more comfortable with the added functions of a true dedicated GPS device, but for a lot of people the built in solution is going to do the job perfectly.

Mobile phones are convergence devices, where lots of features previously available only on dedicated devices combine to add value and increase market interest in the device. These features usually are average to good, but cannot stand competition of a dedicated device. This however pushes only the people who really need the power of a dedicated device to actually purchase it. Embedding devices in a mobile offers the great advantage of having one piece of equipment performing several tasks and also minuaturization (smaller device).

This is inevitable, and forces specialized devices to become cheaper (usually) and also much more feature rich and dedicated.

I think it is a positive trend, one in which you will be able to have many features on the mobile phone and still be able to purchase a dedicated device if you want to seriously use it.

Example:
the Nokia mobiles have a good digital camera, built in browser, music player, GPS and many other things.
For what I use a GPS the Nokia fits my needs, but being passionate about digital photography I still decided to purchase a dSLR because features and quality are simply not comparable.

This translates however in fewer sales for dedicated devices...

That's the way tech is...

pinolo

Too bad I was already thinking that for the PSP gps system, but that was so yesterday. What is an Iphone?

SinAmos

As long as iPhone is more than an average salary in all but the few rich countries, there's still a huge potential for economy-class GPS devices. And there will always be a market for geodetics class devices, for GPS-based tracking devices, for high-quality devices with bigger screen and better map (for professionals drivers) and a lot more. iPhone can only grab a slice of [30~60]% price range, leaving the [0-30] and [60-100] up for grabs for others.

sharpfang

The PSP has a SCREEN?!

IVPPITER

They really have nothing to be afraid of I think.
My Blackjack 2 has Garmin on it. It can't be that far of to make an iPhone version for it.
Turn by Turn isn't available yet for google maps.

Craysh

I'd be happy if it would just let me pair with a bluetooth GPS, and let the software developers come out with the mapping software.

Less drain on the battery.

Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen

@Joseph: "I mean I've been on the highway in many places and lost cell phone signal. "

This is the beauty of a standalone GPS receiver built within the phone (hopefully within the iPhone 2 as well), cellular signals aren't required.

Also upon reading the headline, I thought the GPS maker was scared at how accurate the GPS was or something I had no idea he meant it'd be the end-all for stand alone GPS units everywhere else.

Ricorich196

I've been using GPS on my Verizon LG Chocolate for about a year now (for a fee granted). ...this is nothing new... I'm actually surprised it's not in there in the first place.

dea136

Dear GPS Maker,

I don't have an iPhone nor I plan on buying one, but if you think the new gps-powered iPhone is going to cover users' needs to the point that they might not want to buy your devices, why don't you just give your consumers what you know they want instead of what you want them to buy!?

Sincerely,
A consumer

invassive

I'll stick with my garmin. I refuse to use anything at&t has to offer. ty

yobuttin

Note to Apple: put a GPS into the iPod Touch, and you will absolutely murder the current GPS market.

HeartBurnKid

This unnamed CEO's fear is apropos. Garmin's and TomTom's could very well be (read: likely) tomorrow's "Palm Pilot". RIM and APPLE with the edge to Apple are the only handset makers who get that most people in and outside geekdom really want a multi-function device with phone capability versus a phone with multi-function device applications. Telephony now is a "taken-for-granted", it's the form, function and feel of everything else. And why would I want ANOTHER device (GPS) I have to cart around. So aside from narrow applications, I can't imagine why anyone will have a stand-alone GPS device in five years.

sharmanova

Anybody heard of the Dash Express? I would be shocked if the iPhone could do everything Dash products can (although apps could change that eventually). Besides not wanting to mount my iPhone to my dashboard, I just don't think it could replace a proper GPS unit. It would work fine I'm sure, but I'm very happy with my Garmin Nuvi for now.

Paint Swatch

What really separates a dedicated GPS from Google Maps (besides having the maps stored locally) is the accuracy of turn-by-turn directions. With the a portable GPS (Garmin, TomTom, Mio, Navigon etc...) you get exact instructions on when to turn and how far you are from the turn. These units can be used without even looking at them. The text-to-speach reads you the street names and can even tell you what side of the street your final destination is on.

On the other hand, Google Maps on the iPhone is the equivalent of looking up a destination in Google Maps on a your Mac or PC, then printing out the maps with directions, and taking them with you. There's nothing wrong with that, it probably fulfills 90% of what people want. But, you still have to look down and read the directions and it is much easier to miss a turn.

Joe1234