TomTom’s looking to de-emphasise the GPS business — or at least the part of the business that sells personal navigation devices, according to reports.
TomTom’s one of the most identifiable brands when it comes to GPS devices, but things have been rocky for the company in recent times, according to a Reuters report. Sales of personal navigation devices has been dipping, down by 23 per cent in the third quarter of the year. TomTom isn’t looking to sell the PND division of its business; instead it will be focusing more on the in-car preinstalled market, which accounted for the largest growth in its business. The article quotes TomTom chief executive Harold Goddijn as saying that
“We have started a restructuring program which will focus our organization on the areas where we see the greatest potential for growth, of which Automotive and Content & Services are clear examples.”
[Reuters]
TSH
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 at 3:13 PMMy one and only problem with in-car nav systems is the hassle of getting updated maps. If there was a simple method – say with an SD card or USB socket – of installing new maps then I’d be all for it.
TomTom is very recognisable, and I’ve always been a fan of the way their navigators work. No doubt another area of growth would be smartphone navigation (now that practically everyone carries a GPS chip in their pocket), although their system would have to compete with built-in and free alternatives.
Dad
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 at 4:36 PMThere is, Garmin (Nuvi) have been doing map updates by USB and SD card for years. They just charge an arm and a leg.
Ghost Dad
Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 2:01 AMYou do realise that some of the latest garmin models have lifetime map updates if you purchase them between now to the start of next year.
Adam
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 at 5:59 PMMy Renault has a built in tomtom unit. Map updates are via SD card and cost about $100 for year of updates. Not $500 for a stupid cd like others.
Garat
Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 9:38 AMOr you could just spend $80 and get the TomTom app, I’ve been using it for about a year now and its been great.
Brisbane Bob
Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 1:54 PMAt $100/yr for upgrades and another $100 if you dare to let your maps get behind, it’s just too expensive to support TomTom. Sheer greed on their behalf. $25/yr would be reasonable and they’d generate such volumes that they could give away the hardware.
If I wanted to spend $200 I could get a new Kogan!