Predictions for the future of GPS units? (here's mine)

[Genius of Love]

With the falling prices of decent entry-level GPS units, I can certainly see people just buying new units vs. upgrading the maps.

On Black Friday 2007, decent units were in the $100 - $125 price range (heck, the Mio c220 was $80 after a MIR at Pep Boys!) For Black Friday 2008, $75 is certainly reasonable. And text-to-voice will probably become a standard feature in the coming year...

At $75 for a new unit, why spend $70 to upgrade the maps? Just buy a new one and hand the old unit with the dated maps off to a friend or relative.

They'll be like cell phones, "disposable". Just my prediction to where it's all headed... The only people who will buy map upgrades are the folks who buy upper-level units.

There really isn't an incentive for the GPS companies to reduce the price of map upgrades since you buying a new unit helps keep the factories humming.

Thoughts?

 

[lec510]

'Disposable' is a dirty word.
I hope we are smarter than the gold fish, craving for food then dying in their own craps.

 

[46jimbo]

It may become like ink-jet printers. They practically give away the printer and make it all back by selling you overpriced ink.

 

[cleblanc92]

the future is convergance

Our mobile phones will contiue to include GPS just like Bluetooth, WiFi, Cameras and MP3 support. It's just a natural progression do put everything on one device like they contiue to do. It's funny how TomTom and others are workign from the other side including things like MP3 playback on their own as well. I see one brick device from many providers that offer all these features and that down the road it would replace your home PC as well. An all-in-one brick for those who want to have one device on their hip or in thier pocket....not 3,4,5 that all have to be charged, upgraded, maintained.

I would love to see options like this with an industry open standard home and car dock. This would make it easy for you to take it all with you (an no doubt loose it or have it stolen to) and it could simply "dock" and take advantage of larger touch screens like in in-car LCD then pop in into a dock at home and check your email. Come to think of it, perhaps it will be wireless so the only docking that is needed would be to power it....since Mr. Fusion is still a ways off.

 

[Nextourer]

It's called an iPhone lol.

As much as I hate carrying multiple devices, I'd rather have separate devices do their own thing rather than clump everything into one unit.