Based on how TomTom described the dock, most of the heavy lifting is going on in the iPhone and the dock is a glorified charger. Still, they'll probably charge $49 for it.
I would probably pay $15-$20 for the app.
Does iPhone 3.0 provide for a subscription model for apps? I assume TomTom will want a way to charge you for updates.
Never having owned a TomTom, I have a question: you can just NOT update your maps, can't you? Things don't change that often. So if I wished, I could buy an $80 update after 3 years, say? (Not that $40/year sounds that bad anyway.)
You do not have to update maps, so you could do the $80 every 3-4 years if you want. You do lose out on the user corrections after 1 year, and you would be surprised how much can change in just a couple years. Things like new turn restrictions can bite you when traveling and that is one area TomTom and Garmin have been ahead of the second tier products.
Like their own company name, TomTom seems to be offering a lot of redundancy with the navigation hardware.
As I see it:
Speaker. iPhone's got one.
Microphone. Believe all phones have one.
Enhanced GPS Antenna. Noone's sure if this is needed to get a good signal.
Car Charger. Would think many/most iPhone owners already have one.
FM Transmitter. Would think many/most iPhone owners have some kind of solution already.
Mounting Bracket. Definitely needed, but it could be a simple piece of plastic.
An it-does-it-all accessory, whether you want all those features or not. Hopefully not priced to match. Can see the wisdom of a louder speaker for turn-by-turn, and the bracket is a must-have.
Never having owned a TomTom, I have a question: you can just NOT update your maps, can't you? Things don't change that often. So if I wished, I could buy an $80 update after 3 years, say? (Not that $40/year sounds that bad anyway.)
Yes, until now, everyone paid TomTom map updates, when (s)he found it comfortable to have fresh ones. (Personally, I buy them right before my grand rides, once or twice a year.)
I can't guarantee they won't change their pricing scheme in AppStore, but I don't see why they would need to.
great article - they're not based in Wichita Kansas (because we can't fact-check Wikipedia or Google because our widdle fingers will get aw tired) - but who gives a fuck about flyover country right kiddies?
Right - they're going to go out of business because a of product - that isn't released yet - is going to kill them - somehow. Wonder if they sell anything else in the meantime currently? Ya know, I think they do sell something right now in fact. A lot of them too. Did you miss that because of your medical pot prescription?
Did you think Microsoft was going to go under because of the Zune? Was this before or after your 5th bong rip cleared?
Like their own company name, TomTom seems to be offering a lot of redundancy with the navigation hardware.
As I see it:
Speaker. iPhone's got one.
Microphone. Believe all phones have one.
Enhanced GPS Antenna. Noone's sure if this is needed to get a good signal.
Car Charger. Would think many/most iPhone owners already have one.
FM Transmitter. Would think many/most iPhone owners have some kind of solution already.
Mounting Bracket. Definitely needed, but it could be a simple piece of plastic.
An it-does-it-all accessory, whether you want all those features or not. Hopefully not priced to match. Can see the wisdom of a louder speaker for turn-by-turn, and the bracket is a must-have.
Speaker: May not be loud enough while driving. The speaker on the iPhone is quite small. It improved a lot from the first to the second model, but still not a replacement for a loud speaker.
Microphone: They do, but like the speaker this can be better, perhaps even cancel out road noise.
Enhance GPS Antenna: It?s quite simple to add and since your iPhone?s antenna is very limited this helps, especially if you are in an area where it can?t lock on easily.
Car Charger: Perhaps people have one, but that plugs into the iPhone?s 30-pin connector and nothing else can plug into it. Plus, the cord probably isn?t long enough to comfortably reach from all cig lighters to windshields.
FM Transmitter: I?d wager this is less common than the car charger and some have chargers built in, but the same issue remains. Nice to have it built in. I?d also like to see an Antenna passthrough, USB in and/or 3.5mm input option, too.
Mounting Bracket: I?m not sure what you mean by a simple piece of plastic. Sure you could rig something, but having a nice suction and a portrait to landscape swivel with a place to plug in your other connections into the docking station so your iPhone can travel with you easily when you exit the vehicle is nice.
I?m very happy for this device and paying as much for the maps and accessories as I would for a stand alone GPS doesn?t seem unreasonable. Sure, they save money by not having to make the device itself, but that device is so cheap and limited while the iPhone has a lot of potential for these companies, and thenthere are new costs associated with the iPhone side that I would call it a wash and be fine with it.
Once prices reach the $100 mark, you're better off buying a standalone.
I disagree. That's the whole point of the iPhone App - to avoid a secondary device. Why deal with taking the GPS unit in and out of the car AND carrying your cell phone?
A) - $100+ for standalone unit & dock, plus complicated software updates.
I've already got an Alpine iPod adapter for my car. I'm really hoping that this will work with the TomTom software and allow the voice feedback to work over the same connection... It'd be a shame to have to use FM instead.
I disagree. That's the whole point of the iPhone App - to avoid a secondary device. Why deal with taking the GPS unit in and out of the car AND carrying your cell phone?
A) - $100+ for standalone unit & dock, plus complicated software updates.
- $100+ for App w/dock, with AppStore updates.
I'm goin with B
I?m with you. I think a TomTom GPS dock just like this was the first thing I thought of back in March when the API was announced. Convenience is a powerful marketing tool. I?ll probably buy the first one available.
Plus, now that there will be so many mapping options on the same HW and the HW is much faster and with higher resolutions these companies have more options to improve the maps and more competition to force them to stay relevant.
Wow that sucks Garmin has hands down the best map/features.
Also pretty stupid of them, Nuvi phone will be a joke, and a complete flop, I mean I cant see any reason it will be better than any smart phone option, or be able to be priced competitively. So if they are not designing software for the iPhone or BB they will wind up losing out big to Tom Tom and Navigon, and appear to be committing fiscal suicide in probably the strongest growth area in their industry.
They make buckets on money on their standalone units, more on their updates (70 bucks for one time, 120 for lifetime)...plus they are diversifying into Golf GPS which is now a huge market as well.
I have a nuvi 250W and it's good...not a fan about paying for an update though.
The TomTom's accuracy was always flawed; now they are using the same maps as Garmin it's better, but still way worse than Garmin.
I agree Garmin should of never pigeon-holed themselves into the Google / ASUS relationship...Garmin will be fine.
I dunno. I think that there are an array of companies that make small, hand held devices with modest computational power and some kind of display that might need to be rethinking the business plan right about now.
But GPS is a killer app for something like the iPhone, and I think it's going to get increasingly difficult for an outfit like Garmin to continue to convince people that anyone needs their proprietary, expensive hardware that does just one thing.
For instance, can anyone explain to me why I would want to drop $200 for a Nüvi 1200 when I can get pretty much all that in an app? And even if the app is sort of pricey, isn't it much nicer to have my GPS in a thing that I have on my person and does a lot of other stuff instead of yet another box to keep charged and unstolen?
I guess if Garmin really is "the best" in terms of accuracy there may be some motivation there, but surely Tom Tom isn't actually "bad"?
I'd like to know if the TomTom adapter will let me use my iPod Touch for GPS while I'm driving since it doesn't have GPS at all.
There would appear to be a market for it. Even their current docking system would work. All thy would hbe to do is add a GPS radio thy connects to the dock and update the app to read from it. With the 30-pin connector supporting USB and the API open to developers there really is little they can't do.
I've used Garmins, TomToms, and Navigons, and the best of the best in my opinion are the Navigons, so I'm very happy to see that Navigon will be making an iPhone app. Everyone always claims Garmin is the best, but ever since I purchased a Navigon, I'd never go back to Garmin.
Right - they're going to go out of business because a of product - that isn't released yet - is going to kill them - somehow. Wonder if they sell anything else in the meantime currently? Ya know, I think they do sell something right now in fact. A lot of them too. Did you miss that because of your medical pot prescription?
I was speaking at a personal level, I doubt I will buy something from them again or pay to upgrade their maps on my existing Navman which is getting pretty old now, when I can use an alternative on one of my iPhone's.
I can even make use of the Navman mini USB car charger to charge my iPhone spare battery.
As to the impact this has on Garmin, that depends on how many people think like me.
There would appear to be a market for it. Even their current docking system would work. All thy would hbe to do is add a GPS radio thy connects to the dock and update the app to read from it. With the 30-pin connector supporting USB and the API open to developers there really is little they can't do.
I was thinking the same thing. Thanks for you reply.
While I agree this is a missed opportunity for Garmin, and that their phone effort will likely not be a resounding success, I don't think they are doomed. They still dominate the air and nautical markets. But I do agree that the consumer, hand-held size market is going to move away from dedicated GPS devices to phone/video/audio/GPS/etc. devices. Garmin has a pretty good track record with devices, but I don't think they have the software & development environment experience to go up against Apple and Palm. Maybe their Android based unit will turn out to not be a complete disaster.
- Jasen.
P.S. I bought Garmin stock at $90; I'm very sad now.
Comments
I would probably pay $15-$20 for the app.
Does iPhone 3.0 provide for a subscription model for apps? I assume TomTom will want a way to charge you for updates.
Redial
Preset phone numbers 10
Integration with contacts
Voice controls.
Touch screen for phone functions
My garmin can be used for minimal touch capability
But my garmin 360bt does something simple touch interface to make up for the
LACK OF VOICE DIALING
I was drooling for the SE AB900 then sony cancelled
It. It had 6 presets fm transmitter dlp echo cancellation
That was my solution for safer driving BUT now must look
Elsewhere
We need a thread for hands free iPhone car kits
Blueant get presets
Mr handsfree I'll just lose the remote build in the presets
Of someone please create a kit that can suck in the contacts
From the iPhone and have it's own voice control
Voice dialing. I sure miss my v551 voice dialing
I really like that Navigon 3D view!
Never having owned a TomTom, I have a question: you can just NOT update your maps, can't you? Things don't change that often. So if I wished, I could buy an $80 update after 3 years, say? (Not that $40/year sounds that bad anyway.)
You do not have to update maps, so you could do the $80 every 3-4 years if you want. You do lose out on the user corrections after 1 year, and you would be surprised how much can change in just a couple years. Things like new turn restrictions can bite you when traveling and that is one area TomTom and Garmin have been ahead of the second tier products.
As I see it:
Speaker. iPhone's got one.
Microphone. Believe all phones have one.
Enhanced GPS Antenna. Noone's sure if this is needed to get a good signal.
Car Charger. Would think many/most iPhone owners already have one.
FM Transmitter. Would think many/most iPhone owners have some kind of solution already.
Mounting Bracket. Definitely needed, but it could be a simple piece of plastic.
An it-does-it-all accessory, whether you want all those features or not. Hopefully not priced to match. Can see the wisdom of a louder speaker for turn-by-turn, and the bracket is a must-have.
Never having owned a TomTom, I have a question: you can just NOT update your maps, can't you? Things don't change that often. So if I wished, I could buy an $80 update after 3 years, say? (Not that $40/year sounds that bad anyway.)
Yes, until now, everyone paid TomTom map updates, when (s)he found it comfortable to have fresh ones. (Personally, I buy them right before my grand rides, once or twice a year.)
I can't guarantee they won't change their pricing scheme in AppStore, but I don't see why they would need to.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garmin
and re:Good bye Garmin, wasn't nice meeting ya.
Right - they're going to go out of business because a of product - that isn't released yet - is going to kill them - somehow. Wonder if they sell anything else in the meantime currently? Ya know, I think they do sell something right now in fact. A lot of them too. Did you miss that because of your medical pot prescription?
Did you think Microsoft was going to go under because of the Zune? Was this before or after your 5th bong rip cleared?
Like their own company name, TomTom seems to be offering a lot of redundancy with the navigation hardware.
As I see it:
Speaker. iPhone's got one.
Microphone. Believe all phones have one.
Enhanced GPS Antenna. Noone's sure if this is needed to get a good signal.
Car Charger. Would think many/most iPhone owners already have one.
FM Transmitter. Would think many/most iPhone owners have some kind of solution already.
Mounting Bracket. Definitely needed, but it could be a simple piece of plastic.
An it-does-it-all accessory, whether you want all those features or not. Hopefully not priced to match. Can see the wisdom of a louder speaker for turn-by-turn, and the bracket is a must-have.
Speaker: May not be loud enough while driving. The speaker on the iPhone is quite small. It improved a lot from the first to the second model, but still not a replacement for a loud speaker.
Microphone: They do, but like the speaker this can be better, perhaps even cancel out road noise.
Enhance GPS Antenna: It?s quite simple to add and since your iPhone?s antenna is very limited this helps, especially if you are in an area where it can?t lock on easily.
Car Charger: Perhaps people have one, but that plugs into the iPhone?s 30-pin connector and nothing else can plug into it. Plus, the cord probably isn?t long enough to comfortably reach from all cig lighters to windshields.
FM Transmitter: I?d wager this is less common than the car charger and some have chargers built in, but the same issue remains. Nice to have it built in. I?d also like to see an Antenna passthrough, USB in and/or 3.5mm input option, too.
Mounting Bracket: I?m not sure what you mean by a simple piece of plastic. Sure you could rig something, but having a nice suction and a portrait to landscape swivel with a place to plug in your other connections into the docking station so your iPhone can travel with you easily when you exit the vehicle is nice.
I?m very happy for this device and paying as much for the maps and accessories as I would for a stand alone GPS doesn?t seem unreasonable. Sure, they save money by not having to make the device itself, but that device is so cheap and limited while the iPhone has a lot of potential for these companies, and thenthere are new costs associated with the iPhone side that I would call it a wash and be fine with it.
Once prices reach the $100 mark, you're better off buying a standalone.
I disagree. That's the whole point of the iPhone App - to avoid a secondary device. Why deal with taking the GPS unit in and out of the car AND carrying your cell phone?
A) - $100+ for standalone unit & dock, plus complicated software updates.
I'm goin with B
I disagree. That's the whole point of the iPhone App - to avoid a secondary device. Why deal with taking the GPS unit in and out of the car AND carrying your cell phone?
A) - $100+ for standalone unit & dock, plus complicated software updates.
I'm goin with B
I?m with you. I think a TomTom GPS dock just like this was the first thing I thought of back in March when the API was announced. Convenience is a powerful marketing tool. I?ll probably buy the first one available.
Plus, now that there will be so many mapping options on the same HW and the HW is much faster and with higher resolutions these companies have more options to improve the maps and more competition to force them to stay relevant.
Also pretty stupid of them, Nuvi phone will be a joke, and a complete flop, I mean I cant see any reason it will be better than any smart phone option, or be able to be priced competitively. So if they are not designing software for the iPhone or BB they will wind up losing out big to Tom Tom and Navigon, and appear to be committing fiscal suicide in probably the strongest growth area in their industry.
They make buckets on money on their standalone units, more on their updates (70 bucks for one time, 120 for lifetime)...plus they are diversifying into Golf GPS which is now a huge market as well.
I have a nuvi 250W and it's good...not a fan about paying for an update though.
The TomTom's accuracy was always flawed; now they are using the same maps as Garmin it's better, but still way worse than Garmin.
I agree Garmin should of never pigeon-holed themselves into the Google / ASUS relationship...Garmin will be fine.
But GPS is a killer app for something like the iPhone, and I think it's going to get increasingly difficult for an outfit like Garmin to continue to convince people that anyone needs their proprietary, expensive hardware that does just one thing.
For instance, can anyone explain to me why I would want to drop $200 for a Nüvi 1200 when I can get pretty much all that in an app? And even if the app is sort of pricey, isn't it much nicer to have my GPS in a thing that I have on my person and does a lot of other stuff instead of yet another box to keep charged and unstolen?
I guess if Garmin really is "the best" in terms of accuracy there may be some motivation there, but surely Tom Tom isn't actually "bad"?
I'd like to know if the TomTom adapter will let me use my iPod Touch for GPS while I'm driving since it doesn't have GPS at all.
There would appear to be a market for it. Even their current docking system would work. All thy would hbe to do is add a GPS radio thy connects to the dock and update the app to read from it. With the 30-pin connector supporting USB and the API open to developers there really is little they can't do.
and re:Good bye Garmin, wasn't nice meeting ya.
Right - they're going to go out of business because a of product - that isn't released yet - is going to kill them - somehow. Wonder if they sell anything else in the meantime currently? Ya know, I think they do sell something right now in fact. A lot of them too. Did you miss that because of your medical pot prescription?
I was speaking at a personal level, I doubt I will buy something from them again or pay to upgrade their maps on my existing Navman which is getting pretty old now, when I can use an alternative on one of my iPhone's.
I can even make use of the Navman mini USB car charger to charge my iPhone spare battery.
As to the impact this has on Garmin, that depends on how many people think like me.
Did you think Microsoft was going to go under because of the Zune? Was this before or after your 5th bong rip cleared?
You're comparing Garmin to Microsoft? Maybe you should put down the shot glass.
There would appear to be a market for it. Even their current docking system would work. All thy would hbe to do is add a GPS radio thy connects to the dock and update the app to read from it. With the 30-pin connector supporting USB and the API open to developers there really is little they can't do.
I was thinking the same thing. Thanks for you reply.
- Jasen.
P.S. I bought Garmin stock at $90; I'm very sad now.