Apple Moves to Kill GPS Devices, Reduce Dependence on Google

[vta]

Insidious??

Apple made a number of significant announcements at its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) yesterday, but one of the most insidious was its widely expected move to launch Maps, the company's homespun mapping and GPS navigation service.

In addition to killing off standalone GPS devices, the other immediate thrust of Apple's foray into mapping is clear: It means to reduce dependence on Google. Every single mobile device Apple sells is dependent on a service its chief competitor (at least in that same mobile market) provides. By eliminating Google Maps from its devices, Apple can sleep better at night, without wondering if Google will ever shut down its service or make it somehow inferior when running on iOS devices.

 

[Arch Stanton]

Apple Picks TomTom for Maps, Edging out Google

Published June 12, 2012 Dow Jones Newswires

Apple Inc. (AAPL) has ditched Google Maps and forged a deal with navigation system maker TomTom NV (TOM2.AE) for mapping services in the next version of the software powering its iPhones and iPads.
The pact between the Dutch minnow and one the world's most famous brands was made public just hours after the Cupertino, California-based company unveiled new mapping features for its upcoming new phone operating system at its developer conference in San Francisco.
Little detail was provided in TomTom's two-paragraph press release announcing the agreement Tuesday, but the deal could be an important life-line for the Dutch navigation system maker which has seen its revenues ebbing over the past four years.


Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/news/2012/06/12/apple-picks-tomtom-for-maps-edging-out-google/

 

[YosemiteSam]

Stand alone GPS has been on deaths door since Google Maps for the smartphone came out.

Google announced not long ago that Google Maps will work "offline" too so, so you won't have to have a data connection when using it.

Apple is late to the party here, it's been known for some time that Apple is trying to eradication anything Google off the iPhone. The problem is, with the exception if iTunes, they are trailing in everything that Google offers.

They got in bed with Twitter to try and catch up and are currently making deals with Facebook (whom may I say is moving against them in creating a competing phone and is also moving into iTunes space) Now they are also jumping in bed with TomTom who is a dying company.

If anything, their actions seem more like panic than a good move. If they needed TomTom's technology to try and catch up with Google Maps, they should have just bought TomTom.

btw, Using TomTom means that Apple's maps isn't "homespun". :laugh2:

 

[CashMan]

Stand alone GPS has been on deaths door since Google Maps for the smartphone came out.

Google announced not long ago that Google Maps will work "offline" too so, so you won't have to have a data connection when using it.

Apple is late to the party here, it's been known for some time that Apple is trying to eradication anything Google off the iPhone. The problem is, with the exception if iTunes, they are trailing in everything that Google offers.

They got in bed with Twitter to try and catch up and are currently making deals with Facebook (whom may I say is moving against them in creating a competing phone and is also moving into iTunes space) Now they are also jumping in bed with TomTom who is a dying company.

If anything, their actions seem more like panic than a good move. If they needed TomTom's technology to try and catch up with Google Maps, they should have just bought TomTom.

btw, Using TomTom means that Apple's maps isn't "homespun". :laugh2:

I have never bought a navigation device, I use the nav on my smartphone which is a Droid.

 

[TheCount]

Native turn by turn will be a welcome addition to my iPhone. Personally, I have zero interest in the power struggles taking place between Apple and Google, but the fact that the switch adds a new feature to the phone is definitely a win for consumers.

 

[YosemiteSam]

I have never bought a navigation device, I use the nav on my smartphone which is a Droid.

Same here. I could never justify spending hundreds of dollars on a GPS since I didn't go many places that I had never been before. When I traveled, I studied any maps I would need well before I got there.

 

[Arch Stanton]

I have never bought a navigation device, I use the nav on my smartphone which is a Droid.

I bought one for the wife. She'd never work out a smartphone.

The simplicity of the TomTom I bought for her is what is so attractive for both of us. Personally I use Google Maps.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Native turn by turn will be a welcome addition to my iPhone. Personally, I have zero interest in the power struggles taking place between Apple and Google, but the fact that the switch adds a new feature to the phone is definitely a win for consumers.

Google Maps on your iPhone doesn't have navigation? That's odd. My Google Maps has had navigation for years now.

 

[casmith07]

Native turn by turn will be a welcome addition to my iPhone. Personally, I have zero interest in the power struggles taking place between Apple and Google, but the fact that the switch adds a new feature to the phone is definitely a win for consumers.

This. The fact that consumers weigh their purchase choices against what corporations are building against eachother echelons above reality will never resonate with me.

 

[TheCount]

Google Maps on your iPhone doesn't have navigation? That's odd. My Google Maps has had navigation for years now.

Not natively, no. Android has had turn by turn but iOS hasn't had it till now.

 

[masomenos]

iOS devices contribute around $1.5 billion in revenue for Google, it's no surprise Apple is trying to move away from their competitors services.

As more and more iOS devices use Siri, Google's Apple-based revenue will drop even further because there are no ads involved when Siri displays information directly to users.