Once upon a time, about 10 years ago, portable and in-car sat-navs were the cream of the crop when it came to on-road navigation. Brands such as TomTom and Garmin ruled the roost, releasing new models with the same frequency some of us change our cars, and all in everyone was happy (especially those who hated map reading!). But then….
In came apps. Boo, hiss! Technology giant Google encroached on the sat nav field with Google Maps, followed shortly by Bing; Apple got in on the act with their own Apple Maps (native to iOS and used as the default mapping service for Apple OS). Coupled with the rise of 4G mobile internet and smartphones that were faster than computers, this all spelt one thing out for sat-nav manufacturers – trouble! It didn’t take long for other sat nav apps to pop up on the market – both free and paid, these put a big dent in the sales of portable sat navs and adversely impacted new car buying decisions as to whether an in-built sat nav really was all that, especially with the costs of updating it every year!
Fast forward to 2018 and we’re seeing sales are following a continual downturn for portable satnavs; John Lewis have even removed from their physical stores altogether (although still available online). TomTom also reported a larger drop than expected in 2017, with weaknesses seen in both its’ consumer products and automotive services divisions. At the same time, we’re seeing partnerships such as that between Waze and Ford merge even closer, as Ford announce their Sync 3 infotainment system will now also feature Waze real time navigation with full functionality, removing the need to use a smart device to run this whilst driving.
Of course, there are many that still prefer to use a portable sat nav or their inbuilt in-car system and we don’t expect to see either of these die out anytime soon, but it certainly looks as if shifts in technology and user habits will continue to see sales and usage dropping. Of course, with the tougher penalities for using a held-held device whilst behind the wheels, both portable sat nav and smartphone users will need to think carefully about how and where they use these devices whilst in control of their car.
So, how do you navigate? Do you turn to your trusty sat nav, or just load up an app? When did you last consult your trusty AA road atlas? Let us know in the comments….