Tom Tom: Smartphones and nav devices are complementary
As one of our last appointments on the floor of CES, we went out to a meeting room way back in the back of the South Hall to talk to Tom Murray, Senior Vice President of Market Development for Tom Tom -- one of the leading companies selling navigation devices and software. We've covered Tom Tom and its products many times here on TUAW before, so it was great to finally sit down with the company and talk about their business.
Perhaps the most interesting thing Murray told me last week was that the company doesn't see the iPhone (and other smartphone devices) as competitors to its portable navigation device (PND) business. Instead, Murray sees Apple's platform and others like it as "complementary" to the traditional GPS devices that Tom Tom makes and sells. Murray did admit that the rise of smartphones has "had an impact on our core PND category," but given that Tom Tom has found success with a number of regional apps on the iOS Store, Murray says that "the iPhone has been accretive to our business."
The biggest device for Tom Tom at the show was the Go 2505m Live unit. It will arrive in April, and it will bring a number of improvements, including a service called HD Traffic, which not only pulls in information on roads all over the US generated by Tom Tom's own devices, but connects to "partner vehicles" (like delivery and fleet vehicles) to convey real-time information and accurate routing as you drive around. That service isn't on the iPhone app yet (in the US, anyway -- it is up and running in Europe, we were told), but Murray says it would be "reasonable to assume" that kind of information will eventually find its way into the company's iPhone app.
The company has also just added a feature called "MapShare" to the iPhone app, which has delivered 14 million validated user-created map updates to the service already. The company is also looking at what Murray called "multiplatform navigation" -- the idea that your smartphone could work with the navigation device in your car to trade directions back and forth. Despite all of the improvements to the iPhone app so far, Murray told us that the iPhone app's volumes for users are "a fraction of the dedicated units" -- there are still plenty more PND users on the roads out there than iPhone navigation users, according to Tom Tom.
Finally, I asked tangentially about any plans for the iPad, but Murray confirmed that in most cases, the use patterns between Apple's phones and its tablet are too different for navigation software to get involved. The biggest concern in that arena, said Murray, is safety -- Murray said that "safety is a priority" for all of the company's devices, and the iPad doesn't necessarily lend itself to safe use in the car. But all possibilities are still open, and even as other mobile markets, like Android, go on the rise, Tom Tom will keep its options open.
As I said, it was excellent to speak with a Tom Tom representative -- the company has definitely found a nice high-end place in smartphone navigation, and it's great to see the constant updates and support for the company's apps. Stay tuned for more coverage of Tom Tom's activity on the App Store.
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As one of our last appointments on the floor of CES, we went out to a meeting room way back in the back of the South Hall to talk to Tom...
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and the tomtom can serve as the bluetooth in my car. better for hands-free driving. my company won't let me use the iPhone for work purposes since the iPhone doesn't have the same security features as the Blackberry. So I use the Blackberry & a PND
January 19 2011 at 11:44 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyYa, I'm pretty sure that that 'feature' that TomTom is releasing on their PND has been around for quite some time from Navigon on their iPhone app. "Traffic Live" As covered by:
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/10/navigon-updates-again-adds-live-traffic/
No that's not what this article is addressing. TomTom already has live traffic (Uses INRIX & looks at other TomTom devices etc) in both their stand alone units and their iPhone application. The newish "HD Traffic" brings some additional features like traffic info on secondary roads etc.
January 12 2011 at 3:22 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyCouldn't agree more.
I just bought an dedicated GPS (TomTom infact) and don't regret it at all. It was only 30 euros more than the iPhone app, has the same features software wise but a much larger screen (actually it probably costed around the same, considering I would also need a car mount and charger for the phone in the car). Plus I don't need to worry about unplugging everything when I am at a reststop (I am willing to leave the GPS in the car on a busy parking lot, but not my phone). Plus my wife can use it too (doesn't own an iPhone). And if my phone breaks, I can go and buy whatever new phone I want then without loosing my GPS unit or having to rebuy the app on a different store. I am way to invested into the Apple App ecosystem as it is .. don't need to add a dealbreaker to that.
Well stealing the app would have been possible of course .. but I kind of grew out of that.
T.
I have my iPhone fully wired into my car but I am glad to have a Tomtom right next to it. I also have tomtom installed on my iPhone but I never use it.
January 12 2011 at 12:21 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyCompletely makes sense.
But.
What if your iPhone GPS was just as good and the software as good?
:)
I imagine I would still lament losing a dedicated navigation screen. I use the iPhone intensively for music and podcasts and communication whilst in the car, and I know I'd be missing junctions and directions if I had to switch between those functions and navigation all the time (voice prompts notwithstanding). It would mean yet further interaction with the iPhone, which wouldn't benefit anyone's road safety I suspect..!
January 12 2011 at 10:03 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply"... company doesn't see the iPhone (and other smartphone devices) as competitors to its portable navigation device (PND) business."
Did someone hit him with the stupid stick?
Spot on.
Yes. His company.
If he was simply honest and said: GPS in phones will match or surpass the quality in PND's and the software and control will be better in the next 2 years, then he might as well sell his stock.
I bought my folks a Garmin for christmas as they like it, but once it gets stolen as their past ones did because they were tired of taking it out every time they parked, they'll finally download an iOS app. Or having to recharge it, or get another "service" bill... well, it just simply doesn't add up to the convenience. Add to that current gas prices and getting older, they simply don't travel as far as much.
I don't own a PND and never will. It should be part of my iOS, Win7, Android.
They two really aren't competitors, because they sell iPhone apps too. Whether someone buys the standalone hardware or an app, they still have a sale. As a matter of fact, I'm not likely to buy a standalone GPS device myself, although I would definitely consider buying an iPhone app. So in that case, they're getting MORE business thanks to the iPhone.
January 12 2011 at 12:18 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThis makes no sense. Having more than one device in the 21st Century is sacrilege.
This reminds me of PDA talk when Smartphones surged from the likes of Palm. (though Sony saw the signs and ended the Clie just in time)
Either jump on Windows 7, Android or iOS or drown in the landfills folks.
I wish you were right, but sadly you're a tad too optimistic.
Having more than one device in the 21st century is a necessity, if you care about what you're doing. There are indeed devices that do many things - iPhone being one of them - but they don't do all of them WELL. Which is the key thing.
An iPhone acting as a satnav is also acting as a music player, phone, diary, IM client, games console and more.
The iPhone is not as good a music player as an iPod , it's not as good an ereader as a Kindle, it's not as good a games console as a PSP, it's not as good a phone as any Nokia from ten years ago, and it's not as good a satnav as any current Tomtom.
So, sure, if you want to get by and go "Oooh look at me I have one device that does everything oh wait the battery has gone" then fine, but for now the only realistic (albeit impractical and less than ideal) option is to have multiple devices, all of which do what they're designed to do - and do it darn well.
And on the subject of Tomtom apps Vs dedicated PNDs, there is one area in which an app is unlikely to beat a Tomtom PND for quite some time, and which means my main device for a few years yet will have to be a PND: roaming. When you go to a different country, your phone starts roaming on the foreign networks and this causes data prices to skyrocket. A dedicated Tomtom PND with HD Traffic has a built-in SIM card, so your (initially free) annual subscription covers all data costs - regardless of which country you're in. This makes a big difference, and until roaming data charges on mobile contracts come down, it means my main satnav will always be a dedicated unit.
And of course, a dedicated unit doesn't need to be replaced every time you change phone OS...
Living in LA I use the traffic function on my TomTom app constantly.
And I am constantly amazed at how much faster it can make my commute.
Very excited about HD Traffic service. Get it to the App now!
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TUAW (or The Unofficial Apple Weblog) is a website devoted to tips, reviews, news, analysis and opinion on everything Apple.
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