09
Sep
2011
GPS Business News: Today Garmin and its newly acquired subsidiary NAVIGON have hosted a press conference at the IFA trade show in Berlin.
At this stage the companies have presented together their products but the portfolio, which was designed months before the acquisition was obviously separated with a range of new NAVIGON product and the European version of the Garmin lineup announced in the United States a few days ago. (more…)
25
Aug
2011
Engadget: It’s time for Garmin to refresh its lineup and flood the market with a slew of dash-mounted GPS devices. In total there are six new series of navigators, with countless models scattered amongst them. The “essential” nüvi 30, 40 and 50 (top left) lines come in three sizes: 3.5-inch, 4.3-inch, and 5-inch sizes (we’re sure you can guess which is which), and cover all the basics including a lifetime’s worth of free map updates. (more…)
27
Jul
2011
Engadget: Mergers and acquisitions can sometimes take some unexpected turns, but that’s not the case with Garmin’s purchase of former rival Navigon. The company said last month that the acquisition would be complete by “late July” and now, on July 26th, it’s announced that the deal is in fact done. There’s still no financial details being disclosed, but execs from both companies are expectedly tossing around words like “excited” and “pleased,” and they’re promising plenty of integration and new opportunities going forward. Obviously, they’re betting they’ll be better as partners than rivals in the face of mounting challenges.
15
Jun
2011
Engadget: News of Garmin’s plans to acquire Navigon leaked out earlier this month, but we now have official word that the GPS giant will bring the smaller German company under its wing beginning in late July. Pending regulatory approval, the deal would have Navigon, one of the largest GPS brands in Europe, functioning as a subsidiary of Garmin, which has a much stronger presence in North America. The companies were unable to reveal any financial information, though previous estimates priced the deal in the “mid-double-digit million” Euro range. Navigon says it’s not ready to share any details concerning the acquisition, but we’re unlikely to see major effects in the US, where the company has smartphone apps but hasn’t sold dedicated GPS devices in several years.
08
Dec
2010
(Credit: Automotive News)
Car Tech: Suppliers of navigation systems and their automaker customers are facing a tough new competitor. And the competitor is, literally, in their pocket.
That pesky device stuck to the windshield continues to cause trouble, too.
According to a J.D. Power and Associates study, 60 percent of people with a factory-installed navigation system also own either a portable device or a smartphone with a navigation system. In both cases, most consumers prefer to use the installed navigation system.
But one in four, given a choice, ignores the installed system–and that might spell trouble for the future.
Thirty-six percent of survey respondents had both a portable navigation device–such as those from TomTom International and Garmin–and a system installed in their vehicle. And 28 percent of consumers with both say they prefer to get directions from the portable device.
The pattern is similar for users of smartphones: twenty-four percent of respondents have them, and 28 percent of those with both a smartphone and an installed system say they prefer to use the phone.
The October survey of 17,517 drivers suggests no immediate serious trouble for suppliers that provide navigation systems. The list includes Clarion, Denso, Alpine Electronics, Pioneer, Harman International Industries, Hyundai Mobis, and Delphi Automotive.
But they shouldn’t be complacent, said Mike Marshall, director of automotive emerging technologies at J.D. Power. “It’s important that suppliers take into account some of the features that make these systems preferable,” Marshall said.
Those features include ease of use and more frequent updates for maps and points of interest.
Also, “Prices of factory-installed navigation systems need to stay competitive,” Marshall said.
Clarion appears to be meeting the challenge. The Cypress, Calif., unit of the Tokyo company partnered with Ford Motor to create navigation systems for the automaker’s vehicles. Several of those models led the industry in the Power study, which asked consumers to rate factory-installed navigation systems.
The top four systems in the survey were the ones in the Ford Fusion, Flex and Taurus and the Lincoln MKS. Clarion supplied all of them.
Clarion supplied 13 of the 50 vehicles with navigation systems that ranked better than the industry average. Denso and Harman, each had 11 vehicles in the top 50.
Marshall said that one of the factors in Clarion’s success is its partnership with Ford.
“Clarion also supplies the Nissan Infiniti vehicles, which aren’t scoring as high as the Ford vehicles but they are still doing well,” he said. “But it’s that true partnership that really brings it home, and it’s not one supplier all by itself.”
19
Nov
2010
Navigadget: I guess we really should’ve said “GPS enabled smartphones are taking considerable market share from standalone GPS navigation makers” but a sensational title is always more fun. But either way future is not looking great for GPS navigation manufacturers. According to a study done by a Swedish research company (Berg Insight) standalone GPS navigation systems are bound to become obsolete as their functions are now part of most smartphones or just embedded into vehicles’ dashboard.
Now that Nokia and Google are giving the technology away for free, GPS navigation makers will have to come up with ways to make their products standout or offer functionality that is not covered by smartphones. We can already see some change as Garmin and TomTom now offer real time traffic information, and working with vehicle manufacturers to embed their technology into vehicles at the factory.
… the number of personal navigation devices shipped globally will peak in 2011 at 42 million, up from 40 million this year, before beginning a gradual, but inexorable decline…
However CEO’s from navigation makers are still hopeful arguing that people are still willing to pay extra for high end specialized devices. I guess Garmin is in the best position here as they’ve already branched into other markets bringing in 1/3 of their sales from marine, aerial, and fitness related GPS devices.
19
Jan
2010
Electronista: Garmin will soon offer an annual subscription service, BirdsEye Satellite and Aerial Imagery, for some of its portable navigation devices that will show detailed, photo-based maps.
The software is raster-based, or compiled with aerial photos and images that are scanned, geo-referenced and overlaid onto the GPS receiver’s display.
These images, like Google Maps’ satellite view show actual buildings, vehicles, roads and other physical landmarks for easier navigation.
The images have 0.5-meter per pixel resolution in many areas of the US, and can be viewed at zoom levels from between 20 feet to 12 miles. The images are supplied by DigitalGlobe and users can overlay vector maps over them.
The service is compatible with Garmin’s Oregon, Dakota and Colorado series of devices. The service gives users unlimited downloads for a single Garmin device, which can be managed and viewed on a Mac or PC thanks to the free BaseCamp application. BirdsEye Satellite and Aerial Imagery will be available in March, priced at $30 (€20).
17
Nov
2009
TradingMarkets.com: Pioneer Corp. said Monday it has filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission claiming that Garmin International Inc. is infringing upon the Japanese manufacturer’s patents involving navigation technology.
In October, Pioneer lodged a similar complaint against the U.S. maker of information appliances with the German District Court of Dusseldorf.
Pioneer says it has been negotiating with Garmin to license its patents but that the U.S. company did not evaluate the patents “fairly.”
Consequently, the Japanese firm has taken the legal steps to protect its intellectual property, according to the statement.
29
Oct
2009
DVice: Google has just released its free navigation software for mobile phones running Android 2.0, much to the chagrin of the big names in the GPS game.
While folks like Garmin and Magellan have plenty to fear, even companies that use an iPhone app have to be worried too, because this, like most things Google, is just so much cooler than anything out there.
[...]
Garmin has tried to break out of the GPS-only world with its own phone partnership, but it seems to be way too little, too late in that market.
Magellan doesn’t even have a dog in the phone fight. Many companies are going the app route, but given the popularity of anything related to Google, it’s gonna be tough to compete.
One thing’s for sure: say “electronic maps” to anyone, and the first name they think of is the big G. While currently only available on the Android 2.0 system, Google has made it clear that it’s willing to play on the iPhone if Apple will allow it.
New smartphones have been announced by Motorola and Verizon that will be running Android 2.0 and Google Maps for Mobile, which the navigation service is a part of.
You have to wonder if anyone is going to buy a standalone GPS when so many navigation programs are available on phones?
13
Aug
2009
DigiTimes: Sequential improvements in revenues in the second quarter of 2009 recorded by the word’s top-two vendors, Garmin and TomTom, signal that the global PND market has recovered from the recent business slump, according to industry sources in Taiwan.
Garmin has reported a 53% sequential revenue growth, to US$669 million, for the second quarter, while TomTom has said its second-quarter revenues soared 73% sequentially to 368 million euro (US$518 million).
Taiwan-based PND vendor Mitac International has also experienced increasing shipments to North America, Europe and Australia recently, the sources noted. Mitac is expected to ship two million GPS PNDs during the third quarter of 2009, roughly doubling the total shipment volume for the first half of the year, the sources estimated.
Overall, Mitac aims to ship five million PNDs this year, the sources noted.
11
Aug
2009
TWICE: After many delays, the Garmin GPS/smartphone, or Nuvifone, is on track to launch in the U.S. in the fourth quarter and will be accompanied by an advertising campaign, said Garmin.
On a conference call today with analysts, Garmin reiterated that its Nuvifone, originally due in the third quarter 2008, is in final testing with U.S. carriers.
Garmin would not reveal how many carriers are testing the product. The previously announced Garmin-Asus Nuvifone G60 (based on a closed, Linux-based system) is already starting to ship in Asia, and the M20 (based on Windows Mobile 6.1) will ship in August in Asia, said Garmin.
On a global basis, the Nuvifone should contribute $100 million to $200 million to Garmin revenues this year, said the company. In reporting on its second-quarter earnings, Garmin told analysts it expects its unit sales in personal navigation devices (PNDs) for the full 2009 to be flat with 2008, although average selling prices will be down by 16 percent.
PND unit sales for the quarter grew in the U.S. and Asia but were offset by a 20 percent decline in unit sales in Europe, said the company.
09
Jun
2009
Electronista: In spite of warnings of delays, Garmin president Cliff Pemble today at a shareholders’ meeting said the company was “getting very close” to launching its nüvifone line on sale in the US through a carrier.
The touchscreen GPS phones are now through the second stage of carrier testing and thus not far away from being used. Surprise demand from providers meant the company had little reason to follow original plans and release the phone at full price but unlocked.
An American ship date isn’t mentioned, nor is whether the launch would center on the Linux-based G60 or the Windows Mobile-based M20, though the G60 has been the longest in development and is the most ready of the two.
An unlocked, carrier-independent version could be ready for Asia as early as late June or the start of July. Garmin had originally positioned itself as an iPhone competitor when the nüvifone G60 was first unveiled in early 2008 but has seen much of its advantage disappear as more than a year of delays have let the iPhone catch up through the addition of GPS. As early as next week, the iPhone could also support turn-by-turn GPS and mitigate one of Garmin’s main advantages.