“Apple’s online App Store for the iPhone, with hundreds of programs available so far, has been a big hit since it opened July 11. But one thing that’s conspicuously absent is a navigation program with voice-based, turn-by-turn directions that utilizes the iPhone 3G’s new GPS receiver,” Suzanne Choney reports for MSNBC.
“Such a program is likely some months away. Several of the ‘bigs’ in the business — TomTom, Garmin and Magellan — are interested. But the three companies are reticent to say much about their plans, which still require Apple’s blessing,” Choney reports.
“‘We have made our navigation system run on the iPhone; it looks good and works very well,’ said Dutch-based company TomTom, in a statement to MSNBC.com. ‘We will have to look more closely to Apple’s strategy before we can say more about what kind of opportunities this will bring us,'” Choney reports. “‘We’re always looking at new phone platforms to expand into for Garmin Mobile, but we don’t have any announcements regarding the iPhone at this time,’ said Jessica Myers of Garmin International. Magellan spokesman Raphel Finelli said the company does ‘not have immediate plans for this, but we are looking into it.'”
Choney reports, “Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies market analysts, said ‘in talking to some of the guys in the software community, they believe we’ll see voice turn-by-turn directions within the next three months’ for the iPhone, and certainly ‘before the end of the year.'”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “James L.” for the heads up.]
Several MacDailyNews and iPodDailyNews readers tell us that they decided not to get the navigation option in their vehicles or standalone GPS devices, since they already have GPS capabilities in their pocket with their iPhones. Voice-based turn-by-turn GPS will be a very welcome iPhone app. Garmin, Tom Tom, Magellan, and other GPS companies would be best served by working feverishly to get the first iPhone Voice-based turn-by-turn GPS in Apple’s App Store ASAP. Make no mistake, Garmin et al. even as is, Apple’s iPhone already has the ability to render purchases of your companies’ devices superfluous. It’s only going to get worse for those GPS companies that fail to provide iPhone-based solutions.
I want GPS navigation for the iPhone. With the way they’re being stolen, I want to take it with me.
“Make no mistake, Garmin et al. even as is, Apple’s iPhone already has the ability to render purchases of your companies’ devices superfluous.”
I think that’s giving a bit too much credit to the Google Maps application. I’m on a business trip and forgot my Garmin, my 3G/Google Maps did a TERRIBLE job of getting me to my hotel, thank god I’ve been here a few times before and was able to muddle my way through. The iPhone NEEDS a turn by turn GPS solution to have any value for navigation.
The reason I don’t have an Iphone yet is because of the lack of turn by turn..
GPS (and the promise of turn-by-turn navigation) was a big reason that I upgraded to the 3G version of the phone. More than the 3G network thing, it’s the ability to pinpoint where I am, geo-tag my photos, and (hopefully) have a GPS navigator all in my phone that pushed me over the edge to get a new one…. Now I’m just hoping one of these companies will come up with the goods!
When turn by turn navigation comes, get in crybaby mode to complain about the battery getting sucked, which then later you can get in crybaby mode to complain that the battery is not user replaceable.
for years now these guys have been fscking us mac users over – screw them!
I hope they are on the street tomorrow! none of them deserve to even get on the iphone!
From no mac software, to using serial ports way into the 21st century, they’ve done everything in their power to keep GPS off of the mac
I hope their shat goes straight down the pooper!
We already have to worry about petite soccer mom’s on cell phones driving huge Escalades while looking in the rear view mirror and hollering at 3 kids in the back…all the while doing their eye shadow.
NOW we have to worry about them also holding and staring at their turn by turn iPhone in addition. The roads are not safe in Yuppieville.
I’m guessing that this is never going to happen. Just some analyst blowing gas.
I wonder when Greenpeace is going to credit Apple with its success in reducing our carbon footprint…..
re: battery life
most people use turn-by-turn in a car. plug the phone in…
Orange Juice:
The title says “Voice-Based turn-by-turn navigataion”. The Escalade-driving, eye shadow-applying, kid-hollering soccer moms won’t need to look at their iPhones at the same time. How much of those voice instructions will they be able to hear through all the hollering, however, is a good question.
It’s far from ‘petite soccer mom’s’ in Escalades that are a problem.
Two days ago I was riding my bike to work and was nearly run over by a man in an oncoming SUV who was on his cell phone and looking in his side view mirror at the woman he had just passed that was jogging along the sidewalk.
Everyone has their distractions. Cell phones on the ear of anyone driving is not a good idea.
The iPhone in GPS turn-by-turn navigation mode will be mounted on the dash (ancillary product opportunity) and not plastered to the driver’s ear, petite soccer mom or not.
as a previous poster said, i have to have voice turn-by-turn navigation, like tomtom, before i can dump my palm treo. and it can’t require 3G or even cell coverage. i want an iPhone in the worst way, but it has to do a few other things i have been doing on the treo for years, too, including voice dialing, full search of all fields in contacts (just like Address Book), copy/paste and a remote wipe in case i lose it.
The prototype for smell-based GPS turn-by-turn directions is also being tested.
The latest model is making test subjects either hungry, horny or sick.
Garmins are a nice piece of hardware. If they put their software on an iphone it can only help them.
I can’t stand TomToms because of that stupid whistling jingle they have in their commercials.
Guessing “I’m guessing that this is never going to happen.”
As a proud iPhone user, I can vouch for the tracking quality of the GPS. Additionally the free “Rain Stick” has a background that remains stationary as you rotate the phone, so the directional feature is clearly there. The iPhone is clearly more than capable of doing everything the existing turn-by-turn gps devices do. So, given the market for such an app, what makes you think that it’s “never going to happen”?
Google maps is far from perfect, but I must say I have tried several stand alone GPS units as well as built in nav systems from OEM automakers, and none of them are any good either.
It’s like anything else… its only as good as the data being pumped in. Crap in, then crap out.
It’s a article of faith albeit Apple faith… that when one buys an Apple product such as a iPhone that Apple is going to cover your backside by adding those nice little bits and pieces that one doesn’t think to ask for when buying a iPhone!
Now if I have my iPhone mounted to my windshield how am I going to make phonecalls and check email and MDN while I’m driving?
I mean come on
Garmin is notoriously bad when it comes to software innovation, and they have tended to be a largely Windows-only outfit (with a couple of recent exceptions). With their track-record, it’ll be years before they come out with anything for the iPhone, if at all. TomTom claims to have developed something for the iPhone, but they suspiciously talk about ”Apple’s plans“, rather than their own product objectives.
“Now if I have my iPhone mounted to my windshield how am I going to make phonecalls and check email and MDN while I’m driving?”
Don’t forget to clean your gun, throw back a few dozen tequila shots and play with the kids.
TomTom will have something for macworld.
Turn by turn voice is useless. The speaker phone is way to weak for that.
Ugh, has anyone actually looked a google maps and GPS while riding in a car or cab? The accuracy is pretty lame, lots of drift and loss of lock. Unless my iphone is not representative of normal I’m not sure what a great experience a nav app would provide.
(ps, tested in bay area and new york metro)
DLO makes an airvent clip to hold your iPhone 3G. It rotates 90 degrees too. The Map GPS feature is great. You get a nice purple line guiding you to your destination and you get your blue dot, tracking along the purple line. You get traffic information. I think it’s great. Adding voice will make it better, but it’s already good enough that I have avoided making a GPS purchase in the past 6 months, even though GPS devices are dirt cheap, just because I knew that the iPhone with GPS was coming.
Also, the other benefits are that the iPhone has assisted GPS, allowing it to get a fix on your position far faster than I’ve seen on dedicated GPS devices. It’s almost instantaneous. Also, you won’t need to keep buying updated maps, as Google keeps updating their map database for free. And, you can use the GPS in other countries, where with Garmin, TomTom, etc, you have to buy more maps.