Bad experiences like these will most likely drive (no pun intended) more of their customers away from dedicated GPS-devices and onto using smartphones instead.
Had one in a rental car recently, after battling with it for a bit reverted to trusty iOS Google Maps.
A dedicated device with a predictable and unchanging UI could be very useful. The problem is that the convenience of the phone still outweighs the drawbacks for me.
- A call or text at an inopportune time doesn't inhibit navigation.
- The dedicated UI is simpler and doesn't change; my GPS is about 8 years old and has stayed the same the whole time. Every Maps app I've had has changed a dozen damn times since then; I value the stable interface more than the bullshit bells and whistles. It needs to show me directions and be otherwise unobtrusive; a phone doesn't do that.
- Sometimes I turn my phone off to eliminate distractions
- Sometimes I'll hand my phone to my kid to play a game
A phone does a thousand things, but none of them as well as a dedicated device can do 1 or 2 items from the list.
- Privacy. A dedicated device with a one-way incoming signal (GPS) and no out-going signal cannot track you. This is not true of any smartphone app no matter what they claim or what their settings are.
I'll grant that the privacy benefit is pointless for the overwhelming majority people since they will leave their universal tracking device[1] turned on anyway.
As an aside: I was impressed that my really ancient Garmin, which displayed only latitude, longitude, altitude, and recorded waypoints, had a special button combination to instantly and securely erase everything it remembered.
[1] cellphone :)
I don't want people trying to call or message me on my "satnav" when I'm driving.
Google maps and whatever app on my phone is never going to be as easy to use, consistent, reliable and stress-free as a dedicated device. My Garmin doesn't try to up-sell and tell me about things I don't want to know every 5 minutes. Smartphones are a constant echo chamber of "do you want fries with that" micro-bullshit and irritation.
This. I just spent the entire weekend outside of cell range. And I can't always download maps in advance because I rarely know where I'm going from day to day.
Can’t you download offline maps for the whole country?
On my phone I have two sets of offline maps for my + neighbor countries. Microsoft is free, Garmin was one time purchase. Both work OK without Internet.
Honestly, the way Google changes the goal posts and rearranges the furniture within its own apps, I stay well clear of that mess when I need consistency and reliability. My phone remains a phone when I'm driving and need an uninterrupted, non-internet, non-phone navigation device.
Downloading the data at a level of detail required for my needs would be many GB.
Technically that’s indeed many GB, practically modern phones have many more GB available, e.g. my one has 32GB flash memory.
Strap your cell phone to the dashboard of my 1200cc on/off road motorcycle, take it down the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks, AK until the Arctic Ocean stops you (more accurately, British Petroleum will stop you). When you return, I'd like to know 1. how your navigation experience was with no cell connection until you get to Deadhorse and 2. After being beat to death bouncing down 900 miles of gravel road, does the phone even still work?
I have lots of applications for GPS usage that have nothing to do with military use or an airplane, and I only use my phone in the car. Otherwise I probably need something with offline maps and less delicate than an iPhone. Without an unwieldy Otterbox case, phones are delicate little things not suited to harsh environments.
Depends on your location. In my whereabouts, Google Maps routinely routes to "shortcuts" on dirt roads. They seem to use 70km/h legal limit for those roads. Thankyouverymuch, but I'll take next exit, do 10km extra and take fully paved route...
Unlike a phone, you also don't need a data connection to navigate anywhere in North America.
I may have to buy a cheap phone that does nothing except Google maps, and leave it in the car (but fear of thieves means I can't leave it on the windshield all the time, unlike a GPS which no one seems to steal anymore).
Good job killing your market TomTom - why would anyone buy a device from you ever again?
I actually have a built-in device in the car, but I don't use it, and instead use the TomTom device because the car one blocks input if the car is in motion. I guess whoever made it has never driven with a passenger.
The UI in my car categorizes points of interest then shows me a list sorted by range. It's a lot easier to parse while driving but the Google Maps functionality is good. Over a long distance I could see it being a bit hard to decipher. I believe my car also allows filtering by top-tier stations only.
I did not notice this functionality because I have learned to be very afraid of touching the screen while navigating with Google Maps for fear that the navigation will be cancelled and I will have to start my search over again.
This may be an advantage of a dedicated GPS device over Google Maps, but it's certainly not an advantage of a dedicated GPS device over a smartphone.
I suspect these UI elements are patented and Google/Here don't want to pay to incorporate them into their apps. After having and Android head unit, I think I'd rather go back to a Pioneer dedicated nav unit with Bluetooth connection to my cell/music.
Plus the advantages of a large, external antenna. Instead of holding my phone out of the sunroof...
Android Auto also has access to the car's wheel speed and steering angle sensors so it can use dead reckoning when underground. GPS units can't do that.
Hah, that's pretty interesting. To make a flippant joke, imagine if Facebook had this info, "Hey $AUTO_INSURER, 30% of people who visit your portal and log into it (we have this info because you added a 'Like our page on Facebook' iframe in the page) are bad drivers, you want to know who they are? Pay us and we'll tell you!".