Garmin and TomTom are both competing hard for the navigational system market. In both America and Europe, both companies are each others' biggest competitors. Garmin is the number one in the United States, while TomTom dominates the European market. Of course both companies want to become the number one on both continents, and all means possible to help in this battle are used, court cases being one of those means. Last February,
Garmin sued TomTom for plagiarism. No final verdict for this case has been reached yet.
Court case
Last April, a Dutch court forced Garmin to adjust their radio commercials because they were too negative towards TomTom. Now again, TomTom is suing Garmin, but this time because TomTom believes that the most recent Garmin models resemble their own models too much. This case is due to be heard in court next Thursday in The Hague.
Forbidden
Not many details are known about this new case yet. TomTom isn't providing any information because they are releasing their Q3 figures on October 26th. There is a law which says that, when so close to releasing quarterly figures, companies quoted on the stock exchange are forbidden from releasing any information which could influence their share price. Considering this law, it's surprising that this court case is due to be heard before the release of the quarterly figures, because all information about this case, which will be heard in public, will be deemed to have been released 'too early', and in contradiction of the aforementioned rule.
Now that TomTom has time for things like this, I assume they have already published the map updates for the original x00 series? Odd, because I havent noticed any news regarding the updates. Or perhaps their new business strategy is not making products or casheable upgrades, but sue everything that moves. I think I will not buy another GPS product before someone truly makes a device that has user upgreadable maps, and I dont mean some shitty approved company based updates to the maps, but a true anyone-can-make-and-share updates. Now it depends way too much on companies that seem to have no interest on the consumer part of the business at all.
QUOTE (Stringer @ Oct 23 2006, 23:37) 
I think I will not buy another GPS product before someone truly makes a device that has user upgreadable maps..
You don't mind waiting a while then?
When you can upgrade your own maps and share them with other people, what will they sell you? You won't need a new map. You also won't need a new device, as your old one will have an up-to-date map. That's not a very good business model!
That said, I don't think anyone will mind you making your own map and sharing that!
The_Spook, you are wrong. New devices are always needed because they age and broke and because companies can develope add-on services or features that require new hardware. Something like what TomTom now offers regarding traffic conditions, audio books (clearly needs new device) and the TMC broadcasts.
New commercial maps are required too because that would "guarantee" that even those sites get updates that are not very common and might never receive user updates. The maps do not work when companies alone update them but they dont work either fully community based, so both are needed for optimal maps.
Regarding me doing maps, I can only say that since the devices dont have any tools for the map updating or saving, it is not possible for me to make maps.
16-05
October 17, 2006 - 15:44 h
6 replies
