The most important iPhone announcement from today's keynote presentation at the Apple WWDC wasn't the 3G news. Faster speeds were pretty much a given, considering the pokey download speeds of the first-generation iPhones. Nor was it the news about MobileMe. The syncing service is helpful to some of us, but many others -- particularly those iPhone owners who use PCs, but not Outlook -- won't realize the benefits.
No, the game-changer in the new iPhone package is "Assisted GPS" -- if the technology lives up to the hype.
GPS in the iPhone not only will put the fear of God into Garmin, TomTom, and other standalone GPS device manufacturers, but it will also open the doors to a host of new and imaginative services, when combined with the iPhone's other features and online connectivity.
Think of mounting your iPhone on the dashboard, and using the iPhone's GPS/Google Maps functionality to get to the mall, and then using some sort of iPhone-enabled coupon or code to get a discount. Or participating in some kind of massively multiplayer meatspace game that uses GPS, real-world locations, Internet clues, and other iPhone features to play. These are just a few potential uses; the legions of eager developers with the iPhone SDK will come up with lots more in the coming year.
An iPhone/GPS device looks to be yet another disruptive technolgy pairing by Steve Jobs and Apple's talented engineers. It will be interesting to see how the device lives up to the promise, and how competitors scramble to answer the latest Apple broadside.
(June 11 update: Others are also noting the importance of GPS on the iPhone -- see Stan Schroeder's post on Mashable)
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Comments
"GPS in the iPhone not only will put the fear of God into Garmin, TomTom, and other standalone GPS device manufacturers"
Agreed completely. Some enterprising entrepreneur should build an iPhone app with turn-by-turn voice directions - just like the existing devices. Then I can leave the Garmin at home. Who knows, maybe Garmin or TomTom will get a clue and release their UI in the AppStore. I doubt it though.
"GPS in the iPhone not only will put the fear of God into Garmin, TomTom, and other standalone GPS device manufacturers"
Disagree. I'm not gonna take my iPhone and mount it in my car. I'm too busy using it to text message, listen to music or make phone calls while I'm driving.
I'll keep my Nuvi, thanks. That said, it is nifty, but I never really understood the fascination with nav on phones. Sure, its neat, but is anyone really going to replace their dedicated nav unit with a cell phone?
Jordan: I think the appeal of a less-bulky unit, Internet connectivity, and integration with Google Maps and other Internet sites will make a lot of people think twice about a $200 TomTom. That said, a lot of people I know didn't ditch their iPods when they got iPhones, even though the iPhone can play music and integrate with iTunes.
David: The voice integration is exciting, as is the potential of using 'Net connectivity, touch and the accelerometer in some new and interesting ways. What if this or future iterations could geotag the photos, IMs, emails, tweets, and other actions performed on the iPhone?
Ian Lamont
Managing Editor
The Industry Standard
Jordan: I think the answer to your question depends on how people use their GPS devices. Like you said, I am not inclined to mount the iPhone on my dash in the same way my GPS unit is. However, I listen to my Garmin much more than I actually look at it so an iPhone that gives me voice directions would be useful.
Ian: Interestingly enough, I did ditch my iPod once I got the iPhone.
Put fear into the heart of TomTom? Come on. Did you not realize TomTom started out as a software package for navigation on PDAs, before they added stand-alone devices?
PDAs and PDA phones with GPS have existed for years. Only now that Steve Jobs has introduced one it's a revolution? Wake up.
I won't be swapping my superior Garmin 276c auto/marine GPS for the severely limited GPS capability of the iphone.
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