Is satnav a dead technology?

[Barry]

I remember way back when, where if you had a car with satnav, it was something special. Even now it is still being sold on new cars as an add on bonus. 

Then cheap portable satnavs like the garmin came out and made finding your way easy, even if it did direct you into a lake sometimes. 

In the modern day where everyone has a smartphone with google maps, waze, maps.me etc, is the day of the satnav over? Would you pay extra for a car with satnav? And if so, why?

[Javier M]

For me it is more convenient to use the car's nav than to reach for my phone. Whenever I travel I always rent a car with satnav or with the garmin that way I don't have to use my phone's data while roaming. 

I don't think that you necessarily pay extra just for the satnav but for the other extras of the car (sunroof, leather seats, etc.) and the satnav just comes along with the other extras. 

The problem is that car dealers charge a lot of money to update the map so you end up with an outdated satnav in a brand new car. This happened to me last time I purchased a new car, the dealer wanted to charge me 1500 aed just to update the maps. I said thank you but no thank you.

So if car dealers keep this attitude yeah it will be dead pretty soon. 

 

Edited February 7, 2019 by Javier M

[Per A]

yes satnav is dying or changing, when its easier to have updated maps on you phone today and a lot of cars today comes with some think like  carplay to connect to a iphone or android it uses the phone like a builtin so i believe that is the future.

 

 

[Gaurav]

@Javier M point is very valid and I think Satnav main reason for dying is the proprietorship on maps and its exorbitant pricing. Every brand will define the roads in their own ways and design the sat nav to use in its own way. Big learning curve if you are changing cars often or drive multiple cars.

I have never able to use Satnav just because of this reason and I was happy to carry my brick size Garmin in all my cars from 2005-2010 and then phones replaced that Garmin standalone device too.

Maybe when car manufacturer understand that adding one universal standard maps for free is good for the user, then it can kick off this again as I hate using my phone too but that's the most viable and practical way atm. I can save my phone battery and data for better things.