New York Times:
Free smartphone navigation apps from Apple and Google offer turn-by-turn driving, walking and biking directions. And many new cars have the option of built-in navigation systems. So is there any longer a reason to buy a stand-alone GPS unit?
While smartphone navigation apps have some advantages, including limiting the number of devices one needs to buy and carry around, they also have some negatives.
I’m still a huge fan of stand-alone GPS devices for the reasons stated here and many others. I’ve tried almost every iPhone navigation app and I still come back to my Garmin or TomTom GPS on my motorcycle. If you’re just going around town, the phone may do the trick but, if you are travelling and/or wanting to “customize” your trip, a dedicated GPS is the way to go.
Drove to Canada on a ski trip this winter. I was using Google Maps on my iPhone until I lost signal coverage in upstate NY. Then lost it for good going into Canada – forgot about that roaming thing. Made it thru Montreal with some printed directions. As soon as I got home, I ordered a Garmin.
I bought a Garmin when I bought a new car about 4 years ago, and to be honest I really regret it. It’s clunky and feels like it’s from the pre-iPhone era. I’ll admit that I don’t do a huge amount of traveling, but I find the iPhone (and now Apple Watch) experience to be worlds better.
The iPhone and Apple Watch are better than a four year old Garmin? Are you surprised by that? 🙂
Perfect example of where and how a dedicated GPS shines. And, if you had wanted to do side trips or plan specific waypoints, it’s very hard to do with a iPhone app.
None of the arguments given for stand-alone GPS units are very compelling to me except for maybe the one about needing an internet connection. To get around that, there are smartphone options. I still have the Navigon app which downloads all data to the device. The Nokia Here app is free and allows you to download maps including routing (I used this successfully on a trip to Mexico and Cuba). Google Maps allows you to download maps without routing, and they announced they will add routing offline routing in the near future.
It is slightly inconvenient to need to remember to download maps before visiting an area where you may not have coverage, but for me there are many advantages to smartphone navigation apps.
I’m not up to date on the latest standalone GPS units (so I’m sure some of these points are out of date), but from my past experience, the advantages to me of the smartphone apps are:
1) always up to date maps
2) much better UI (pinch to zoom, easier typing, etc.)
3) better searching
4) better traffic / congestion avoidance
5) one less device to carry around
6) much faster GPS acquisition (since they use cell towers to help with initial location)
I don’t use a standalone GPS and never have. I’ve driven the far corners of the continental US, major highways and backroads using just a phone as my GPS even back in the EDGE days without any GPS-related problems.
One of the most compelling things about the Apple Watch for me was the idea of using it as a wrist-GPS when riding my motorcycle, with taps telling me where to turn and glances to see road names and such. It has done a superb job of that for me since I’ve had it this riding season.
If you’re on motorcycle, it’s best to memorize it. No need to use Garmin or standalone GPS.
Just enjoy the view while you’re at it. That’s how #murica roll 🙂
Unless you’ve got a photographic memory, that’s simply not possible for many of us.
I think many people mistakenly assume that just because Apple Maps doesn’t work when there is no cellular signal, it’s useless as a GPS device. As others have mentioned here, there are several GPS app options available that allow your iPhone to download the map information for where you’ll be trekking before you lose access to the internet. Here is a great article that highlights the superiority of an iPhone to that of a standalone GPS device:
http://adventurealan.com/iphone4gps.htm
As for GPS watches… recently had an all-day biking excursion with some friends. My buddy had a dedicated Garmin GPS watch that ran out of juice about half way through the ride. I’d much prefer a great Apple Watch app in combination with the multi-day use of an iPhone if that’s all the more time you can get from a standalone GPS watch. Yes, having to carry an iPhone in addition to the watch isn’t ideal for runners but hikers, bikers, skiers, etc… no big deal. They carry it anyway. Until we make gigantic leaps forward in battery size/efficiency, these watches will be limited in what they can do by themselves. GPS receivers chug power.
There are plenty of GPS apps where you can download the data just like a standalone GPS.
When I don’t have cell service or roaming data, will I still have turn-by-turn directions?
There’s also the problem of being in an unfamiliar area and something blocking your way. Around here, making a turn to avoid a road block (usually construction) could mean going 5 miles out of your way on 5 different back roads. Having a GPS to handle that rerouting (and then in my case having the watch still provide me with haptic notifications of the new turns) is worth a ton.
It is amazing where “modern” technology fails…
Yes. Look at CoPilot Live, Motion-X GPS or many others for offline maps.
There’s also the problem of being in an unfamiliar area and something blocking your way. Around here, making a turn to avoid a road block (usually construction) could mean going 5 miles out of your way on 5 different back roads. Having a GPS to handle that rerouting (and then in my case having the watch still provide me with haptic notifications of the new turns) is worth a bunch.
To be fair….it IS Canada…we only just legalized staplers a few years ago…
I think any mobile device should give an easy option to work “offline” if it does not do that by default – there are plenty of areas where this could be a problem – or cause problems.
I have no idea why these devices (non dedicated GPS) are built with the assumption that you will always have a good connection. I mean streaming is a good example of bad execution – though not nearly as critical as GPS….
A quality app with offline maps is equal to most dedicated GPS, and the ease of use and ready availability of your phone puts it past a dedicated GPS, in my experience. Look to something beyond the built-in apps, and there is utility far beyond that of a traditional GPS unit.
It is upsetting when your weather app has no connection (or your phone has no connection) but it pulled the weather forcast say 15 minutes ago (or an hour ago) and it tries to update and then fails -and then shows NO weather forcast – that’s just bad app design, which is all too common.
A quality GPS App with maps of North America will set you back about $15. Probably far less than the Garmin you ordered. I initially chose an iPhone to avoid purchasing numbers gadgets, and have instead spent far smaller amounts to add suitable apps to the phone instead.
I have used my phone without international data in the USA, Mexico, and Europe without difficulty. I simply ensure the maps I need has been stored on the phone prior to the trip.
Perhaps but the larger screen of a dedicated device, as well as onscreen controls that are easier to tap (and, in the case of motorcycle GPS’, able to be used with gloves on), can be a big selling point. As well, desktop software can be used to customize trips using a GPS. Phones don’t have this feature yet.
Far worse is when it shows the last report, which it downloaded over a week ago.
Wouldn’t the part about music being muted for voice directions be a feature of apps? And I don’t know anyone who doesn’t plug in a phone charger on long trips so the battery issue is irrelevant. I solve the incoming call issue by using my old deactivated iPhone 5 for GPS work. Using Navigon I don’t need a data connection and my 6 is available for calls. Also Navigon makes it pretty easy to add points to your itinerary if needed.
Love my Garmin Edge 1000 cycling gps. does much better on power and has cycling specific maps. Also other handy cycling specific features. I think there are still room for GPS’s but i think they are moving to more niche areas.
How large a screen would you like? You’ll soon be able to use a 12″ screen for your iOS-based GPS App. You can currently use up to a 10″ screen.
I would suggest that use on a motorcycle, or boat, and using the GPS manufacturer’s desktop software for trip planning are special use cases, and far outside the content of the original post.
Can your GPS call the restaurant you’ve chosen, to make a reservation for your arrival? Can it draw a destination from those folks in your contact list? Can it return you to a location where you took a photo? Does your GPS allow family, friends or co-workers to know and follow your current location and travel plans? Can you use it for both road and back-country navigation? Does your GPS easily allow you to increase the accuracy of the mapping information the manufacturer supplies by contributing to the map base? Can your GPS take you on a location-aware guided tour? There are benefits of both, however, I feel for MOST users, a $15 app offers far more value than a $200 – $400 single purpose device.
I like my TomTom GPS for its reliability and — honestly — for it having only a single, dedicated purpose. But I like my iPhone for its up-to-date map address lookup. We really need a next generation of dedicated GPS, and I’d love to be able to push addresses at it from my iPhone.
It’s funny, when I was in Japan I didn’t even think about it. I used Apple Maps and Google Maps while there. I had a hotspot and that was all I needed. I do have GPS Nav which has free downloaded maps capability but I never needed it. I really think this is a non issue.
Well my point is that the iPhone was way better even immediately after I bought the Garmin. I tried to make the best of it for a few months, and just didn’t like it all. Have they improved markedly since then?
In my opinion, yes but I’m a particular use case for GPS that generally isn’t very applicable to others.
Not at all.
Some useful info I learned in the responses to my first comment. Had I known GPS would still work without cell or data connection on my iPhone by using another app, I probably would’ve tried that.
Still, I don’t regret my dedicated GPS purchase. It came with its own mount, has a bigger screen and UI than my phone, and allows my wife and I to take an unplanned route even when we don’t have cell service (which happens more now that we’ve switched to T-Mobile). And the GPS cost me $125 refurbished from Garmin.
Another thing that had been bugging me is that Audi MMI doesn’t always play well with my iPhone, especially when just doing directions (I’ll save you the long explanation). A dedicated device is just easier, sadly.
Fun fact:
Map updates are free for eternity in the TomTom app for iPhone, but need to be paid for after one year on the standalone device.
I’m all for device consolidation, and found the app superior to the standalone device in every way. Besides the always-up-to-date maps, there’s real-time traffic that actually works (using internet connection when you have it, and not relying on you attaching more antennae to your vehicle), ease of integration with the rest of your phone, superior touch screen, automatic volume reduction of your phone’s audio (say, Apple Music) to give a new voice instruction, etc. Fantastic USB chargers for phones can be had for $10-15. I really have no idea why someone with a recent phone would buy a standalone GPS…
TomTom offers Free Lifetime Maps. There are many reasons why people buy dedicated GPS devices, many of which have been enumerated in this thread.
Hmm. They didn’t offer Free Lifetime Maps a few years back, when I switched from the device to the app.
The last time I used spoken directions on Maps, it didn’t entirely mute the music. The music still played quietly in the background when the Maps voice (Siri-ish?) came up. That actually surprised me because I know it had totally muted or paused the music in the past. (iPhone 6, iOS 8.4)
Summary of reasons I’ve seen listed in this thread, and my counterargument:
– Screen size: In iOS, your choices are 1.5″, 1.66″, 4″, 4.7″, 5.5″, 7.9″, 10″, and coming soon, 12″.
– Gloved use: capacitive gloves exist.
– Power: you plug your GPS in. Plug your phone in.
– Problems with “offline” mode: The best apps, like TomTom’s, have only offline mode. Turn off every radio signal except the GPS, and the app works exactly the same it does with every signal on (except you won’t be getting your real time traffic updates and rerouting from the internet).
– Hobbyist use, e.g. specific kinds of maps: There may be apps that fill the niche. If not, they will probably be created soon.
TomTom has offered free lifetime maps on select models for many years.
Really? You think last week’s twelve hour forecast is in any way useful today? It’s so useless it becomes anti-useful; it’s better to have nothing there than to lie to me.
oye – how it is lying when it (should at least mine do) state the last time it was updated? It is often fun to see how wrong most forecasts are.
An even better design would be an option for pulling forecasts – say one per day – though some may have a bad or no signal for days – that would be less likely.
Downloading an extended forcast is more about weather guessing or as you may say, “lying”. Three day forecasts are often somewhat accurate.
Hey Jim, what do you ride? (Me: Ducati Monster in the U.S., Apache 180 here in Rwanda.)
I’ve driven all over the Middle East, and thanks to my old Nokia N8 with built in GPS never made a wrong turn (which in some cases could have been terminal for me) – sad to be one of the few still using this old phone but until a new one comes along that still navigates me without a cell phone signal in a BIG sandy desert I will keep it to hand 🙂