EstablishedFree to Navigate
The web is buzzing today over Google’s announcement that Android 2.0 will feature Google Maps Navigation. While cool, I say…Duh.
See the NY Times article here (NYT incorrectly calls this GPS for some reason).
Garmin and TomTom stock values have already dropped nearly 20% after the news broke.
But I have to say to the tech and tech punditry fields – how are you surprised? Of course Google was eventually going to roll out to turn-by-turn navigation. Google Maps is the best online mapping resource, it offers extensive driving/walking/metro directions capabilities and includes street level photography of most medium and large metro areas in the US. You can even view your Google Maps directions in street view with overlaid arrows pointing the way. Of course navigation was on the way.
If your business sells access to data – in any format – then Google will be, if they aren’t already, your competition. Google’s entire mission is to catalog the world’s information. And driving directions certainly falls within that broad category. And they price everything at $0.
Google’s pockets are so deep that it can fund nearly any data cataloging & analysis project. And after the initial financial outlay to set up the system (whether it be street view photography or scanning books), it exists forever thanks to cheap server space.
That is the world of the future. If it can be known, you can access it for free. It will become the norm. It will be expected. Don’t build a business on data you keep walled-off from the public.