Running out of things to say about the ongoing (and ongoing, and ongoing, and ongoing) TomTom and general turn-by-turn GPS on the iPhone saga?
Lucky for us, MSNBC’s Suzanne Choney (via MacDailyNews) found out the big industry players certainly aren’t.
Says TomTom:
“We have made our navigation system run on the iPhone; it looks good and works very well. We will have to look more closely to Apple’s strategy before we can say more about what kind of opportunities this will bring us.”
Says Garmin:
“We’re always looking at new phone platforms to expand into for Garmin Mobile, but we don’t have any announcements regarding the iPhone at this time.”
Says Magellan:
“[We do] not have immediate plans for this, but we are looking into it.”
Wow, could Garmin and Magellan sound any less enthusiastic? Sure, they have to play their cards close to their vest (though TomTom is obviously faster and looser in that regard), but how about a little hype-jacking?
No matter. Smart money says we should see turn-by-turn soon-ish. However, given how 3G network connectivity, MobileMe, and some other functionality has rolled out (never mind cut and paste!), turn-by-turn is something that Apple (or TomTom, or whomever provides it), really can’t afford to get wrong. 2.1 has already dropped push notification, so if turn-by-turn was even on the list, chances are it’s been bumped down again. No matter how “complicated” it may be, they have to nail it from launch, or people will be more than just inconvenienced.
That is, depending on how badly we still want turn-by-turn GPS? Dieter is all over it, of course, but how high is it on your iPhone firmware fix wish list?
Are you tired of hearing about whether or not we’ll get actual, real, turn-by-turn GPS on the iPhone yet? You shouldn’t be, because it’s a killer feature that a lot of other smartphone platforms are justifiably proud of and the iPhone needs to get it, Apple’s crazy rules be damned. At least, that’s what we tell ourselves when we cover all this TomTom news, from “It’s coming to iPhone” to “It’s not coming.”
The latest? Despite what you may have heard (ahem), TomTom is working on a client and has one in-house that works “pretty well” according to MacGeneration (via AppleInsider). So says TomTom press chief Yann Lafargue, who adds that as for whether or not the darn thing will ever ship, TomTom can’t really say.
We know that Apple’s SDK agreement prohibits it (probably so Apple can’t get sued when you follow your GPS directions into a lake), but we’re willing to sign away our firstborn rights to sue for this, okay Apple? Can’t you guys make nice?
Hoo doggy. First we thought that we were definitely getting TomTom for the iPhone, giving us 3D, realtime navigation. Then we heard that the iPhone SDK explicitly prohibits just that sort of application. We weren’t worried, though, because TomTom told us we’d get it and we, you know, trusted them.
Whoops.
Turns out TomTom was, like many a GPS manufacturer, “Scared [expletive]-less” by the thought that the new iPhone would have 3G, so when a Reuters reporter asked them about it, they said “sure, we’ll make some software for it. It’ll be grand.” So writes Joel Johnson of BoingBoing Gadgets, adding that an anonymous source within TomTom let them know that there’s no internal development yet and no prototypes either.
Bummer? Bummer. Here’s our worst fear: that line in the SDK agreement is there specifically so that only one company can create turn-by-turn 3D GPS navigation: TeleNav. TeleNav is nice and all, but it costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 a month and they have agreements with AT&T that lock down the GPS on many handsets (we’re looking at you, Verizon BlackBerry!) so they can only access the GPS via TeleNav. We at least know that the GPS works in Google Maps, but will Apple really prohibit other companies from using it to make full GPS apps? Are they jonesing for some kickbacks revenue sharing now that they’re not getting that from AT&T anymore?
Well now, we told you that TomTom is bringing full-on, real GPS driving to the iPhone, but apparently they’re going to be the exception that makes the rule. Engadget has dug into the developer agreement for the iPhone SDK and came across this little nugget related to what developers can and cannot do with the Location services:
Applications may not be designed or marketed for real time route guidance; automatic or autonomous control of vehicles or aircraft, or other mechanical devices; dispatch or fleet management; or emergency or life-saving purposes.
…While we’re (reticently) on board with the requirement that you can’t make an app that will drive your car for you, the rest seems pretty egregious. No control of ‘mechanical devices?’ Sounds like that sweet iPhone-driven Lego Robot is verboten. No ‘fleet management?’ Sorry UPS, no iPhone for you. The big one, of course, is no ‘route guidance.’ Pish posh, we say, TomTom said they’re coming and we’re guessing they weren’t lying. We have previously said here we were slightly worried that Apple would be overly-stringent about what apps they would let into the App Store — here’s to hoping that rules like these don’t get strictly enforced.
Ready for developers to take advantage of the new features in the iPhone 3G, namely GPS? Well don’t worry, TomTom, makers of popular GPS units and GPS software, has already developed navigation software for the iPhone 3G. A TomTom spokesperson was quoted as saying,
“Navigation System runs on the iPhone already”
There is no official release date or press release but be prepared for an onslaught of GPS software to take advantage of the GPS in the iPhone 3G and not just from TomTom. Who knows which will be best? Will it be TomTom, Garmin, or a totally unknown company? This should be fun.
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