We all know Personal Navigation Devices (PNDs) are dying rapidly with many modern smartphones offering great navigation experience out of box. According to a new research from Berg Insight, global shipments of PNDs declined to about 33 million units in 2011.
However, the picture is not that gloomy, with PND makers experiencing a growth in demand in markets such as Brazil, China, India and Russia, though these are not likely to compensate for the decline in Europe and North America. The research company goes on forecasting that the global PND shipments are forecasted to decline to about 23 million units in 2016.
In comparison, the number of mobile subscribers using a turn-by-turn navigation app or service on their handset doubled in 2011, reaching 130 million worldwide. That figure will continue to grow at a CAGR of 21.9% to reach 340 million users worldwide in 2016!
About half of the current mobile navigation subscriber base uses free apps and services that are bundled with handsets or service plans from mobile operators. More and more mobile operators worldwide are switching to bundled freemium navigation services — such as speed camera alerts, traffic information, local search and parking space information — to offset the cost for end users in response to free navigation apps for smartphones from Google and Nokia…
Additional information about Berg Insight’s report “Mobile Navigation Services and Devices” is available from this file (PDF download).