It looks like we’ll see fewer personal navigation devices (PND), but more devices with built-in navigation. A report from ABI Research finds that while PND sales will go down over the next few years, the market will continue to grow as navigation in phones, watches and eyewear take hold.
Revenues from all GPS devices is forecast to grow from $6.5 billion in 2011 to over $8 billion in 2017. Growth will be due largely to GPS capabilities in cycling computers, golf caddies and other recreational devices.
“With over 40 GPS watches available in 2012, this is the standout device category. Motorola, Epson, New Balance, Magellan, and Polar all entered the market, with a number of others lining up devices for 2013. We will also see increasing partnerships between device manufacturers and smartphone application developers, which is vital in extending reach and opening up new sales channels,” said ABI senior analyst Patrick Connolly.
We’ll likely see GPS in objects we never expected, such as eyewear. “Looking to the future, the GPS-enabled eyewear market is expected to expand beyond skiing into winter sports and fitness, as well opening up new markets such as motorcycling, making it one of the strongest device revenue categories by 2017,” Connolly said.