Analysts Predict Increase in GPS-enabled Handsets

Research has predicted a rise in the sales of GPS-enabled handsets
against PND by the end of this year. The company also forecast that
non-CDMA handset shipments will treble in 2008 compared to the
previous year and this has been attributed to hottest features now
incorporated by manufactures in those devices.
According to a GPS Research Director, Patrick Connolly, "We believe
the market will almost treble on 2007, with a range of handsets across
all tiers. Nokia, RIM and Apple will lead the way this year, but other
handset vendors, such as Sony-Ericsson, Motorola, Samsung, LG and a
plethora of smaller Asian manufacturers are driving this market from
both ends."
The research reveals that cellular shipments are set to outweigh PND
forecasts for 2008, IMS Research believes that talk of a saturating
PND market are premature. "Despite the huge success of PNDs, there is
still a comparatively small installed base of users, leaving plenty of
market upside. Both of these markets will continue to grow
concurrently in the medium term, but importantly, they are not
independent. Already, companies such as NiM, Telmap and TeleNav are
seeing increasing subscription numbers for their cellular sat-nav
services.
In conclusion, Connolly said that "GPS is becoming ubiquitous across a
range of portable devices. There are a limited number of drivers in
the world, and despite what some predictions indicate, all these
markets cannot continue growing forever."