Growing GPS Hardware Demand Drives Intense Competition

location based services

Demand for Global Positioning Systems has increased sharply over the past couple of year, as has the number of companies making the portable navigation machines, according to a retail study by NPD Group.
Traditional GPS vendors, such as Garmin and Magellan, have been joined by consumer electronics makers like Sony, JVC, and LG Electronics; PC manufactures like Hewlett-Packard; and mobile audio brands such as Alpine and Pioneer.
All these companies and more have been taking advantage of unprecedented growth in the portable navigation sector, which drove nearly $500 million in sales in 2006, and saw unit shipments grow by 255% over the year before.