Turn-By-Turn iPhone GPS App Already Available in iTunes
It seems despite all the anticipation about Turn-by-Turn GPS routing for the iPhone, an App already exists in the App Store that delivers this basic functionality. — XRoad Co.'s G-Map U.S. West and G-Map U.S. East apps were released …
Context & Ripple Effects
iPhone turn-by-turn navigation had been available through a jailbroken voice-navigation workaround, keeping the feature outside Apple's sanctioned software channel. XRoad Co.'s release moves basic routing into the App Store, where ordinary iPhone owners can obtain it without modifying their devices.
The launch also arrives after Apple's mobile navigation and mapping patent filing, indicating that navigation was becoming a meaningful iPhone software category even as third-party developers began supplying the feature.
First-order effects
- XRoad Co. gains an early App Store position in turn-by-turn routing, while iPhone owners gain a sanctioned alternative to jailbroken navigation software.
Second-order effects
- The jailbroken-navigation route loses part of its practical advantage, because basic turn-by-turn functionality is no longer limited to users willing to alter their phones.
Third-order effects
- If App Store distribution continues to accommodate navigation software, iPhone location features are likely to become a contest among software providers rather than a differentiator confined to handset modifications or Apple-controlled applications.
The trend: iPhone capabilities are shifting from features unlocked through jailbreaking toward third-party applications distributed through Apple's storefront.