Garmin map updates ever come out more than once a year?

I am sure it is very easy to issue electronic updates several times a year and it is likewise easy for a company like Google to impliment these updates multiple times a year since you are updating ONE source.

But for companies like Garmin, it is much to much work and way to expensive to have to keep reprinting CDs/DVDs several times a year, changing artwork, packaging, updating stock of GPS units, etc. etc.

Because the changes are often minor from one year to the next, most people won't notice any changes year to year let alone every few months, so for Garmin and companies like them, once a year is PLENTY.

PT

That makes sense, although it would be great if they made the updates available for download, even if they don't update units already out in the field, CDs/DVDs, etc. Wishful thinking I guess!

Well already you have people whining that they just bought their GPS 3.8 months before the new maps came out and they think they deserve a free upgrade. Could you imagine how bad it would be if updates were available every few months?

In addition, it becomes much harder to sell Map products if they are updated too often since even if the updates are for a price, people are less likely to want to pay for something that will be upgraded in just months. People like to feel like what they paid for is not obsolete almost immediately. And if you made updates free to people with that "year's" map, then a lot of people won't bother to buy, for example, the 2009 update map if they already have 2/3 of the updates in their free "2008" updates.

The way it is now, they can promote their NEW maps as a while year's worth of improvements and updates and therefore worth the $70 or whatever it is.

PT

I believe there are several more reasons that Garmin only releases once per year:
1. Garmin has to pay a hefty price to Navteq for each update. This would increase the cost of updates for each of us.
2. Garmin needs to integrate the data from Navteq and also needs to run QC on all of the models that they have in the field. This is costly and time consuming.

I guess until someone does it, everyone will say that there isn't a business model that can support more frequent updates of GPS devices, eh?

Would you be willing to have google display symbols for click-to-see ads for locations near wherever you are in exchange for getting that map update monthly, for example?

These devices have only been around a few years, so nothing's cast in stone. I guess we'll see where we go from here.