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Can't Garmin get anything right the first time around ?

 
Fri, 09/02/2011 - 1:52pm

Looking at their new series and the nüvi50LM and what's in the box category there's a choice of two preloaded map versions.

1- City Navigator® NT data for lower 49 states, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and Bahamas or

2- City Navigator® NT data for lower 49 states, Canada, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and Bahamas

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=134&pID=100840

When you click on the second link it redirects you to the detailed map coverage and shows that it's not the lower 49 states and Canada as it should be but rather the US border states and Canada.

Not a big deal but when you look at the overall picture (all the problems they had and have with the automated updater, POI Loader, botched firmwares etc) it's definitely not reassuring.

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Nüvi 255WT with nüMaps Lifetime North America born on 602117815 / Nüvi 3597LMTHD born on 805972514 / I love Friday’s except when I’m on holidays ~ canuk
Sun, 09/04/2011 - 2:30pm

Completely agree.Having

Completely agree.

Having worked in manufacturing and marketing in a non gps related product I can say what I have seen.

For our company we have what is called Product Managers who look for what the market needs, comes up with the justification based on costs and expected gains to get approval from corporate to proceed. This approval is usually rated against expected returns. Not fast enough to justify the investment then the project dies.

This sets off a chain reaction that leads to things that are similar to what we see from Garmin. Not enough time to debug things. Sure they may catch hundreds of things we don't see but we are still left with the ones we do see.
Case in point, Toyota launched the Prius and dealers for a long time could not tell you the cost to replace the batteries or their expected life. Not so now but again cart before the horse.

Only market pressures will stop this.
Insane ..absolutely but it is still a way many manufacturers operate. Not all but many.

Mon, 09/05/2011 - 12:43pm

Can't Garmin get anything right the first time around ?

I agree too.

Garmin has become complacent and it is now a habit with Garmin to use their customer base as Beta Testers instead of consumers of a finished final product.

And we, the "educated" consumers, have accepted the fact and played their game. Not that we have liked it, but we have more or less, let them get away with it.

Unfortunately, Garmin is still the best of the GPS units. Or should I say the lesser of evils amongst the GPS mfgs.