Why have GPS devices stayed in the $400-$500 range? Most consumer electronic devices show steady price declines (even while increasing in quality), but GPS hasn't really. They've been around many, many years now, I would have thought it'd hit the $100-$200 price range.
I know they keep improving the screens and adding memory. But you can buy a $100 PDA (albeit, not a high quality one). Is the GPS chip itself so expensive. If so, why?
2006-09-14 14:00:09 · 6 answers · asked by Scott W 2 in Consumer Electronics ➔ PDAs & Handhelds
There are GPS's that are less than 300, but the accuracy is about plus or minus 30 meters (90 feet or so). They then take a jump to more accuracy and can go up to 2 or 3,000. It is all in the ability to relate to land stations to correct the error of the satellites. The difference between the 300 and 500 isn't in accuracy, it's in the bells and whistles: color screens, routing, memory, etc.
2006-09-14 14:05:24 · answer #1 · answered by just browsin 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is still a high demand for them and thus the companies that produce them have no reason to lower sale price ....
BTW the manufacturers have nothing to do with the satellites.. these are owned by the US military and the brodcast their signals for anybody to receive and use to provide locations and depict the same on the mapping software provided...
Some companies use the sattelites to beam updates, traffic information and other related data to subscribers... The companies in these cases pay the military to get an upload link on their satillites...
2006-09-14 16:56:01 · answer #2 · answered by anazati 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The more people buy a product the more the price will go down. Therefore, more people need to buy it and it needs to gain in popularity before the price will go down. Now that newer cars have them preinstalled it means that more than the norm of people will own one and there is a chance in the next few years the price will continue to reduce.
2006-09-14 14:10:16 · answer #3 · answered by Ximomila 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They have gone down. But unlike most electronics, your not only paying for the product itself but a small cost for satellites to be built, launched, and maintained. And for the never ending service of those satellites.
2006-09-14 14:09:09 · answer #4 · answered by Like Glue 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
1337.
2006-09-14 14:07:59 · answer #5 · answered by Bastronaught 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
because we all want one
2006-09-14 14:02:16 · answer #6 · answered by turtle 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋