AT&T's GPS service for iPhone: Would you pay $9.99 a month?
AT&T sent out a message yesterday to its subscribers touting its new voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation service, operated by TeleNav.
For "just $9.99 a month," the message said, subscribers can "get there faster, safer and without any hassles."
Turns out the monthly fee is a hassle to some. True, AT&T is simply the conduit for the underlying service from TeleNav in Sunnyvale, Calif. But the carrier still is getting some grief from consumers. One reviewer at ComputerWorld argued that the "free" iPhone app was a "Trojan horse into your wallet." (It's free to install but costs $9.99 a month to use.)
The broader question is whether consumers, who have grown used to free or very inexpensive apps that do a dizzying array of high-tech tasks, will still go for a subscription model. For AT&T and TeleNav, their competitors are TomTom, which showed off its turn-by-turn app last month at the Apple Worldwide Developer Conference but has yet to announce a pricing structure, and Google Maps, which provides directions for free but doesn't have some of the bells and whistles of TeleNav. There are also the traditional GPS devices, which cost as little as $99.99, no monthly fee required.
Tell us where you would turn for directions. Would you pay 10 bucks a month for a service on your iPhone? Or would a frills-free Google Maps app work just as well?
-- Alex Pham
Am I the only person thats perfectly happy with a totally free NON turn by turn GPS app. I dont really need someone yelling out every turn I make in my life. I can read a map, or a GPS, without a single problem.
Posted by: Susan | July 02, 2009 at 09:00 PM
That's pretty unfair to charge 10 dollars monthly for voice gps, other phone services have had it on there phone before the iPhone 3G was released it's ALMOST 2 years and it's still not part of the iPhone the verizon voyager had it and it's was free on the phone no extra charges but the so called best phone in the world charges for it???? HMMM SOUNDS BACKWARDS TO ME
Posted by: Marcus Felton | July 03, 2009 at 07:36 AM
I would not pay the monthly fee. GPS devices are cheaper, coming with new cars. Plus lots of free apps already. Monthly fee is silly. Folks are not going to pay this.
between this and tethering, att just giving folks another reason to jailbreak their phones.
Posted by: lit | July 06, 2009 at 02:55 AM
A competitive disadvantage for ATT/iPhone, since the Palm Pre on Sprint has Telenav navigation for free
Posted by: Chris | July 06, 2009 at 10:29 AM