Study: Navigation Device Market to Reach 100 Million by 2011

According to a study by the London-based research firm ABI Research, the global consumer market for personal navigation devices (PNDs) will likely reach 100 million units in four years. And while in-car stationary devices will likely remain the dominate use of PND technology, it will eventually begin navigating more towards handheld devices as well as portable media players and even newer devices.

The study, titled “Consumer Navigation Devices and Systems,” predicted that due to the recent acquisition of Navteq by Nextel and the likely sale of TeleAtlas to TomTom or Garmin, “the high levels of price pressure will result in continued consolidation and vertical integration.” Navigation features will also become more common on standard handsets.

ABI also found that of the 100 million units in 2012, only 21 million will be in North America, which currently trails Europe in PND adoption. More PND systems will be shipped to Asia/Pacific, ABI found, than any other region by 2012.