Phones swallow SatNavs just like alarm clocks and watches before them.
Analyst firm Berg Insight says global shipments of Personal Navigation Devices declined to about 33 million units in 2011 and are forecasted to decline to about 23 million units in 2016.
And it says the decline is down to the rise in smartphones and and navigational apps - especially in mature markets.
It adds that growing shipments of PNDs in markets such as Brazil, China, India and Russia are not likely to compensate for the decline in Europe and North America.
Berg reckons the number of mobile subs using a turn-by-turn navigation app or service on their handset doubled in 2011 and reached 130 million worldwide.
This base should grow by a CAGR of 21.9 percent to reach 340 million users worldwide in 2016.
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“The global active installed base of smartphones surpassed 700 million units at the 2011, which is approximately 15 percent of all mobile phones in use”, said André Malm, senior analyst of Berg Insight.
He adds that about half of the current mobile navigation subscriber base uses free apps and services that are bundled with handsets or service plans from mobile operators. These have been created as an alternative to services from Google, Nokia and others.
He added: “Since relatively few users need turn-by-turn guidance on a daily basis, complementary features such as traffic information, speed camera alerts, parking space information and local search become increasingly important means to drive usage."
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