TomTom's new "Map Update Service", due out later this month, will deliver updated maps to subscribers on a quarterly basis. Subscriptions will cost about $55 per year per country of mapping data for the entry-level TomTom ONE and ONE XL models. Pricing is expected to be slightly higher for the more expensive GO models (the GO models include more mapping detail, such as IQ Routes, speed limit information, etc.).
A subscription-based update model allows customers to receive updated maps more frequently than annual software update purchases, and positions TomTom more as an online subscription service than a retail hardware company. Profit margins on GPS hardware have declined sharply over the past year, and TomTom is wisely predicting that there's more money to be made in software than hardware.
Given the recent pricing trends in GPS navigation, TomTom's subscription service isn't much cheaper than buying a new device every 2 years, so it will be interesting to see if consumers respond to the new subscription model.
TomTom's website says the Map Update Service isn't yet available in North America. No official word yet on subscription pricing for the GO models, or when it will be available here in the US.
No sale. When maps cost $3 or so, I wouldn't buy a new one until the old one fell apart. I can't see paying $55 a year for map updates. It's not like they build a lot of new roads around here.
In three years, I expect to be able to buy a new GPS with new maps and Text To Speech for $150 or less. My money's staying in my pocket.