Apple iPhone - Did they forget about the location sensor?

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Wednesday, January 10. 2007

Apple iPhone - Did they forget about the location sensor?

I watched Steve Job's introduction of the new Apple iPhone. It truly looks revolutionary, but I could not find within any of the tech specs about a location sensor: No GPS chip. Yes, you can view maps...there's an icon to link to Google Maps via a Wi-Fi connector; sure you can see imagery as well which is nicely displayed on the very wide screen interface. But unless you can load something like Skyhook's location finder device that uses Wi-Fi, accurate positioning seems to have been left off the list of important features. Am I wrong; has anyone seen differently. So, there is no inherent LBS function that automatically identifies your location then routes you from your position to wherever.

Posted by Joe Francica in LBS at 11:26 | Comments (8) | Trackbacks (0)

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Joe - no, you’re not wrong - you got it right. Apple’s lack of a handset-resident location capability is not that surprising though given they have chosen the GSM route with Cingular. The GSM world hasn’t yet solved GPS on the chipsets on a large scale like the CDMA and IDEN world has, but the emerging Secure User Plane Standard that GSM will use will help with that over time.

#1 Jon Spinney (Link) on 2007-01-10 12:38 (Reply)

What about the FCC mandate? Does this mean a fine and/or action by the Feds because they built a non-compliant device?

#2 Archie Belaney on 2007-01-10 13:20 (Reply)

Wait a minute...maybe Apple's finally noticed something.

The truly vast proportion of people who own phones and personal digital devices know pretty much right where they are. Contrary to the experience of globe-trotting, plane-hopping new-age marketeers and sales people, Most people don't travel all that much outside their home towm or local area. So a GPS to "find yourself" on a map is irrelevant. Because as Josie Average, you know where you are. If you don't, it's because you're on the other side of town and looking for a new store, restaurant, or whatever.

If that's the case, you look at a map. Which is what Apple's betting on here...the user interface is simple, Google is simple, and the idea of "placing yourself in context on the map" is pretty simple, too. Most folks can read a street sign, or in a general way figure out where they are on a Google-toon.

So has Apple made the simplest location-enabled device yet...an actual MAP-CENTRIC device? Hmmmmm.

I wonder if the utility of GPS is rendered irrelevant by the simple idea of someone navigating by looking at a map or an aerial photo? Imaging that, looking at a map to figure out where you are. You know, that just might work.

Still doesn't solve the whole e-911 thing, but maybe that's for a future edition.

#3 Archie Belaney on 2007-01-10 13:38 (Reply)

During the address at MacWorld, Jobs said about the iPhone, "The way to bring the real internet to your phone". "Now, I want to show you something truly remarkable: Google Maps on iPod." The audience "oogled". I can't be impressed unless the phone provides location determination automatically. Despite the outstanding user interface of the phone, I'll still need to type in my existing address first before any routing can occur. If it was truly map-centric, it would place the phone owner at the center of the map first upon turning on the phone. Jobs made reference to the phone's 3 sensors...one that turned off the screen as the user placed the phone up to your ear to conserve batteries...that in itself was very cool. I was waiting for him to talk about the "location sensor". I guess I'll have to live with disappointment. Maybe version 2.

#3.1 Joe Francica (Link) on 2007-01-10 15:19 (Reply)

For GPS enabled phones checkout Nokia's N95. Comes with a 5MP camera to boot. Not sure about a Symbian OS though.

#4 Shane Ring on 2007-01-10 14:59 (Reply)

I agree many people would not need GPS, but admit for business it is great aid. Since many of us work for companies that use GPS to improve productivity, I would have at least figured this would be a add-on.

#5 Glenn Graham (Link) on 2007-01-11 09:52 (Reply)

A more base and probably realistic backgrounder on the lack of GPS...cameras and movies and music sells. Nobody's paying for location.

Couple that (what more do you need, actually) with the battery suck of a GPS and the low adoption rate, and the mandate just ain't there.

Kudos to Apple for being honest with the state of technology.

#6 Archie Belaney on 2007-01-13 22:59 (Reply)

I agree that outside of corporate America, GPS in a phone is not selling a lot of units. Since Apple is not selling the iphone outside the US initially, I am hoping however that they will offer it in the iphone by the time they sell it internationally. I'm American but currently living in the Philippines. And here, it can be very hard to find your way around. Not just for someone like me who has only been her for 4 months either. I know Filipinos who have lived in Cebu for years and don't know how to get many places simply because many streets here, although named, don't have street signs. Also many buildings don't have addresses on them. (They have addresses, of course, but they aren't labeled!) This is not uncommon for a developing country and a functional GPS device with useful data (especially breadcrumbing GPS software so I could at least find my way back!) and a way for me to continually add my own data.

#6.1 Robert on 2007-06-04 11:07 (Reply)

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