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TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

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Re: TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

#111

Post by alaricus »

acchow wrote: post #108
alaricus wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The same way as PiHole does. It's not hard to block Google adds on 3rd party sites with a DNS or IP-level block.

If ISPs actually tried to do this en-masse, Google would move all ad serving to google.com

This is basically what youtube is doing. PiHole does not work on Youtube, but uBlock origin does (so does NewPipe, FreeTube and a bunch of software).

This would solve Google's immediate problem, but it's such a huge escalation that I expect lots of unintended effects not to Google's benefit. There is a reason they haven't done this, despite widespread adblocking use.

Re: TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

#113

Post by scarface74 »

grvdrm wrote: post #110
scarface74 wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And most consumers would much rather have either CarPlay or Android Auto than the crappy software that is made my the manufacturers.

Is that true? Not saying you are wrong but is it just an anecdote? I anecdotally know lots of people that just use their car GPS and don’t bother with CarPlay/AA

80% of new cars support CarPlay

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/29/apple-carplay-massive-succes...

As far as I know, most cars that support CarPlay also support Android auto. I can’t imagine car manufacturers wanting to pay licensing fees to TomTom unnecessarily.

Re: TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

#114

Post by babypuncher »

scotty79 wrote: post #85

I used to work for TomTom maybe 10 years ago. I was there when Google started offering turn by turn navigation for free. Other issue was live traffic information. As you might imagine all this caused some concern among employees because that was, I think, the main source of revenue for the company. They were already doing some other stuff like fitness wearables but they didn't seem to be leaning into it. Main idea fo…

> go deeper into cooperation with car manufacturers to provide builtin navigation in cars.

I feel like this is a dying market as well. Why would I pay $200/year to update the maps in my car's mediocre navigation system when I can just turn on Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and get the same excellent navigation system I enjoy on my smartphone?

Re: TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

#115

Post by chrisseaton »

scotty79 wrote: post #85

I used to work for TomTom maybe 10 years ago. I was there when Google started offering turn by turn navigation for free. Other issue was live traffic information. As you might imagine all this caused some concern among employees because that was, I think, the main source of revenue for the company. They were already doing some other stuff like fitness wearables but they didn't seem to be leaning into it. Main idea fo…

> how companies become corporations

Aren't all companies corporations?

Re: TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

#116

Post by throwawaycfg »

scotty79 wrote: post #85

I used to work for TomTom maybe 10 years ago. I was there when Google started offering turn by turn navigation for free. Other issue was live traffic information. As you might imagine all this caused some concern among employees because that was, I think, the main source of revenue for the company. They were already doing some other stuff like fitness wearables but they didn't seem to be leaning into it. Main idea fo…

Join IBM

Re: TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

#117

Post by ratww »

VBprogrammer wrote: post #90
scotty79 wrote: post #85

I used to work for TomTom maybe 10 years ago. I was there when Google started offering turn by turn navigation for free. Other issue was live traffic information. As you might imagine all this caused some concern among employees because that was, I think, the main source of revenue for the company. They were already doing some other stuff like fitness wearables but they didn't seem to be leaning into it. Main idea fo…

Interesting that going deeper integrated into cars was their game plan. I've never used our in-car GPS (other than playing with it once). If it was any good it has a ton of advantages over using Google, including display on the "speedometer" screen. Sadly, it's pants. It comically announces caution stationary traffic on the M25, generally after we've been stationary for 5 minutes. The navigation directions aren't as…

I remember TomTom being a lot better than the competition, though. Most other units were terribly slow and sometimes borderline unusable. Not to mention the updates... not software updates, but the map updates. I still remember my parents, with the help of my siblings, spending weeks trying update their cheap Chinese GPS using instructions from random internet forums, only to give up and get a more expensive TomTom unit. The Chinese unit was given away at a Facebook group to someone more adventurous.

Of course, mobile apps have definitely caught up years ago, and I believe you that they're even better now.

Re: TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

#118

Post by hulitu »

scarface74 wrote: post #92
alFReD-NSH wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Something that most commenters are missing is that TomTom's most revenue comes from B2B deals, which are mostly deals with automotive companies for car screens experience and also providing maps data for products like Bing Maps.

And most consumers would much rather have either CarPlay or Android Auto than the crappy software that is made my the manufacturers.

Android Auto is crap. It only works with Google apps and some third party media players, when it starts. I gave up on it a long time ago.

Re: TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

#119

Post by chrisseaton »

babypuncher wrote: post #114
scotty79 wrote: post #85

I used to work for TomTom maybe 10 years ago. I was there when Google started offering turn by turn navigation for free. Other issue was live traffic information. As you might imagine all this caused some concern among employees because that was, I think, the main source of revenue for the company. They were already doing some other stuff like fitness wearables but they didn't seem to be leaning into it. Main idea fo…

> go deeper into cooperation with car manufacturers to provide builtin navigation in cars. I feel like this is a dying market as well. Why would I pay $200/year to update the maps in my car's mediocre navigation system when I can just turn on Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and get the same excellent navigation system I enjoy on my smartphone?

My car's built-in navigation can do things Apple CarPlay can't, like HUD, dashboard mapping, dead-reckoning navigation in tunnels, fuel management, etc.

Re: TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

#120

Post by samyok »

alaricus wrote: post #77
fbn79 wrote: post #62

Using TomTom web map API for a project and they are really well developed. Great product that can compete with Google Maps.

I think Apple Maps is basically TomTom with a Apple logo slapped to it.

They stopped using TomTom in the US in 2020: https://www.wired.com/story/apple-maps-redesign/
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