Romanians have finally discovered "fire", or better said navigation applications with real-time traffic information, Waze being the best of all, with little problems. According to Mio, Romanians' interest in classic GPS devices dropped by 15% in 2017 compared to 2016, so that only 59.000 units were bought in Romania.
Instead of looking for collaborations with the producers of applications with real-time traffic information, those from Mio thought of launching cheaper and "badder" GPSs, because they represent 70% of sales. With sales of only 2.2 million euros in 2017 in Romania, the people from Mio say that car camera sales have increased, and here I have to admit that I also contributed.
On the other hand, Mio continues to focus on the wrong segment of devices, those that have no future because they don't have real-time traffic information. Romania is one of the countries where apart from Waze, Google Maps (which are part of Google) and Apple Maps, you don't really have anything to use to have correct information in real time about the traffic on the roads.
"For 2018, we aim for growth in this segment by launching a new GPS, whose purchase price will be lower, thanks to the implementation of maps with basic specifications. Thus, Mio will enter the segment of entry-level GPS products without advanced features, which currently accounts for approximately 70% of the entire car navigation market."
In civilized countries, where higher revenues are generated, of course, this kind of information comes bundled in car navigation systems, which do everything waze does, without having to sit with your phone hanging from the windshield. In Romania, cheap GPS are still sold because they are cheap to produce and those who buy them don't know what Waze is good for, yet.
