CeBIT: Mio Technology, PND Prices Get a Moov On

March 6, 2008

Taiwan's Mio Technology has unveiled its latest personal navigation devices (PNDs) for Europe in Germany — with the apparently bovine-inspired name of Moov — and these products are symptomatic of just how much selling prices are dropping.

While it's no secret PND prices are dropping like lead balloons, a comparison of Mio's product introductions this year and last illustrate the striking difference a year has made.

Mitac's Mio introduced the Moov 200, Moov 330 and Moov 370 at CeBIT, the annual European consumer electronics trade show — held this year March 4 through March 9 in Hanover, Germany. The products have what have become fairly standard specs; the 370 and 330 come equipped with 4.3-inch displays with wide-screen formats, while the 200 has a 3.5-inch screen. All three are built around Mio's slim formfactor, have a 400 Mhz processor and a SiRFstarIII GPS receiver; the 370 throws in Bluetooth for hands-free mobile phone calls and a traffic message channel (TMC) receiver.

At first glance, the products are not dissimilar to the PNDs the company launched at CeBIT in 2007: the C320, C520 and C520t models, along with the entry-level C220. All four also incorporate SiRFstarIII receivers and 400 Mhz processors; all but the 220 have 4.3-inch screens. The 520 and 520t feature Bluetooth; the 520t has a TMC receiver built into its cradle, while the 520 and 320 were TMC ready.

So what distinguishes this year's models from last year's, aside from software improvements (Mitac notably brought the Navman software over to the Mio lineup for the Moov series)? In a word, it is price. At the time of the models' debut, the C220 had a suggested retail price of €199 (approximately $304, at the current currency conversion rate); the C320 price was €349 (approximately $533); the C520 price was €399 (approximately $610); and the C520t for €449 (approximately $686).

The Moov models, while having similar specs, have significantly lower prices attached. The Moov 200 has a suggested retail price of €179 ($275) for the European version and €149 ($229) for other regional versions. The Moov 330 European version has a suggested price of €229 ($352) with the regional version at €179 ($275). The 370 price, meanwhile, starts at €279 ($428)

That's a difference of €170 between the Moov 370 and the C520t in just 12 months' time. It's little wonder that investors are concerned about the average selling price of PNDs.