Garmin's Macworld 2006 Promises of Mac Compatibility Fall Short, Way Short

[1/2] [Updated] Garmin's Macworld 2006 Promises of Mac Compatibility Fall Short, Way Short

At last year's Macworld 2006 we were surprised to see a fairly large presence by Garmin, the maker of GPS navigation and fitness training units. Garmin has been steadfastly Windows-only forever. We've always had to use Virtual PC with our Garmin Street Pilots and eTrex Vista GPS navigation systems to install firmware and map updates. But Garmin issued a press release on January 10, 2006, declaring Mac compatibility would start immediately and be finished by the end of 2006.

Several Garmin representatives we spoke to at Macworld 2006 confirmed this move to Mac compatibility. So we then heralded Garmin's move in our Macworld 2006 show floor report and lauded them for finally doing the right thing.

Fast forward to the start of 2007 and we find that Garmin's blog reported on December 29th that they plan to have Mac-compatible Garmin Training Center software available at Macworld 2007 or one can download it in late January 2007--huh? That was in the "immediately" part of their January 10, 2006, press release with a target release of spring 2006:

"Beginning in spring 2006 [emphasis added], Garmin will offer a Mac version of its popular Training Center software. Used with Garmin’s line of Forerunner and Edge series of fitness products, the Training Center software lets users plan and analyze workouts. Fitness enthusiasts can create their own workouts or use workout templates that can be downloaded into the unit for any level of personal training. The software also offers interactive analysis tools that will now allow Mac users to chart their performance information like speed, heart rate, cadence, elevation, and pace."

The GTC software for the Mac is some 9 months late.

What about their MotionBased Web application? Garmin's January 2006 press release stated:

"Also in spring 2006 [emphasis added], Garmin will make the www.MotionBased.com upload interface Mac compatible. MotionBased.com translates GPS data into performance analysis, online mapping, and route sharing for endurance and outdoor athletes."

But the current MotionBased FAQ states:

At this time, the MotionBased web application will only run on a Windows PC with the following software requirements:
- Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
- Internet Browser (supported)
- Adobe SVG Viewer
We plan to fully support the Mac operating system by the end of 2006.

Well, fully Mac-compatible MotionBased software will not be out even at the end of 2006. Apparently, MotionBased Mac compatibility is still planned according to Garmin's wiki but for mid-2007 to early Q4 of 2007, a delay of at least 15 months.

[Update: Reader Rainer J. pointed out that Garmin released the Mac-compatible MotionBased Web Agent, a Safari plugin, back in March but it is just one of several MotionBased applications that is Mac compatible. Rainer wrote that he has been using MotionBased Web Agent for months.]

Finally, what about MapSource and Garmin's navigational GPS hardware? Garmin's January 2006 press release stated:

"By the end of 2006 [emphasis added], Garmin intends to have made all its popular hardware and software applications Mac OS X compatible. This includes the ability to load MapSource map data to Garmin units via a Mac, as well as waypoint and trip planning applications. Additionally, the Garmin nRoute application will allow Powerbook and iBook users to turn their laptop into a powerful street navigation tool with Garmin’s GPS 10 or GPS 18 sensors."

This is what we were waiting for but a search of the MapSource FAQs for "Mac compatibility," "Macintosh," "Apple" or just "Mac" produced no results.

The MapSource specifications PDF states that to run it one needs a Pentium processor and Windows 98, NT 4.0, 2000, XP or ME. Mac OS X is not even mentioned.

Garmin has posted a MapSource Tutorial for Mac that runs in Adobe Flash Player but states:

"While our MapSource products don't support Macs at this time, we have provided the tutorial in both Mac and PC formats."

Okay, they are not very late yet on MapSource and the Mac OS X compatible tutorial is somewhat helpful. But given the long delays in the other Garmin software, we are not optimistic on MapSource.

Finally, the specifications for Garmin's latest GPS navigation product, the Nuvi 660, doesn't mention Mac compatibility or Windows either for that matter except to note that it is not compatible with Windows 95, 98 or ME.

Hopefully, we'll find out next week from Garmin representatives what's in store for MapSource and why there have been such long delays in releasing Mac-compatible software. [Bill Fox]