Garmin revealed yesterday in a conference call with analysts that the already long delayed nuviphone G60 will be delayed once again. Originally slated to launch in the third quarter of 2008 as the Garmin nuviphone, the GPS-centric handset was repeatedly delayed until Garmin decided to partner with computer maker Asus this spring.
At the Mobile World Congress the new Garmin-Asus partnership announced two nuviphones. The first, called the G60, was supposed to launch in the first half of 2009 with another model, the business-oriented M20 slated for launch in the second half.
Now it appears that the nuviphone G60 will be delayed until the second half of 2009. It’s not known if the nuviphone M20 will remain on schedule for a second half launch or be moved into 2010.
Garmin also announced its first quarter earnings for 2009 earlier this week, its worst since becoming a public company in 2000. Due to a poor global economy and clogged sales channels, Garmin posted revenues of $437 million for the first quarter, a 34 percent slide from its $664 million in revenue during the first quarter of 2008. Of the GPS units Garmin did sell, low end units contributed to 85 percent of the company’s revenue. This was further complicated by steadily decreasing average selling prices. Garmin expects ASPs to drop a further 15 percent over the course of 2009.
