According to GPS Business News, Mio has shut its doors on the US operation, a victim of the economy and a series of misses with consumers for their recent releases. We’ve come a long way from the launch and great success of the Mio 310X that was a hit on Black Friday 2006. Mitac, Mio’s parent swallowed up a pioneer in the business, Magellan, and I would imagine that they will innovate through that brand in the US market.

No Need for Mio
The prices on GPS units have fallen so much in the last 2 years, that there is no room for a lower priced brand under the big names. When Garmin and TomTom had their units at $350, a 15% savings was meaningful and worth the trade-off. With prices over the holiday period at $99, there was hardly room for a value play underneath them.

Mio is still a large global player, and I would assume, their parent company, Mitac a large contract manufacturer of GPS units for other brands. I am confident that we’ll see Mitac stay in the US market if the economy comes back, but in what form I don’t know. With new competition from other strong players like Navigon, they’d better not let Magellan slip too far.

Source: GpsLodge
Read more here:Mio – Dead in the US

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