This is a fight between smartphone-default map apps (Google Maps, Apple Maps), and other map networks that come integrated in a different product, like a car or

This is a fight between smartphone-default map apps (Google Maps, Apple Maps), and other map networks that come integrated in a different product, like a car or a standalone GPS unit. The article chooses HERE to represent the latter, whose lineage includes NAVTEQ and Nokia Maps, and was bought by the German automakers in 2015 -- but NAVTEQ has been providing map data to GPS maker Garmin for a long time. Everyone's vying for mindshare and marketshare, and machinating in ways to gain independence from companies who could become competitors. HERE doesn't have the power of being platform-default on smartphones, but does offer smartphone apps as well. Presumably, these could integrate with the fixed units to allow for seamless transfer of state. Meanwhile, Google and Apple are lobbying other automakers to defer their in-car infotainment systems to their integration instead. In my mind, Google and Apple would appear to have the upper hand, being able to make the case that they represent a user's discretionary choice, instead of a captive platform that ships with a car. But on the other hand, as those companies have shown, the power of defaults is strong, and if HERE delivers a good experience inside cars, some people will begin using HERE on their phones as well, weakening Google and Apple's grip on the market. The question of ongoing revenue streams adds an additional complication. If carmakers begin requiring additional, recurring fees to make use of this service, that could blow back on HERE's platform as well, because no one likes to be nickel-and-dimed where comparable alternatives exist. And in situations where carmakers charge extra for Google and/or Apple integration, their heavy-handed approach to steer people towards their own platform will evoke additional consumer ire.