Originally Posted by
MattFoley
I don't think it's Garmin vs. phones....I think it's Garmin vs. other manufacturers that see an opening to beat Garmin at their own game. I hate to generalize too much, but I know very few "serious" cyclists (as in, people that spend more time on the bike than just about anything else, not just "roadies") that use their phones to track their rides and just about every cyclist I know uses a Garmin of some sort. Personally, you'd have to pry my Edge 800 out of my cold dead fingers before I start using a phone for a bike computer...So I think there will always be a market for dedicated cycling computers. Garmin, however, could lose their edge (pun intended) if they don't start innovating. The latest round of devices was a step in the right direction, but if they don't start focusing on keeping their products fresh (screen resolution is a major issue they need to work on), they're seriously vulnerable to competition.
^^^^This. Plus, and this is simply my opinion, as "smart" and capable as smart phones are becoming with each new product, it's been my experience that they just can't do "everything" well, yet. A smart phone with a GPS is 100 other things before it gets to actually being a GPS. I just don't feel they're as accurate a GPS as a dedicated GPS unit. I'm also a Garmin 800 user but I use an iPhone to record mileage on an app that I use. The iPhone mileage is ALWAYS different from that on the Garmin. Sure, this could mean the phone is more accurate but the mileage on the phone will vary from ride to ride over the exact same course but sometimes as much as 1/2 a mile over a 20 mile distance. This difference gets more exaggerated the farther I ride. I use the phone ONLY for the app mileage. The Garmin is what I use to rely on for recording my ride data. Right or wrong, it's always, at least, consistent.
I just believe that every tool has it's strong points and weak points so it becomes a matter of right tool for the job. Again, just my opinion based on my own experiences. YMMV.
