Garmin announced today that it will continue production of the DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer, a series of printed maps for all 50 states. In production since DeLorme’s founding in 1976, the detailed atlas continues to diligently assist travelers of all varieties navigate America’s highways and back country roads.
At home in cabins, hunting lodges, and adventure vehicles the enduring product provides a great deal of information in an easy to use package. The Atlas & Gazetteer contains details, for a given state, that typically include: back roads, dirt roads, trails, topography, remote lakes and streams, boat ramps, public lands, trailheads, and campgrounds. Surprisingly, despite our collective affinity for Google Maps, in-car sat nav, and hand held GPS Delorme’s printed maps continue to sell.
“Garmin recently completed its analysis of DeLorme’s Atlas & Gazetteer business. We have concluded that these venerated, highly respected products will not only remain as a part of Garmin’s offering, but will continue to be enhanced in the coming months and years,” said Ted Gartner, director of corporate communications for Garmin. “Because the DeLorme name is so well-known and closely associated with the unique feature set and style of the Atlas & Gazetteers, which combines digital cartography with human editing, the product line will continue under the same iconic brand and familiar appearance.”
Delorme attributes the Atlas’ continued success to the fact that many people are discovering that for a traditional atlas; there is no substitute. Printed maps provide a great amount of detail in an easy-to-read package that require no batteries, chargers or a clear view of the sky. However, when Garmin announced its acquisition of DeLorme back in February of this year, one of their first moves was to close DeLorme’s map store on in Yarmouth Maine. The Swiss company, famous for producing satellite based navigation devises, alluded to the a focus on developing its line of digital map devices. It appeared that the Atlas & Gazetteer’s future was uncertain at best.
Today’s announcement brings a collective sigh of relief to those who feared their favorite physical map was on its last leg. Moving forward, consumers will still find DeLorme’s atlases on sites like Amazon.com, in major retailers and bookstores across the country. However, as 2016 comes to a close, shoppers will find that direct online sales of atlases will move from delorme.com to garmin.com.
Long live paper maps!
