Lambeau, I think the "people" you are referring to who switch from one brand of GPS to another because of A MAP CHIP are not paying for them in the first place. Are you serious? That makes absolutely zero sense. I could see if they were upgrading or bought a new boat, but I highly doubt that someone has an HDS unit and is switching to a bird because of a map chip. If they were already upgrading or whatever that is a different story. i agree, sort of...outside of pro-staff types who are flipping boats every year, not very many who currently own an HDS unit are going to go out and buy a different unit in the near future. they mostly have their mapchips in place too. so in the short-term, they're an irrelevant market segment. smart companies plan long-term. so in a few years when those HDS owners are ready to upgrade it does become a factor in deciding between Lowrance and Humminbird. and of course folks who are looking right now to rig a new boat or upgrade older units will definitely be influenced by the range options available to their electronics, including map chips.
consider the advantage this gives Johnson when dealing with boat manufacturers, boat dealers, and even retailers...they can offer a full package of electronics: trolling motor, gps/sonar, and map chips as a bundle at a discount rate compared to buying competing brands individually. this will appeal to the manufacturers and dealers who are looking for competitive pricing advantages when talking to customers about bottom-line, fully-rigged prices on a boat. and when the Humminbird/MinnKota bundle at Cabela's includes a free map chip? or when Humminbird units just come pre-loaded with Lakemaster maps? hmmm. and hey, the stock market seemed to like the move... | 
