When You Think GIS, Think Pitney Bowes
I have to admit, I’m somewhat shocked by Pitney Bowes abandoning the MapInfo name and going with Pitney Bowes Software. Why anyone would dump one of the most recognized names in GIS for a company that at least for me has more to do with postage meters and fax machines seems idiotic. When I joined my current company, they were a MapInfo partner (or something like that as I’m not really a MapInfo guru). I wonder if we can become a Pitney Bowes partner?
“With Pitney Bowes GIS we’d have worldwide service with thousands of reps.”
Update: Reid Hislop, Vice President of Marketing for Pitney Bowes, responds to the All Points Blog’s post:
Please be assured that the last thing we intend to do is walk away from the MapInfo brand and our location intelligence position. If anything, you will see us more aggressively carve out this category and clearly establish ourselves as the leader.
Our name, Pitney Bowes MapInfo, will continue for the
foreseeable future. We have no immediate plans to drop the brand name from our product portfolio or external communication efforts.…
Please be assured that the “marketing icon” will live, until the equity is properly transitioned.
Well there you go. MapInfo is going no where for the near future. Start getting used to Pitney Bowes Software though.
maybe because pitney bowes is an ESRI business partner?
http://www.g1.com/
http://gis.esri.com/partners/partners-user/index.cfm?fuseaction=contact&BP_ID=4011
@KJ
Old topic man…
http://www.spatiallyadjusted.com/2007/03/20/mapinfo-as-an-esri-business-partner/
I don’t see anywhere that the name MapInfo, with regard to the software, is going to disappear, if that goes then they really are being dumb.
That post is old news. The consensus then was Group1 and MapInfo were just two separate totally independant companies who happened to have the same owner.
The new news is that Pitney Bowes said yesterday that it is combining its MapInfo and Group 1 Software divisions into one unit, effective immediately.
So Group 1 who is an ESRI BP is now merged with MapInfo, and the MapInfo names goes away.
Its just interesting, thats all. Will the new unit have its own GIS platform and cease to be an ESRI BP? Or is the ESRI partnership strengthened because they struck down the name of its biggest competitor? Or does it mean nothing?
I suspect that Pitney Bowes will not be a ESRI Business Partner anymore. You can’t have resellers and be an ESRI business partner and I assume MapInfo still has those.
[...] “It’s a marketing blunder only a billion dollar company could make.” James Fee chimed in on his blog, saying “Why anyone would dump one of the most recognized names in GIS for a [...]
Good to have you back James. I really missed your posts. You have a weird sort of humor that appeals to me.
Keep on posting my friend!…..