back to article UK government says goodbye sat navs, hello Xbox, e-cigs and Spotify

Sat navs are officially dead. The UK's Office for National Statistics has dropped them from its basket of goods used to calculate inflation - a sad end to a once-leading tech product. "'Sat navs' are being removed from the basket of goods this year, partly because many drivers now navigate using smart phones, but also because …

  1. Tromos

    About time too. No shopping basket is complete without a pair of Bleats headphones.

    1. TeeCee Gold badge
      Meh

      Well, no arsehole's shopping basket anyway.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I prefer

    colour on my walls.

    1. jonathanb Silver badge

      Re: I prefer

      Me too, but I prefer white ceilings.

  3. h3

    I prefer paint that actually lasts a decent amount of time. (Don't want water based or none drip). Sadly it is getting harder and harder to source.

    1. Kar98

      Water based latex paints are perfectly fine these days for all indoor and most outdoor applications,

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Pegging inflation to irrelevant consumer goods...

    ...rather than real costs of living like housing costs is designed to artificially lower them so as to screw everyone with low pay rises (citing low inflation as the justification ).

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Pegging inflation to irrelevant consumer goods...

      it's not like you need sat nav if you don't have a car...

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Pegging inflation to irrelevant consumer goods...

      .rather than real costs of living like housing costs is designed to artificially lower them

      It would have the reverse effect, surely? Unnecessary luxuries tend to hold their price, or even increase it (Veblen goods) but the necessities drop in price as people shop in discount stores, etc. Measuring inflation against luxuries should show a higher rate than if it were measured against necessities.

      Housing is always an outlier, of course.

      1. Corinne

        Re: Pegging inflation to irrelevant consumer goods...

        Don't forget travel as another outlier - train fares go up be more than inflation every single year, and fuel for cars the same.

      2. alpine

        Re: Pegging inflation to irrelevant consumer goods...

        "It would have the reverse effect, surely? "

        Not when the items are chosen to be ones believed to be hitting mass markets and thus dropping in price.

  5. TeeCee Gold badge
    Meh

    Really?

    partly because many drivers now navigate using smart phones

    I hear that some people like to burn their own nipples with lit cigarettes as well, presumably there's a correlation somewhere in there.

    I reckon the "car comes with it built in" reason is the real one, as even the crappiest built in beats peering at a phone screen on a wobbly generic mount, only to find that your 3G connection has died for the 50th time in the last ten minutes and the turning three back was the one you wanted.

    1. Shrimpling

      Re: Really?

      I disagree with "car comes with it built in" being the main reason. A quick glance round the work car park and only 2 of the cars belonging to management have built in Sat Nav. None of the cars belonging to us plebs have it built in.

      It may be a better experience than a smart phone but its not the reason I would choose one brand of car over another and it seems most of my colleagues agree with me.

    2. Jay 2

      Re: Really?

      Though at least on various handheld devices you can update the maps etc without too much trouble (and hopefuly cost). I hear some in-built satnavs require something from the dealer to update them (assuming the car manufacturer can be bothered to provide an update), which usually is not a trivial amount of money.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Really?

      Clearly you need a better phone and OSMAND+. No 3G involved.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    chavvy goods

    I also suspect the Xbox was chosen because its tanking so badly, massive price drops are inevitable, thus making inflation statsclooks better...

  7. Phil55494
    Pint

    Craft Beer

    Finally a definition of what craft beer in the UK is.

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