According to the article it has no internal maps. It uses the iPhone's maps. And for those of you that don't know, you don't need cell service to use the GPS apps on the iPhone. It has a dedicated GPS receiver.

Isn't it safe to say that you need cell service to do POI searches and have the map continue to scroll as you drive? I don't think the iPhone apps contain all that data within them. I thought they relied upon a live server connection to get it's data? This cloud GPS 'so-to-speak' is in fact a bit different then a traditional stand alone GPS product that runs on DVD's, Flash Memory, or an HDD. I can't imagine the downloaded app containg 8.5GB+ worth of data.

The GPS app on my in-dash iPad install uses an internal POI database that only requires a GPS signal to find what I am looking for. Only the Google search feature in the app I use requires a network connection. Other apps like MotionX work in a similar fashion. Only about 10% of the time on most iOS GPS apps is a 3G connection required AFAIK. IMO, this head unit and the way it works is going to spell the end of head units as we know it. As more apps are available you will have the choice to completely "customize" your head unit the way you want it and to what fits your needs. I have to say this is genius and I hate to say that about Pioneer. Now, as to weather it works well and without some stupid Pioneer like limitation remains to be seen.