I am so pleased I haven’t bought an XT, simply because it won’t fit onto my 1600.
Yes, there are other (numerous) alternative pieces of software and app’s that will create and / or plot routes. Some will require an internet connection, which can be flakey. On the other side of the same coin, some of the software and app’s come with their own idiosyncrasies and, as is the case with MyRoute just recently, their own problems.
The underlying truth is maybe that the phone companies (whether that be Apple or their android rivals) have effectively smashed the dedicated GPS device market, with punters buying into their version of a ‘connected’ world. Don’t get me wrong, I like my Apple phone, its integration with my other Apple devices and Mac, I also like its camera and the way it does become a mobile office. What I don’t like is using it as navigation device. Should I just want to use it like some shonky Uber driver uses Waze, then it would be fine. Similarly, if I wanted to follow MyRoute or Kurviger’s or Google map’s generated routes, that would be fine, too. Similarly, I have no pressing desire to be ‘connected’ to anything (except the seat of my pants and the road) whilst hooning from A to B. So, long live the dedicated GPS unit, hopefully stripped of all the ‘must have’ bells and whistles.
I concur and hope my Zumo 390 keeps on going for ever. Even the soon to be discontinued 396 has far too many bells and whistles. Cheap though, with refurbed units for a little over £200.