editor’s forum
The Back Stretch: It’s Anybody’s Game to Win
SOLOMON DANIELS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
SDANIELS@ME-MAG.COM
(or devolved) into a show lorded over by manufacturers that measure their dominance by the size of their TVs. The automakers — for four days at least — also forget that they make cars and, instead, tout their own versions of in-vehicle wizardry. OK, enough with the big words — CES was
A
pretty cool! If you went, then you know that like every CES in past years, the overarching focus was iPhone integration. Companies were quick to point out the level of compatibility with Apple’s latest, whether it’s just audio playback and charging, control, or full-on video. But CES identified other watchwords for our
industry in 2013: Android, wireless charging and Wi-Fi, all technologies that will have a larger place in our space. The question is, who will play Mama and Papa as these technologies mature in the car? Is it the OEMs or the aftermarket? As of today, the automakers have us over a barrel. Not only have they taken the lead in integrating new technology into the vehicle before it can become big in the aftermarket, they have become the target of prosperity for many of our manufacturers. In short, to make for the carmakers is to make out at the bank. I mean, who wants to deal with a bunch of single-store individuals and support them with tons of marketing dollars and suffer their gripes about territorial restrictions and Internet competition when you can make thousands off of a single product and sell it to a single customer? Let’s face it: It’s a valid argument, and those manufacturers with the right relationships are doing double-duty to serve two masters. Of the three technologies I mentioned, Wi-Fi has the capability to put the aftermarket back in the game. In 2011, our industry decided that the standard means for bringing connectivity to the vehicle was connecting an iPhone to the radio via a cable. Now it has expanded to connecting an Android radio via Bluetooth. Both of these are rudimentary solutions at best. Think about it — what if your home Internet depended solely upon having your cell phone connected to your home router? What if your workplace didn’t “work” when your phone was removed? All of the devices that depend on constant connectivity would be useless. That’s what’s happening in the
8 Mobile Electronics February—March 2013
s a whole, the Mobile Electronics category is a mere accessory to the grandeur of CES, a show that, for all practical purposes, has evolved
CES is an ugly reminder of the lead we’ve lost to the OEMs. But a new tech implementation gives us another shot.
car: the connected phone is stopping technology advancement. We should be looking deeper. What COULD happen if our vehicles had permanent Internet access? And trust me, it’s coming: Wi-Fi hotspots used to cost $60 per month to operate; now they are as low as $20 per month. I keep one in my car so that the iPod connected to my stereo can play Pandora, whether I have my phone or not. Kenwood and Pioneer are on the right track, though for different reasons. Kenwood is the first major manufacturer to produce a radio with built- in Wi-Fi capability, though it’s currently limited in use. And Pioneer is aggressively courting developers to produce apps for its radios, but more importantly, for in-vehicle use. Combine these two pushes and we’ve really got something special. But I’m not leaving this all up to the manufacturers. They must develop the Wi-Fi-enabled devices, but most of the people who think of and develop apps and products aren’t rocket scientists; they are energetic, passionate people who want to build something that benefits others. Sound familiar? As entrepreneurs, we can create and dream
our butts off, and some of us even can develop applications and products. But so do the automakers, and if you’ve seen the news from CES, you know they aren’t sitting on their hands. So, who will be the first to design or develop an app that: • Allows a user to define all the components of their audio system, enter their vehicle information and listening preference, then get specific volume, frequency control, delay, phase and equalization settings downloaded to their audio components?
• Works within an amplifier to log its usage hours, current temperature, connection integrity and overall health, and let the user, retailer — and warranty-honoring manufacturer — know what caused damage?
• Allows Mom, Dad and son/daughter to use their cell phones to set individual parameters for their vehicle security and safety system to match their driving style and preferences?
• Enables automatic firmware upgrades for multimedia head units and the capability to customize the controls so that the features the driver uses most are within easy reach? Will it be us, or will it be the minions of Ford,
Chrysler, Toyota and the other carmakers? Let’s decide now. Let’s stop being followers. Let’s take our lead back. µ
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68