external effects
Connecting the Connected: Mobile trends march on
Honda Cleans Up With Shop-Vac
What’s Going On: Connected cars are the way of the future — which starts right now. The 2014 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite, which was intro- duced at the New York Inter- national Auto Show, has some typical tech stuff like HD Radio
Kickin’ Into Gear
What’s Going On: Kickstarter, a funding platform for
creative projects, is becoming a solid breeding ground for new products as manufacturers, entrepreneurs and self-starters look to enter the technology industry. Take Smack Attack. Developed by Gregor Hanuschak (formerly of NASA), this in-car gadget is designed for steering wheel drum solos. Hanuschak hopes to raise $200,000 to bring the
Tablets Top Tech List
steering wheel cover/app combo to market by year’s end for $149.
How It Can Affect You: To date, more than 3.9 million people have pledged $584 million to fund
40,000 creative projects. Tis outlet provides inspiration and opportunies for retailers looking for the next big thing.
and text messaging capability, but it also has the HondaLink infotainment system, which lets an owner connect his or her smartphone to the car to play custom radio stations and get news feeds from Facebook and Twitter. One of the coolest standard features is the built-in HondaVAC, a powerful Shop- Vac vacuum built into the rear cargo bulkhead. The car arrives this summer. Next year, two iconic brands — Volkswagen and Apple — come together with the iBeetle, one of the first cars in the world with a built-in interface for the iPhone. The
iPhone works in the Beetle vehi- cles through a special app and docking station located centrally on the dashboard.
How It Can Affect You: Consumers are getting accus- tomed to more tech in their cars, which can eliminate the need for some of the aftermarket devices they would have bought in the past. Retailers need to keep a sharp eye on what is happening on the automotive side and determine how to complement their products and services to align with where the business is now and where it is going next.
PNDs On Te Outs
What’s Going On: Smartphones and
tablets are becoming more prevalent, but not without a negative impact on the personal navigation device (PND). For example, TomTom, the Dutch maker of vehicle navigation systems, said it had a 13 percent drop in its first quarter sales. The company plans to diversify its product line to counter a market now saturated with portable navigation devices. The number of mobile subscribers worldwide using a turn-by-turn navigation app on their handset at least once per month grew from 105 million in 2011 to 150 million in 2012, according to a research report from analyst firm Berg Insight. Conversely, global shipments of personal navigation devices declined to 28 million units in 2012 from 33 million units in 2011.
hotspots are on top of tech lists for consumers. Smartphones are so prevalent now that 69 mil- lion U.S. households own one. The 15th Annual Household CE Ownership and Market Potential Study also found that consumer electronics spending is up by 36 percent for households over the last 12 months.
What’s Going On: Consumers don’t want their MTV anymore—
they want their mobile devices. According to a new study by the Consumer Electronics Associ- ation, tablets, smartphones and wireless mobile
52 Mobile Electronics May—June 2013
How It Can Affect You: Mobile devices continue to grow in impor- tance, becoming more integral to consumers’ lifestyles, and the good news is that spending on these gadgets is up. All of this is increasingly affecting the environment inside the vehicle. Not only are smartphones now a key part of a car’s entertainment and information world, so are tablets. This can ultimately translate to more business for retailers who tailor their product mix to meet these consumer wants.
How It Can Affect You: There is still an
opportunity for navigation business, but in a new way. With growing smartphone adoption and location- based services, more folks are using their phones to find their way. Mobile electronics retailers have an opportunity to complement their traditional multimedia/ navigation systems with smartphones and create a new revenue stream.
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