"The top two technology trends for cars at International CES 2013 will be Internet technologies and consumer applications," said Thilo Koslowski, a vice president at research firm Gartner.
Automobile innovation is always big at the International Consumer Electronics Show, but this year a major collision between the auto and technology industries could change how consumers think about their car. Experts believe that models displayed at CES 2013 in January could shift consumer perceptions toward thinking of their cars as mobile computing devices on wheels.
At CES in Las Vegas, Jan. 8-11, automakers are sure to show cars with improved telematics and computerized auto safety features, but the attention will focus on new in-car experiences resulting from big investments and vigorous collaboration with technology companies, including device makers, application developers and wireless network providers, according to Thilo Koslowski, vice president at research firm Gartner.
“The top two technology trends for cars at CES this year are Internet technologies and consumer applications,” said Koslowski.
Wi-Fi is one of those connectivity technologies, including in-car hotspots, wireless screen duplication, device tethering, wireless car diagnostics and wireless software upgrading, according to IMS Research. In the recent “Wireless Car” report, IMS concluded that in-car Wi-Fi will grow eight-fold over the next 7 years.
The engine, design and safety features are still big selling points but car buyers are becoming more interested in the kind of entertainment and Internet experience they get on smartphones and tablets, and they want these capabilities while driving down the road, according to Koslowski. He sees automakers eager to bring mobile Internet technologies to luxury lines and across mainstream automobiles. Earlier this year, that led him to forecast that by 2016 vehicle Internet communication technology and mobility innovations would represent up to one-third of automakers’ R&D efforts.
By 2016, the majority of vehicle buyers in mature markets, including the United States and Western Europe, will view the availability of in-vehicle, Web-enabled content as a key buying criterion, Koslowski noted. But the early adopters among premium-brand vehicle buyers — BMW, Cadillac, Mercedes, Audi, Lexus and others — jumped on this trend years ago and Koslowski believes International CES 2013 will be the coming out party.
More Technology, More Distractions?
“Cars used to take us from point A to point B, but technology is making them more intelligent, safer and even more entertaining,” said Koslowski. “Technology is helping cars to be more self aware and contextually aware of the driver, passengers and surrounding conditions. This brings unique requirements and benefits. Auto companies are really embracing these concepts.”
Automotive companies have tried to build consumer electronics on their own, but this approach is expensive, said Thilo Koslowski, a vice president at research firm Gartner. "So automakers have partnered with leading consumer device makers, software developers and wireless network companies."
In agreement is Staci Palmer, general manager of the automotive solutions division at Intel. “Cars are most definitely getting smarter because they are connecting to the network and real-time services are being made available to drivers like location-based services that share traffic information or stock updates while you’re driving down the road,” she said.
Palmer said that about 40 percent of the estimated 80 million cars shipped in 2012 had some form of in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system. She expects that by 2020, that rate will reach 75 percent, or around 85 million IVI systems, which run computer applications for entertainment, information or Internet connectivity. This includes dashboard navigation systems, rear-seat entertainment system for playing movies or games and small devices that connect the car to local area or wide area wireless networks, allowing consumers to bring into the car mobile devices that could be safely controlled through voice commands.
It’s essential for automakers to design these applications and services for safe driving experiences, removing distractions so drivers can stay focused on the safety of operating the car, according to Palmer.
“There’s also a lot of evolution [in the technology industry] around ideas like gesture control, so with a simple swipe of a hand you can change from one radio station to the next,” said Palmer.
Integrated Tablets, Smartphones
“In-vehicle infotainment system sales are doing fine,” said Tore Dietrich, host of “LA Auto Show,” which will air on NBC Sports Network in January and feature highlights from the auto industry show held this month in Los Angeles. “Prices for LCD screens and technology have gone down, so now more new cars are packed with computer features and applications. But there is no question that tablets are having an effect on rear seat entertainment. Why buy an integrated unit that is only available in the car when your digital entertainment babysitter can follow you everywhere you go, in and out of the vehicle?”
Koslowski sees automakers designing for both integrated systems and carry-in devices, and in each case the aim is to have devices not only connect to the Internet, but to each other so people in the car can share content and experiences. At first, automotive companies tried to build these technologies on their own. “This approach gets expensive, so automakers have partnered with leading consumer device makers, software developers and wireless network companies,” Koslowski said, pointing to how automakers such as Ford have rapidly set up research and development labs in Silicon Valley.
Dietrich has no doubt that at CES 2013 there will be more smartphone integration like the new Honda Civic, which takes smartphone apps such as Pandora and iHeart Radio and displays them on the car’s center touchscreen, and allows a driver or passengers to text using voice commands.
At CES industry experts expect to see improved telematics and computerized auto safety features in vehicles, but their attention will likely focus on new in-car experiences.
The new Chevy Spark electric vehicle uses its owner’s smartphone to run the car’s infotainment system and integrates with Siri if the owner has an iPhone. Kia provides geo-fencing on its all-new Sorento, so parents can use their smartphones or computer to track the whereabouts of their children. Audi’s new Allroad displays Google Earth live on center display.
“More automakers are simply using an interface to work with the technology you already own and are accustomed to,” said Dietrich.
Koslowski believes that by 2016 “the leading connected vehicle solutions will center on human-machine interfaces and cloud-supported user experience innovations.” That’s when Telematics, IVI and other computing aspects of a car coalesce, making the car tough to beat as the ultimate mobile computing machine, he noted.
“Imagine someday your car has no steering wheel, windows are touchscreens and rear-view mirrors can project live views of any angle around the car,” Koslowski said. “You may simply take your modular tablet from the dashboard when leaving the car.”
The End of the Car as We Know It
Hi-tech turning cars into mobile computers.
"The top two technology trends for cars at International CES 2013 will be Internet technologies and consumer applications," said Thilo Koslowski, a vice president at research firm Gartner.
Automobile innovation is always big at the International Consumer Electronics Show, but this year a major collision between the auto and technology industries could change how consumers think about their car. Experts believe that models displayed at CES 2013 in January could shift consumer perceptions toward thinking of their cars as mobile computing devices on wheels.
At CES in Las Vegas, Jan. 8-11, automakers are sure to show cars with improved telematics and computerized auto safety features, but the attention will focus on new in-car experiences resulting from big investments and vigorous collaboration with technology companies, including device makers, application developers and wireless network providers, according to Thilo Koslowski, vice president at research firm Gartner.
“The top two technology trends for cars at CES this year are Internet technologies and consumer applications,” said Koslowski.
Wi-Fi is one of those connectivity technologies, including in-car hotspots, wireless screen duplication, device tethering, wireless car diagnostics and wireless software upgrading, according to IMS Research. In the recent “Wireless Car” report, IMS concluded that in-car Wi-Fi will grow eight-fold over the next 7 years.
The engine, design and safety features are still big selling points but car buyers are becoming more interested in the kind of entertainment and Internet experience they get on smartphones and tablets, and they want these capabilities while driving down the road, according to Koslowski. He sees automakers eager to bring mobile Internet technologies to luxury lines and across mainstream automobiles. Earlier this year, that led him to forecast that by 2016 vehicle Internet communication technology and mobility innovations would represent up to one-third of automakers’ R&D efforts.
By 2016, the majority of vehicle buyers in mature markets, including the United States and Western Europe, will view the availability of in-vehicle, Web-enabled content as a key buying criterion, Koslowski noted. But the early adopters among premium-brand vehicle buyers — BMW, Cadillac, Mercedes, Audi, Lexus and others — jumped on this trend years ago and Koslowski believes International CES 2013 will be the coming out party.
More Technology, More Distractions?
“Cars used to take us from point A to point B, but technology is making them more intelligent, safer and even more entertaining,” said Koslowski. “Technology is helping cars to be more self aware and contextually aware of the driver, passengers and surrounding conditions. This brings unique requirements and benefits. Auto companies are really embracing these concepts.”
Automotive companies have tried to build consumer electronics on their own, but this approach is expensive, said Thilo Koslowski, a vice president at research firm Gartner. "So automakers have partnered with leading consumer device makers, software developers and wireless network companies."
In agreement is Staci Palmer, general manager of the automotive solutions division at Intel. “Cars are most definitely getting smarter because they are connecting to the network and real-time services are being made available to drivers like location-based services that share traffic information or stock updates while you’re driving down the road,” she said.
Palmer said that about 40 percent of the estimated 80 million cars shipped in 2012 had some form of in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system. She expects that by 2020, that rate will reach 75 percent, or around 85 million IVI systems, which run computer applications for entertainment, information or Internet connectivity. This includes dashboard navigation systems, rear-seat entertainment system for playing movies or games and small devices that connect the car to local area or wide area wireless networks, allowing consumers to bring into the car mobile devices that could be safely controlled through voice commands.
It’s essential for automakers to design these applications and services for safe driving experiences, removing distractions so drivers can stay focused on the safety of operating the car, according to Palmer.
“There’s also a lot of evolution [in the technology industry] around ideas like gesture control, so with a simple swipe of a hand you can change from one radio station to the next,” said Palmer.
Integrated Tablets, Smartphones
“In-vehicle infotainment system sales are doing fine,” said Tore Dietrich, host of “LA Auto Show,” which will air on NBC Sports Network in January and feature highlights from the auto industry show held this month in Los Angeles. “Prices for LCD screens and technology have gone down, so now more new cars are packed with computer features and applications. But there is no question that tablets are having an effect on rear seat entertainment. Why buy an integrated unit that is only available in the car when your digital entertainment babysitter can follow you everywhere you go, in and out of the vehicle?”
Koslowski sees automakers designing for both integrated systems and carry-in devices, and in each case the aim is to have devices not only connect to the Internet, but to each other so people in the car can share content and experiences. At first, automotive companies tried to build these technologies on their own. “This approach gets expensive, so automakers have partnered with leading consumer device makers, software developers and wireless network companies,” Koslowski said, pointing to how automakers such as Ford have rapidly set up research and development labs in Silicon Valley.
Dietrich has no doubt that at CES 2013 there will be more smartphone integration like the new Honda Civic, which takes smartphone apps such as Pandora and iHeart Radio and displays them on the car’s center touchscreen, and allows a driver or passengers to text using voice commands.
At CES industry experts expect to see improved telematics and computerized auto safety features in vehicles, but their attention will likely focus on new in-car experiences.
The new Chevy Spark electric vehicle uses its owner’s smartphone to run the car’s infotainment system and integrates with Siri if the owner has an iPhone. Kia provides geo-fencing on its all-new Sorento, so parents can use their smartphones or computer to track the whereabouts of their children. Audi’s new Allroad displays Google Earth live on center display.
“More automakers are simply using an interface to work with the technology you already own and are accustomed to,” said Dietrich.
Koslowski believes that by 2016 “the leading connected vehicle solutions will center on human-machine interfaces and cloud-supported user experience innovations.” That’s when Telematics, IVI and other computing aspects of a car coalesce, making the car tough to beat as the ultimate mobile computing machine, he noted.
“Imagine someday your car has no steering wheel, windows are touchscreens and rear-view mirrors can project live views of any angle around the car,” Koslowski said. “You may simply take your modular tablet from the dashboard when leaving the car.”
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