Industry Watch : in sync for the road ahead

 

Ford is now rolling out Sync, its factory-installed, in-car communications and entertainment system across its North American model range and Fiat is forging ahead with its ‘Blue & Me’ system. Both these systems are based on Microsoft Automotive software and offer Bluetooth and USB functionality enabling users to connect devices such as mobile phones, digital media players and potentially PDAs to the in-car system.

 

Having two major car manufacturers effectively standardizing on Microsoft is a significant leap forward since the in-car market has historically been fragmented by car makers’ own proprietary systems such as BMW’s iDrive. However, Microsoft is unlikely to have a clear field. It is more likely that the IT industry will offer a de facto platform where the car manufacturers cannot. Microsoft will be a significant player but the likes of Linux, Sun and Apple will also have parts to play.

 

“There is now the need to create a standard platform to allow cost reduction and flexibility for new applications, as well providing the possibility for car makers to differentiate in terms of look and feel and screen size,” says Carmelo Morgano, European Automotive Manager, Microsoft Automotive Business Unit.

 

Mike Ippoliti, Research Director, Telematics & Automotive, at ABI Research, agrees that standardization is crucial from an enterprise point of view. “If car makers continue to deploy proprietary systems it will become a nightmare for IT and fleet managers. It would be like letting every employee choose their own PC – you couldn’t manage the permutations.”

 

 

The principle of both systems is simple: by fitting a screen and hardware connected to in-car systems such as the stereo, users can connect most types of device to the system and control it using voice commands, buttons on the vehicle’s steering wheel or mobile controls. In each case the intelligence resides in the device connecting to the system, and that’s critical considering that the average lifespan of a vehicle is 13 years and the system will have to not only be durable enough to withstand vibration and temperature extremes for that period, but also integrate with the technologies of the future.

 

It’s an obvious pitfall and one that major manufacturers have fallen victim to in the past. For instance, Mercedes-Benz, in a previous generation S class saloon, made the then advanced move of fitting a PCMCIA slot in the model only to find the technology swiftly becoming obsolete. By following the USB and Bluetooth route, Microsoft feels it has future-proofed the system and these connection methods, coupled with the simple specification that should correspond to a long working life.

 

“The auto makers are conservative and a bit out of their element,” explains ABI Research’s Ippoliti. “They’re well aware of the speed of consumer electronics development but are constrained by the 10 to 13 year lifecycle of their own products.”

 

The initial applications of these systems are straightforward. On entering a vehicle, the user’s mobile phone connects to the system and the functionality of the phone is made accessible. Contacts lists can be accessed and the phone can be controlled by voice. Some versions of the system will read text messages and voice messages to users and the vehicle’s in-car entertainment system is used to provide a higher fidelity listening experience. Similarly, MP3 players can be connected using a USB port, typically in the glovebox, and controlled by voice. Future additional functionality lies mainly in the introduction of other devices such as satellite navigation units which could easily be set up to interface with these systems with a software upgrade. Again, this would rely on the hardware connecting to the in-car system.

 

There is an inherent limitation in what these systems can do but also in what they should do. “The goal is to provide relevant solutions to meet customer needs,” comments Ford engineer Gary Jablonski. “It can’t be technology for technology’s sake.” More complex applications, such as having email read to users from a Blackberry, could also constitute a significant distraction and legislation is surely waiting in the wings.

 

Today though, the sector is at the beginning. Such systems, according to Morgano, can be installed at around the €220 price point and, as the 5 July launch of Fiat’s new Cinquecento model, a low priced vehicle that offers ‘Blue & Me’, demonstrates, the barrier to entry is not high.