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Consumers
increasingly look to their mobile devices as a resource for direction,
knowledge and entertainment. It is becoming common for these devices to be
seamlessly integrated for use inside of the vehicle. Once a smart phone is attached
to the automobiles user interface, the high resolution screens and audio
systems enable the information exchange and connectivity that create In-Vehicle
Infotainment (IVI). IVI is a rapidly evolving field that encompasses automotive
infotainment products and services including music, news, Internet and
multimedia, navigation, location and telephony.
Consumers will be
able to synchronize their entire music collection, photo gallery and video
collection using a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection. Advanced Driver Assistance
Systems connected to the driver can inform of safety concerns and advise drivers
on the need for rest or repair. Automobile manufacturers and their suppliers
must develop, test, deploy and support these IVI products and services across
multiple automobile models and generations. The process of which is becoming
increasingly complex and expensive as the rate of innovation and number of
applications continues to expand exponentially.
Vishnu Muralidharan, Industry Analyst in Automotive and Transportation at Frost & Sullivan believes, “Driver safety is the focal point when offering infotainment
services. Information will always keep coming in from different sources. The safety
of drivers rests on the vehicle HMI which prioritize information and reduce distractions.
This is a big issue and legislation will play an important role and dictate the
development in this area”
The normal auto
industry model suggests measured introduction of new technology first in luxury
lines followed by mass market segments assuming the achievement of target
metrics. The proliferation of mobile devices including smart phones along with
the availability of IVI apps has forced automakers to directly release their
new technologies straight to market. Based on iPhone, Android and Blackberry
operating systems, smart phone app stores will allow drivers to plug in
regardless of make and model.
With so many companies involved in the Industry, Mr. Muralidharan stresses, "Standardization of infotainment platforms is a key challenge OEMs are working towards under initiatives such as Genivi*...standardization will pave the way for reduction in costs which would lead to mass market adoption." In-Stat research forecasts that over 35 million in-vehicle infotainment systems are expected to ship in 2015.
”IVI has been existent for some time
now, cost has been a prohibitive factor for mass market adoption. One of the
big issues was the pace of innovation between the consumer electronics and
automotive industry…The big push is happening now as OEMs are marketing their
cars as an extension of the digital lifestyle and showing cars which are
capable of interacting with consumer smart phones as well as accessing
content.”
* The GENIVI Alliance which was
launched in March of 2009 is a non-profit organization whose mission is to
drive the broad adoption of an open source development platform.
Sources:
http://www.genivi.org
http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/embedded/applications/in-vehicle-infotainment
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsembedded/en-us/news/microsoft-auto-platform-for-in-vehicle-entertainment-solutions.aspx
http://pointthinktank.com/industries/automotive/in-vehicle-infotainment-navigation-part-1
http://pointthinktank.com/industries/automotive/in-vehicle-infotainment-navigation-part-2
http://pointthinktank.com/industries/automotive/in-vehicle-infotainment-navigation-part-3
http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/market-insight-top.pag?docid=213640719
http://www.in-stat.com
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