Tech avalanche: Microsoft goes big for automotive
The rapidly shrinking US auto market has left automakers scrambling for any way to differentiate their products from the competition, and the fastest way to get the job done is with technology. Microsoft is all too aware of this, and the tech giant is betting big on automotive to give itself a larger presence in a rapidly growing field. Microsoft has increased both staffing and funding by 30% in an effort to get in on the connectivity and infotainment ground floor. Sync has been Microsoft's crowning achievement in the automotive space to date, with over 200,000 units sold so far and 1 m expected by the end of 2009. Though Ford owns Sync branding rights, Microsoft will be able to peddle the inexpensive system to other automakers in 2009. Microsoft's "Live Search" technology is also available to automakers, and it will spawn in-car systems that allow drivers to search for nearby businesses. Since every other aspect of our lives is now interconnected, it makes sense for cars to follow the trend. Whether you love the Microsoft or hate it, having the 800-pound gorilla in the automotive realm is a good thing. We just hope we won't have to worry about a blue screen of death plaguing our family wagon.
[Source: Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
nanotube 4:43PM (7/29/2008)
A quick visit to mp3car.com's forums says this isn't a new idea. It's about time actually. I'd like my car to have all the music in existence at my disposal, play movies, have GPS nav that records my commutes and times the traffic lights for me. I want a back-up camera and front camera and two side cameras recording all the time in case I have an accident. I want my stereo to read out my text messages and emails, the nav system to get traffic updates from the internet and from cars ahead of me. I want night vision and HUD, I want...
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Declan Moran 4:49PM (7/29/2008)
I'd settle for an accurate map with traffic and a connection for my ipod
boneheadotto 5:02PM (7/29/2008)
I want you driving in a different state than me so im not hit by you while you are scrolling through every song in existance, watching a movie, checking email, or composing a novel. Blue screen of death is the least of our worries if this comes about. Also can you imagine the EULA that Microsoft lawyers will require on that thing.
tom6433 4:49PM (7/29/2008)
all i have to say is that is it about time. i think cars should already come with pc's. i mean how long have ppl been putting car pc's in their vehicles? if ppl are doing it on their own i would think auto manufacturers should have been able to foresee this trend.
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Xcountryflyer 4:57PM (7/29/2008)
Someone other than MS please. Their products are bloated, buggy and seem to have a lot of security issues.
Even though I generally use PCs, Apple should get into the auto mobile game. I'm sure their product would be more user friendly and stable.
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Vintage 5:06PM (7/29/2008)
Agree eleventy billion percent. Hey automakers, want me to never get a newer car EVER? Put a lot of microsoft crap in your car.
Miguel 5:22PM (7/29/2008)
I'm pretty sure an in-car computer solution wouldn't come with 20 years of legacy support for businesses still integrated with Lotus Notes. It's amazing what happens to "bloat" and "bugs" when you gut legacy support.
Mike 5:34PM (7/29/2008)
Vintage,
Every other post by you states you won't buy a new car and you hate everything except 10-20 year old Japanese cars.
Do you really think the OEMs are worried about someone like you? Come on.
Polly Prissy Pants 6:17PM (7/29/2008)
+1 Mike.
And at least with Microsoft you can choose which media player you want to use. With Apple you'd be yet again locked into the proprietary iPod monopoly that exists with so many other systems. Screw that - I want choice.
Nohone 4:10AM (7/30/2008)
Yes, because Apple's latest offerings, Mobile Me and iPhone 2.0, have been great examples of perfect computer software engineering. Mobile Me still does not work weeks after release (Apple warns you not to try and change your password, and to back up your email in case it is lost), and imagine having to wait 6 or 7 hours while the software "phones" home to ask for permission to boot, only to BSOD (Black Screen Of Death) while trying to open Safari to view a Google map. Then they will tell you that you need to wait 15 minutes to listen to the music you want, because it is not really push, but wait. Yes, I am a disgruntled iPhone user.
There has not been a report of a SYNC system BSOD - you know that if there was one single instance of it happening it would be reported all over the internet. Even the most die-hard of Apple fan boys have been disappointed with the latest software updates. But yes, lets use 15 year old software as a basis of preconceived notions about modern Microsoft software.
Yipcanjo 5:01PM (7/29/2008)
"blue screen of death plaguing our family wagon...."
Har, har, har. Ho, ho! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!!! O, my side! Help me, please!! Aidez moi!!!! So funny!
I figured that the BSOD comment would come from some chump in the comments, but I was wrong. Thanks, Chris!
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_Jon 5:24PM (7/29/2008)
I am happy to see the automotive segment get this technology, but I too would like a different vendor. I would prefer several vendors working against published specs so it is all inter-operable.
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muffie 7:21PM (7/29/2008)
Are you sure you want to do that?
Are you really sure you want to do that?
Do you understand that by clicking ok you will do that?
- This, from the driver interface for the 2010 Vistawagon.
BTW, Sun is heavily into auto systems, afaik the Germans all use Sun incar. Linux is making headway............
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jwwduke 8:03PM (7/29/2008)
call me crazy but I'd like my new cars with with less electronics.
I want cars to be for transportation, not entertainment. I would like to see people concentrating on driving rather than the mp3/dvd/nav screen!!!!
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Ian 11:53PM (7/29/2008)
LOL. MP3Car.com.
Point your grandma there and let us know how she fares. Or make it work without a touch screen with a primitive head unit. You can't.
I admit there are some awesome setups up there, but the part that crowd misses is that not everyone wants to invest hundreds or thousands of hours in their car A/V setup.
Sync is great and just works. MP3Car.com tends to feature nerd-centric software that is, um, tempermental at best.
MSFT is to be comended to getting a solid, modular mobile data solution on the market that supports everythying from a minimalist head unit with a single line text display to a full blow nav setup and touchscreen. And unlike Pioneers latest effort it wasn't a bug farm at launch time.
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Rick 9:57AM (7/30/2008)
Microsoft can't make anything that just works correctly. I'm one of those who would absolutely walk away from something with Microsoft's implementation. It doesn't need to be Apple, but it's can not be Microsoft.
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carsteve 12:42PM (7/30/2008)
Keep Microsoft out of my car. The only welcome technological advancements are radio, GPS, and cell phone (hands free bluetooth). That's it. If you need the internet in your car, you're an idiot. Figure out what the hell you're doing and where you're going before you get in your car.
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Ryumo 2:22PM (7/30/2008)
Yeah because once you've figured out what the hell you're doing and where you're going, the entire world goes into a complete stasis where plans never, ever change.
If there's a way to let people safely and accurately arrive at whatever destination they choose, let them use it. You can continue not using it.
Projecting your personal preferences on everyone else just makes you a fist shaking, crotchety old man.
carsteve 2:32PM (7/30/2008)
Not necessarily.