From CES: Pioneer’s play to be your in-car platform, and the most expensive way to get Pandora Radio

Can Pioneer successfully set itself up as the platform provider for consumer device and internet services integration in automobiles? 

Looks like they are going to try, by providing an Intel Atom-powered device of their own called a “Platform for Aggregation of Internet Services” (PAIS).  While I wonder if they’ll be able to pull it off, it does appear on the first look to be an interesting “platform play”. 

I believe their motivation is on target: people really do want their devices and gadgets – including their cars – to work together well.  This is one reason why Ford’s SYNC system has been so successful.  The feature set of SYNC continues to grow, but the core of the system remains voice access to media and phone.  As phones and media players continue to offer an ever wider array of apps, many of them internet connected apps, it’s natural that Pioneer (and others) will want to find a way to get into this game. 

After all, Pioneer’s automotive consumer business providing aftermarket audio equipment is not what it used to be.  People just don’t switch out factory installed radios like they used to, and especially not if it would mean losing unique factory-installed features (for example, those that Ford and Microsoft technologies make available in SYNC). 

Seems to me that the challenge – or rather, one of the challenges – is that there are a number of other players that would not want to cede this platform position to Pioneer.  But for automakers who are not Ford, Hyundai, Kia, or Fiat (all of whom have embraced Microsoft Automotive), the Pioneer solution might provide a way to begin offering some similar capabilities – for example, VoiceBox speech to text recognition and voice control of some other device a driver might bring into a car. 

A question on my mind: It’s not clear (to me) at this point, whether Pioneer intends their PAIS device to simply be a device aggregation platform, or whether it also aspires to be an software application platform.  Whichever way this goes could also influence Pioneer’s opportunity for success with their Atom-powered device. 

Finally, I have to wonder about cost.  Pioneer separately announced at CES that they have a device to allow people to listen to Pandora radio through their car stereo system for only $1200!   (Note: I’m going to assume for the moment that this system uses PAIS, though I’m not sure of that.)  Now, to be fair, this huge cost does include navigation system functionality, as well.  But even so, this Pandora-connectivity solution from Pioneer also requires you to first have an iPhone with the Pandora app installed! 

Wait a minute…haven’t people been able to load a Pandora app on a multiple kinds of phones, plug them into the car, and get Pandora over their car stereo for quite a while now?   Yes! 

Even if the Pioneer system gives you in-dash screen controls for a Pandora app running on an iPhone, which it reportedly does, is that + navigation worth $1200 (on top of the iphone cost)?  I’m having a hard time imagining this taking off at such a high price point.  Particularly given that a system like Ford SYNC is only about 25% the cost, and that platform is not standing still. 

To net it out, I’m not super optimistic this particular offering will be a commercial success, but I *am* nonetheless very excited to see this announcement.  Why?  Because it’s an exciting time for automotive computing! 

We’re still really early in the automotive computing era, and we will only see the pace of innovation on this front continue to accelerate.  (Proof that if you say the same thing long enough, you eventually will be right! ;) )    Despite Ford and Microsoft’s early success, no one approach is pre-ordained to dominate, and I’m expecting exciting, occasionally turbulent, times ahead.  It’s a fun, and necessary stage, in the development of the automotive computing market! 

Technorati Tags: automotive computing,pioneer,CES,SYNC