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Will Car Radios Disappear by 2020?

Posted May 01, 2013 9:40 AM

From Autoblog:

The Detroit News reports it may not be long before AM/FM radios disappear from cars altogether. The newspaper spoke with Thilo Koslowski, vice president for the research firm Gartner, Inc., who said that "AM and FM as a delivering mechanism isn't going to be the most important in cars anymore." According to Koslowski, manufacturers will focus their efforts on smartphone integration as well as internet browsing and music streaming. That means while listeners may still enjoy their favorite radio stations, it's less likely they'll rely on traditional broadcast systems to do so.

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PWSlack
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#1

Re: Will Car Radios Disappear by 2020?

05/01/2013 9:48 AM

Such a move would presuppose at least one car occupant has a smartphone and is prepared to use it. That assumption might not be valid.

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#2
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Re: Will Car Radios Disappear by 2020?

05/01/2013 10:28 AM

That capability is installed in the car's entertainment system, which is basically a computer with wifi built in....

http://dashboarddevices.com/

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PWSlack
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#3
In reply to #2

Re: Will Car Radios Disappear by 2020?

05/01/2013 11:36 AM

So, is there an App in that thing that drives the car so that one can get some kip on the journey <yawn>? One wouldn't need the radio then!

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SolarEagle
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#4
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Re: Will Car Radios Disappear by 2020?

05/01/2013 12:16 PM

Kip? Indeed....

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daffy
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#9
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Re: Will Car Radios Disappear by 2020?

05/02/2013 12:07 AM

And in Australia (NSW at least) it is illegal to even touch a smartphone (or any phone for that matter) whilst driving - over $400 fine + 4 demerit points.
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#5

Re: Will Car Radios Disappear by 2020?

05/01/2013 12:34 PM

If I'd been in the market for a car 2 years ago I would have wanted one with XM radio and a nav system. Now that I have my smart phone with google maps and some tunes loaded, the next car I shop for will just need to have an AM/FM stereo and bluetooth maybe with a jack for my phone just in case. (I'll still listen to local broadcasts for sports and the occasional talk radio show.)

Which is what my car has now.

Why would I pay hundreds of $$ for a car electronics system that duplicates my phone?

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#6
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Re: Will Car Radios Disappear by 2020?

05/01/2013 1:30 PM

I never use the am fm on my car radio...I have CD's and ipods, and if I really want to listen to radio, I have an app on the iphone that lets you tune in radio stations from around the whole world, or podcasts which I sometimes listen to...or I can plug in to USB with multi gig stick recorded with whatever.....Bluetooth is wireless and connects the phone automatically...and I have an '08....

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#7
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Re: Will Car Radios Disappear by 2020?

05/01/2013 1:50 PM

Similar here. Our main driving vehicles have all been refitted with Pioneer 4300 head units which have a USB port on the front.

About the only time I ever listen to the radio now is when I have whatever vehicle my wife had last and here USB stick is in the player. Turkish love songs are not my thing!

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#8
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Re: Will Car Radios Disappear by 2020?

05/01/2013 2:50 PM

My car has a good factory-installed multi-speaker stereo with a big whomping bass speaker in the back. It's got a 6-CD player I keep full, plus I keep extra CDs in the center console storage bin, and I've got a couple other CD keepers stuffed with CDs. I've got that radio station App on my phone, though I haven't linked it to the car's bluetooth. The car's bluetooth automatically puts the google maps voice directions through the car speakers.

Trouble is, I get bored hearing the same music played too often. I enjoy the randomness of broadcast FM; of hearing some new artist I'd never heard before. There's a channel changer button on the steering wheel I tap to skip commercials or the dimtwits on NPR. And FM radio doesn't cost me a dollar per song like iTunes does. With AM I get traffic, weather, sports, etc.

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#10
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Re: Will Car Radios Disappear by 2020?

05/02/2013 11:50 AM

Yeah, me too. I like the randomness of broadcast radio. I've ridden with others who listen to dedicated XM stations and it's too repetitive/predictable for my tastes. Plus all those McStations lose any hope of getting that 'local' flavor.

Also, many people seem to think everyone drives within range of a cell phone tower. All those data devices become useless in the boonies (unless of course you're pulling in satellite).

So, will car radios disappear by 2020? In a word. No. It may be integrated with other devices but I believe broadcast radio will still be around in 2050.
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#11

Re: Will Car Radios Disappear by 2020?

05/06/2013 3:00 PM

I agree with the people who like local radio, plus local weather and traffic reports.

My "new to me" car came with a free trial subscription to XM radio. I haven't renewed it since it expired - I didn't find it worth the subscription fees over what I can receive on local FM. So no, everybody isn't jumping onto that bandwagon.

Also, when I was car shopping I declined two new models that featured options packages that included / required connections to a smart phone. I don't have a smart phone and I'm not going to buy one just so I can make those options work. I also didn't like my limited pre-packaged choices. Maybe selling and optioning cars like this makes marketing sense to automobile manufacturers, but they're going to lose sales to people like me who aren't seduced by new (but redundant) technologies.

Maybe the article is correct that AM / FM radios may go away. But I doubt it will happen as soon as 2020.
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Brave Sir Robin (1); daffy (1); ferd (1); PWSlack (2); SolarEagle (3); tcmtech (1); Usbport (2)

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