Ford Sync
It’s tough to tell whether PND makers are toast when Ford CEO Alan Mulally keynotes the Consumers Electronics Show two years in a row; or whether they’re being given a huge opportunity. Detroit News reported that Mulally will in fact keynote CES 2010, an indication that in-vehicle electronics are becoming big. The Detroit News article focuses on Ford’s support of a United States-wide ‘texting while driving’ ban, and its subsequent research into the possibility of integrating a voice-to-text system into Ford Sync. With the noticeable growth this year of in-dash systems (like Ford Sync) that combine navigation with entertainment features, it’s tough to tell if the Garmin’s of the world are in trouble or not. The fact of the matter is though, that the industry is definitely moving away from the portable format. In the future we’ll use cellphones for mobile navigation and everyone will have an in-dash navigation system included in new vehicle purchases. Will Garmin and TomTom corner this market? That remains to be seen.