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Re: Justin, you may have misunderstood Posted by Justin VanAbrahams [Email] (#32) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Justin VanAbrahams) on Fri, 6 Jan 2017 21:11:02 In Reply to: Justin, you may have misunderstood, Ryan Eirich [Profile/Gallery] , Fri, 6 Jan 2017 14:08:32 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
No, I understand - but what you're asking for takes a lot of processing power. That's why most devices that do voice processing well offload the processing to cloud systems - because keeping that type of hardware local isn't trivial. The Ford Sync system is a legitimate computer running Windows - it's about the size and shape of a fuel injection computer or small audio amplifier - it's not the thing with the display on the dash. It's not something that could reasonably be built into a common-format head unit. Sure, eventually, but even still you're facing the cost of the software that makes it go and actually implementing it - the integration, implementation, etc. Not small numbers.
When you're disappearing $500 or $1000 worth of cost - hardware and software - into $25,000-$50,000 cars that you're going to sell tens of millions of you're in much better shape than trying to tell people their $250 head unit now costs $1000 or $1500. It really becomes a price point issue, and the market for $1000+ vehicle entertainment systems is miniscule.
Someday we'll get there technologically, but voice processing is still way too young, way too costly, and way too hardware intensive to stick it in devices that consumers are going to pay $100-$400 for. It's really pretty sci-fi!
That said, I think the value of this type of technology (embedded specialty computers) has a very short shelf life. We are rapidly reaching the point where smartphones are ubiquitous and always-connected devices are cheap to deploy. The need for something bolted to a car that does stuff barely makes sense now, and won't make sense in a few years. I carry a computer in my pocket that does all that and more - why do I need another one that spends 75% of it's time in the garage or in a parking lot? When I get in the car, I want the audio in my phone coming out the big car speakers and the pictures coming out the big car display... I don't want a second computer. ;)
(Actually, that's a lie - I don't really want that stuff. But people who buy new Fords with Sync3 probably do. :)
posted by 12.195.130...
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