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taking AM/FM radio out of cars in 5 years or so,could it really happen ???
- Thread starter alok
- Start date
The article brings up the safety issues, which we all know. With today's radio-on-a-chip circuits it seems like the cost of an AM/FM radio in a car is probably less than $1 in quantity if you don't count the amplifier/speaker part (which has to be there anyway). But if what they say is true and nobody really listens to it, I guess that saves them $4000 for 4000 cars. But I still find it hard to believe that there is that little demand for a radio.
Dave B.
Dave B.
This whole "radio is dead!" argument is getting old. Radio will NEVER die, and the town criers with baloney claims are starting to get on my last nerve.
The only thing I look forward to getting in the car IS the radio, and I am not alone...
The only thing I look forward to getting in the car IS the radio, and I am not alone...
I enjoy using my FM transmitter and playing my own music (50's-60's Oldies) on the car radio. I know, I know, new cars have inputs for I phones, Androids and Ipods/MP3 players. I continue to do it with the transmitter in hopes of delighting neighboring cars that might scan or manually tune in "my spot" on the dial. They get to hear vintage jingles and great oldies (not the songs played into the ground, over-and-over again). I have a daily twenty minute commute and over the years, I still find other drivers doing the same thing, transmitting their songs.
alok said:
The editor of Radio Ink retracted the statements a few days ago, saying he had misinterpreted the auto industry "expert" on the panels.
In the interim, representatives of the Detroit "Big Three" said there are no plans to take radios out of cars.
Doing this would probably save just a buck or two per car. Aside from that, note that with the exception of tape players, which have been deleted because they are inferior technology, features have only been added to car stereos since the 1970s. Back then, for anything other than a luxury car, you got an AM only radio. If you wanted more, you had to go to the aftermarket.
Now, car stereos from the manufacturer are typically AM/FM/Satellite ready/CD player/Aux jack for MP3. When they add internet, AM/FM will stay.
I guarantee you that if one or two car manufacturers made this stupid move, it would backfire on them when potential customers realize they can't hear Giants games, or local news, and switch to a brand that has continued to include the AM and FM bands. What would replace KCBS for listeners? The "news" channels on I-Heart Radio? Please.
Now, car stereos from the manufacturer are typically AM/FM/Satellite ready/CD player/Aux jack for MP3. When they add internet, AM/FM will stay.
I guarantee you that if one or two car manufacturers made this stupid move, it would backfire on them when potential customers realize they can't hear Giants games, or local news, and switch to a brand that has continued to include the AM and FM bands. What would replace KCBS for listeners? The "news" channels on I-Heart Radio? Please.
kinphoenix2 said:
To say something will "NEVER die" is a bit extreme. It may not die in your lifetime or mine but it WILL die in it's current form. I'm certain you're not alone, no argument there.
We defiantly agree that AM/FM radio will NOT be removed from cars in the next 5 or even 10 years.
some cars at car shows have slide in control pads instead of the dash board, like a high end display in and aircraft, slide in a couple of ipads I guess, easy to repair and replace,
some people do not talk on a phone now just messages
the mail man is not delivering many letters
people drink a soft drink or energy drink for breakfast instead of coffee
times change.
there was a low end car that had no air cond or radio, I think it was a Versa or something
some cars in the 60s had no radios, an mg some vws
some people do not talk on a phone now just messages
the mail man is not delivering many letters
people drink a soft drink or energy drink for breakfast instead of coffee
times change.
there was a low end car that had no air cond or radio, I think it was a Versa or something
some cars in the 60s had no radios, an mg some vws
"Some cars at car shows have slide in control pads instead of the dash board, like a high end display in and aircraft, slide in a couple of ipads I guess, easy to repair and replace,"
A lot of car show technology never makes it to the showroom floor. And you can put an AM/FM band into a computer, or ipod.
"Some people do not talk on a phone now just messages"
Whether you talk, voicemail, or text, you are still using a phone.
"The mail man is not delivering many letters"
Certainly much less than in decades past, and that the volume of mail will continue to decrease. But we will still need to have mail delivery for years into the future
"People drink a soft drink or energy drink for breakfast instead of coffee"
And still - coffee is more popular than ever before. Ever heard of Starbucks?
"Times change."
Yes, but not overnight - it's an evolutionary process. AM/FM is not leaving cars within 5 years. 20-25 years? Yeah, maybe.
"There was a low end car that had no air cond or radio, I think it was a Versa or something
I find it hard to believe that any modern car comes without an AM/FM radio and heater. No air conditioning, perhaps.[/color]
"Some cars in the 60s had no radios, an mg some vws."
Very few - Volkswagens and just the lowest of low end American models. I owned a 1960 Ford that had previously been a fleet car for an LA utility company. No radio and no heater. The "defroster" was a towel I kept on the seat next to me. Cost me $75.EVeybody I knew with a Volkswagen purchased an AM radio for their Beetle at extra cost.
A lot of car show technology never makes it to the showroom floor. And you can put an AM/FM band into a computer, or ipod.
"Some people do not talk on a phone now just messages"
Whether you talk, voicemail, or text, you are still using a phone.
"The mail man is not delivering many letters"
Certainly much less than in decades past, and that the volume of mail will continue to decrease. But we will still need to have mail delivery for years into the future
"People drink a soft drink or energy drink for breakfast instead of coffee"
And still - coffee is more popular than ever before. Ever heard of Starbucks?
"Times change."
Yes, but not overnight - it's an evolutionary process. AM/FM is not leaving cars within 5 years. 20-25 years? Yeah, maybe.
"There was a low end car that had no air cond or radio, I think it was a Versa or something
I find it hard to believe that any modern car comes without an AM/FM radio and heater. No air conditioning, perhaps.[/color]
"Some cars in the 60s had no radios, an mg some vws."
Very few - Volkswagens and just the lowest of low end American models. I owned a 1960 Ford that had previously been a fleet car for an LA utility company. No radio and no heater. The "defroster" was a towel I kept on the seat next to me. Cost me $75.EVeybody I knew with a Volkswagen purchased an AM radio for their Beetle at extra cost.
Lkeller said:
Everyone has an opinion on this topic, that's for sure.
I'd go as far to say the modern "phone" is more of a computer at this point. We've become comfortable with the terms we grew up with but what's in your pocket is not a phone. It's a mini computer with the ability to tie into the PSTN.
What's in the dash of the car is a radio. A radio that receives RF Amplitude Modulation and the Frequency Modulation synthesis (AM and FM). Will a "radio" be removed from car dashboard anytime soon? Heck no, BUT you can count on the evolution of the radio and what signals and spectrum it uses to get content to your speakers.
Just like the device in your pocket has evolved from something that once had a long cord and only passed 4Khz of voice.
EDIT: By the way, in case you can't tell, I LOVE this topic.
Here is a story about zero TV people. http://www.reviewjournal.com/buzzworthy/zero-tv-homes-worry-broadcasters-las-vegas-convention-nears
here is the 2009 Versa with no AC or radio http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/autos/reviews/healey/2009-02-26-test-drive-nissan-versa_N.htm
1/3 of people text over talk, young people 50% text preference over talk ON A PHONE
http://www.pcworld.com/article/240264/a_third_of_us_would_rather_text_than_talk_survey_says.html
50% more people listening to internet radio in car this year than last year. That is quite a rapid change.
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Tec...Internet-radio-in-the-car/UPI-61991334351748/
Nissan concept car with tablet dash:
http://www.psfk.com/2012/10/nissan-concept-car-features-removable-tablet-as-dashboard.html
Smart phone docks replacing radios in half the cars in 5 to 9 years. tablet dash in 30% of cars in 6 to 8 years. May have an FM band however, one of my phones has one
1/3 of people text over talk, young people 50% text preference over talk ON A PHONE
http://www.pcworld.com/article/240264/a_third_of_us_would_rather_text_than_talk_survey_says.html
50% more people listening to internet radio in car this year than last year. That is quite a rapid change.
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Tec...Internet-radio-in-the-car/UPI-61991334351748/
Nissan concept car with tablet dash:
http://www.psfk.com/2012/10/nissan-concept-car-features-removable-tablet-as-dashboard.html
Smart phone docks replacing radios in half the cars in 5 to 9 years. tablet dash in 30% of cars in 6 to 8 years. May have an FM band however, one of my phones has one
landtuna said:
I don't know that it has been legislated yet, but I subscribe to Motor Trend and Car & Driver - auto enthusiasts' magazines. Their reviewers absolutely despise BMW's "I-Drive" and Ford's "My Touch" - two high-tech on-board "systems that combine all sorts of formerly segregated dashboard functions. They find them overly complicated and needlessly distracting.
To my way of thinking - the old fashioned 'rheostat' style rotary knobs on car radios for adjusting volume and changing frequencies were the easiest to operate. But with a few exceptions, they were replaced years ago by those annoying toggle switches. What's with that?
Lkeller said:
I don't put much stock in Motor Trend as an authority on motor vehicles but I've always thought Car & Driver was spot on their assessments. That said, I agree with them. I have a type of I-drive system in my Genesis and I agree that it is overly complicated and distracting. It took a long time to get up to speed on how it works and it is not the least bit intuitive - a major failing in my book. My previous car had a touch screen which had most of the functionality and was a lot easier to learn and use although it was still almost as distracting.
Lkeller said:
I have only one "modern" car and thank goodness because I can't imagine trying to remember where all the buttons are - steering wheel, dash and elsewhere (voice command) on multiple cars. I find myself using the old-fashioned volume control almost exclusively instead of the other methods - no training needed.
Pilots are type-rated for each type of aircraft they fly and for good reason. There is no time in the air while pilots try to find controls which differ on different aircraft. It is getting to the same level for vehicles now. Not nice!
Landtuna - veering of subject - Motor Trend has improved, IMO. It's not the same magazine that made the 1970 Ford Torino (a bloated gas-hog of a land yacht - even for that bizarre time) the "Car of the Year."
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