Microsoft and the Siemens division known as Siemens VDO Automotive AG announced a partnership today to develop in-vehicle communication, information, entertainment and navigation products. Siemens is working on high-end multimedia units and interfaces to connect portable electronic entertainment devices that use the Microsoft software technology platform. (It is unclear from this announcement whether other technology platforms will eventually be supported, but one could suppose that Siemens doesn’t plan on diss’g scads of iPod lovers.) The press release says:
“The first milestone in the collaboration is a multimedia platform that Siemens VDO is developing based on Microsoft Auto. This platform will make it possible to integrate functions and portable devices from the field of consumer electronics more closely into the vehicle as soon as 2009. Consequently, new solutions in consumer electronics will be adapted for in-vehicle use more quickly and easily, since it will only be necessary to add individual software components. This helps close the gap between the short development cycles in communications and information technology and the comparatively long product life cycles in automotive engineering.”
What that seems to mean is that Siemens is looking toward Microsoft Auto to become the de facto standard for in-vehicle devices. This may not be farfetched.According to Microsoft:
“Microsoft is currently working with automakers and suppliers worldwide to put its Connected Car technology into production. It recently added several new car models to its growing customer base using Windows Automotive technology. Drivers and passengers can now experience Microsoft technology in over 60 preinstalled and aftermarket devices from 18 world-class automakers and suppliers including Acura, BMW, Citroën, Clarion Co. Ltd., DaimlerChrysler, Fiat, Subaru, Honda, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, NexTech, Toyota and Volvo.”
Plus Ford announced that it will be offering in-vehicle digital entertainment devices in the fall of ’07.
Gives new meaning to the idea of Microsoft as a “driven” company.
