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Operating Systems Will Gain Newfound Prominence in the Automotive Environment, Says ABI Research

Posted on: Thursday, 5 May 2005, 09:00 CDT

The wealth of functionality that has reached the automotive interior, from entertainment center to telematics connector to navigation device, has changed the way automakers are forced to approach software, according to ABI Research's new study "Automotive Operating Systems." Vehicles often use dedicated systems for each of these functions, but the new trend will be for automotive OEMs to ship just one dashboard unit that handles all functions. A fully-functional operating system will be required to run that hardware.

"What we see happening is a personal computer in the car," says ABI Research senior analyst Dan Benjamin. "The big difference is that in the automotive environment it is embedded: the user should never be aware of the OS, only the application."

The report finds that the decisions made by automakers and Tier Ones with regard to choice of OS can manifest themselves in many forms. Among the competitive attributes are the total costs associated with a platform, available middleware and application layer software, and the development tools associated with a particular OS. Pre-developed applications can be both a blessing and a curse, as the benefits resulting from reduced product development time can eliminate the uniqueness and novelty that may be desired by certain OEMs. Moreover, certain OS's are more robust in their support of Digital Rights Management, which is proving to be a competitive factor for media playback.

ABI Research believes that one of the most interesting industry issues is the vast difference between OS's on licensing and fees. The automotive industry is used to dealing with familiar vendors and cost structures. However, there are new players and new business models as well. Microsoft is offering a package of software to the automotive environment. Meanwhile, open-source software such as Linux offers a royalty-free option. The coming years will be vital in seeing if either can expand its presence in the automotive environment.

Founded in 1990 and headquartered in New York, ABI Research maintains global operations that support annual research programs, intelligence services and market reports in wireless, automotive, semiconductors, broadband, and energy. For more information please visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.

Source: Business Wire

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