Infotainment systems end up like vintage car radios
The most visible electronics in the cars people drove 40 or more years ago, was the transistor radio. And in every town, there were car radio shops, to upgrade these to better quality models. These days, a car is effectively a personal computer on four wheels with countless computers, where the integral infotainment system is the centrepiece.
Behind the scenes, a plethora of controllers manage every aspect of driving: there’s engine control units, anti-brake system controllers, collision detection, airbag controllers, climate control, central locking with bluetooth or near field communications, and embedded devices to “improve the driving experience.”
The average laptop is likely to last a couple of years before it needs replacing. During its useful life it will inevitably have continuous software updates but, after three years – or five with desktop PCs – the hardware is generally considered a bit too old. There is probably nothing wrong with these devices. But software developers do not want to be constrained to writing software that will perform well on such old devices, especially given that several generations of chipset and processor architecture will have been introduced since these old PCs first began shipping.
Support for MacOS Monterey ended in September 2024; Android Snow Cone reached end of Life in March and in October, Windows 10 reaches end of life. These cut-off dates mean that no new updates will be issued.
Carmakers are selling the idea of over-the-air updates, which will work in a similar way to how MacOS, Windows and smartphones are updated continually. And as is the case with older devices, older hardware embedded into cars will become less and less of a priority for the software developers working in car manufacturing.
Car manufacturers are reportedly supporting 15 years of updates after the car stops shipping; some may offer support for the lifetime of the vehicle. Imagine how far computer technology has come over the last 15 years and where it could end up in the 2040s.
Even if the core systems in the car remain supported and are still actually working in 15 years’ time, the world will have moved on and the software developers working on connected services that made it useful when the car was new, are unlikely to spend as much time on 15-year old hardware. Chances are, they will want to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the latest and greatest in tech innovation.
Like the vintage car radio, a 15-year old integrated infotainment system will simply become an artefact of a bygone era. It may continue to function, but whether that’s actually useful functionality is something the car industry needs to take a view on. Something replaceable can at least be kept current, just like those old car radios.