The road ahead for in-car computers

In 1999 an emailed press release purporting to be from the disgruntled head of US car firm General Motors (GM) and titled “if Microsoft made cars…” gained infamy across the world.

Apparently in response to comments made by Microsoft’s founder Bill Gates regarding GM’s lack of technological advancement, the email joked how a Microsoft-built car would crash without warning twice a day, prompting you with ‘are you sure?’ before the airbag activated.

In those days, Windows had a reputation for locking up and crashing on a regular basis, so it’s not hard to see why a joke based on the absurdity of Microsoft going anywhere near a car was so popular.

Ten years on, it’s a reminder of how far things have come. In the past two years, more than two million cars, vans and other vehicles have rolled off production lines and onto the world’s roads with a Windows-based computer inside, all supplied by Microsoft’s Automotive Business Unit.

So why are car manufacturers putting all this technology in cars? As a blanket term, ‘in-car technology’ refers to anything electronic that is designed to work in your car and improve the driving experience.

Such products have been around since the first car CD player in 1984, or first GPS-based navigation system in 1990. Cost has always been the overriding factor when it comes to automotive technology; devices that provide information and entertainment ­ now horribly fused as ‘infotainment’ ­ come at a high price.

For this reason, high-tech car systems have always been far more popular with those who spend a considerable time on the road, demanding constant updates as to the best route to take and engaging in conference calls at 70 miles an hour.

Volkswagen’s new Scirocco, for example, offers an option in the form of its RNS-510 system. This gives you a 6.5in touch-sensitive screen with satellite navigation, a hard disk capable of storing large amounts of music and video and a built-in DVD player.

It’s an attractive system, priced at £1,200, ­ and if you want to connect your mobile phone and answer it using the steering wheel controls, Volkswagen charges a further £555.

Similarly, Vauxhall’s DVD 800 Navi system adds £1,200 to the price of the Insignia, with a Bluetooth mobile phone system weighing in at an extra £150.

Audi’s £1,995 technology package includes a digital TV tuner for watching Freeview, a 3G internet connection and parallel parking assistance using bumper-mounted cameras and ultrasonic sensors.

It was met with disgust by users and critics alike, but now, eight years later, BMW’s relaunched iDrive is one of the most advanced systems available.