Quote: Originally Posted by
kev000 
My argument is why hasn't Chevrolet, Ford, Mitsubishi, Honda, Car MFG X put streetdeck in their cars? Maybe because $200 (SD) +$170 (windows) + $400++ (for hardware) > the total ~$350 bucks it costs for Sync FOR THE COMPLETE SYSTEM.
Dude. What do you think most current OEM navigation systems run on? Linux/Unix. How much do think the automakers are making on them? Very little actually... considering how much of it is outsourced (depending on the automaker).
More to the point... why don't they use SD in their cars? Because automakers are old and slow. The automotive life cycle at best is still waaaaaay too long for the computer/technology market... namely... even if they do cutting edge today, it'll be VERY outdated by the time they roll something else out. This is something that they are working on... but it seems to be far from a priority... and probably isn't given oil prices, the squeeze on CAFE and emissions.
To take it a step further... how fast, stable, and intuitively easy to user are any current front end? No one wants an IBM iDrive fiasco. The average person wants an appliance... not desktop WindowsXP. no blue screen, no app crashing, no locking up... the list goes on. Nor do they need the flexibility either. Enthusiasts might, but the millions of current nav system users don't. This is partly why I've thought WindowsCE as it stands now, is a better OS solution. Better, easier, faster development and compatibility into the MS world... which is honestly what most people have at home and work anyway.
Danielkh makes an excellent point... limiting what and how end users can do things is extremely important.. cuts down on support calls and corporate liability. Smart business...