The Surprising History (and Future) of the Car Stereo
Imagine riding in a car without music. Not possible. The soundtrack of our lives would be interrupted every time we took a trip. Long ago, people were serenaded only by tire and engine sounds. In the brave new world of automobile tunes, the car stereo will be smarter than you are.
The First Car Radios Were Monophonic AM
In the 1930s, car radios became an integral part of American drive time with the Monophonic AM radio. As PC Mag outlines, William Lear and the Galvin brothers created the first dashboard radio in 1930, calling it the Motorola (motorized Victrola). AM ruled up through the 50s, but advances followed in:
- 1952- Blaupunkt introduced FM
- 1953- Becker fashioned the “seek” button
- mid-to-late 1960s- transistors came along
8-track, Cassettes and CDs
Stereo 8-tracks were created in the 60s and completely changed the way people listened to music in their cars. They were the only practical way to pick a song you wanted to hear. Philips compact cassettes in 1964 were better, but much more expensive. The 8-track tapes were still popular throughout the 1970s and were considered the more practical and economical option.
The early 1970s, brands such as Alpine, Kenwood and Pioneer began making better equipment and custom stereos. Consumers began to pay attention to sound quality and crave the latest sound technology for a better listening experience.
With high-resolution audio that didn’t degrade over time, CDs let you skip tracks back and forth quickly without fast forwarding and rewinding. Multiple-disc CD changers came in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Then Came the Digital Revolution
The iPod and competing MP3 units displaced the CD in cars rapidly after their introduction. These devices offered so much more to music customization. They let you:
- store thousands of songs
- create custom playlists easily
- search by song title, artist or album
True iPod integration became the Holy Grail of the car stereo experience. Bluetooth streaming from handheld devices, side loading music via USB flash drives or SD cards and other innovations invaded the automobile.
Now for Embeddable Apps
There’s more information coming out about car technology, safety and eco-friendly improvements than most of us thought was possible just five years ago. Satellite radio from Sirius XM, automated playlists from Pandora and other radio services for cars.
During the New York Consumer Electronics Week, as part of the Connected Car Conference, industry executives agreed the future of radio is something called “embeddable apps”. By bringing more content directly to the car, with more entertainment options, these dedicated apps keep your eyes on the road. Carriers like AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon are on-board.
Car makers will need to offer the right technology so apps can be added and deleted easily when new options come along. As Eric Sargent, product manager of BMW ConnectedDrive & Technology, explains:
“There are so many choices out there, and we want consumers to pick what they want. We can already adapt our system, so you can have a brand new app in a car that is two years old.”
Another BMW advance allows drivers to touch the steering wheel to access Google verbally for directions and information, according to Mashable. Of course, the car can also answer you verbally. Creepy, or cool??
Sponsored Post Authored by : Tommy Calloway
Tommy is a writer and car enthusiast from California who loves tinkering with his old Chevy and working as a part-time mechanic.