Europe’s in-car navigation sales saw a modest growth of 5% YoY in 2022.
HERE continued to lead the European built-in car navigation market in 2022.
Google’s automotive foray challenges the position of players like HERE and TomTom.
New players like Mapbox and What3word are bringing unique aspects to in-vehicle navigation.
Beijing, New Delhi,London,San Diego, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Seoul – September 1, 2023
European in-car navigation sales saw a modest growth of 5% YoY in 2022, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’sGlobal Embedded Navigation Sales Tracker. The increasing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and advanced driver assistance (ADAS) features is driving the growth of built-in navigation systems in cars. Navigation helps EV drivers plan the optimal route by considering battery range and charging station locations. Besides, navigation helps ensure safety by giving drivers information about the weather, speed limits and traffic conditions.
In terms of sales volume, Germany, the UK and France are the leading countries in built-in car navigation. But in terms of the share of such cars in total car sales, Norway leads, followed by the Netherlands and Germany. Volkswagen Group, Stellantis and Renault-Nissan are the top three automotive groups in terms of built-in car navigation sales. EV players like Tesla, NIO and Xpeng offer navigation on all models.
Commenting on market dynamics,Research Analyst Mohit Sharmasaid, “Almost 50% of cars sold in 2022 had built-in navigation. HERE is leading the European market in terms of both licensing its map data and offering navigation services.”
HERE, with a strong presence in the automotive industry, has a 44.9% share in Europe’s built-in car navigation market. The company licenses its map data to other companies to build applications and services. When taking this into account, HERE’s market share in Europe rises to almost two-thirds.
HERE offers its navigation services to OEMs like BMW and Mercedes. Chinese brands such as FAW Hongqi and SAIC, which are expanding their sales into Europe, have partnered with HERE for navigation data.
Commenting on HERE’s performance,Vice PresidentPeter Richardsonsaid, “HERE is well-positioned within the automotive sector by working in partnership with automakers to address their technological challenges, like those related to EVs and adoption of autonomous driving. HERE is one of the enablers for automakers in launching new technologies like Level 3 autonomous driving.”
TomTomis in the second position in the European market with a 22.1% share. Last year marked the company’s second pivotal year after 2009, when it decided to sell its navigation services to automakers directly after the decline of its GPS standalone device business. In 2022, the company announced a new map platform besides rebranding itself.
TomTom has long-standing partnerships with Stellantis, Renault and other car manufacturers. The company has also signed a fresh deal with Hyundai Motor Group for licensing its map data and traffic services to all brands of the group, including Genesis for the European market. Another notable win for TomTom is a partnership with the Foxconn-led MIH Consortium to increase its presence in next-generation smart mobility vehicles.
Google’sshare has increased to 3.3% two years after entering the in-car navigation market. However, its market share is 7.1% when including its map data licensing for navigation services. Sharma added, “Google’s entry into in-vehicle navigation services has enlivened the competition in the European market. For years, the market has seen the duopoly of legacy players HERE and TomTom. Google is trying to catch up with traditional navigation providers as it continues to expand its automotive offerings like EV routing and HD maps.”
Further, new players likeMapboxandWhat3wordare bringing unique aspects to in-vehicle navigation.
Source: Global In-Car Navigation Tracker, Q1 2021- Q4 2022
Commenting on the market forecast,Vice President Neil Shahsaid, “The in-car navigation market is expected to see a growth of 10%-15% in 2023 as most automakers will look to comply with new ISA regulation while moving towards electrification and more intelligent driving.” He further added, “Maps will play a crucial role in achieving highly automated driving (Level 4-Level 5) and we will see new collaborations flourishing not only between OEMs and map players but also between self-driving chip manufacturers like Qualcomm and map players.”
Feel free to reach us at press(at)www.arena-ruc.com for questions regarding our latest research and insights.
Background
Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.
Generative AI has been a hot topic, especially after the launch of ChatGPT by OpenAI. It has even exceeded Metaverse in popularity. From top tech firms like Google, Microsoft and Adobe to chipmakers like Qualcomm, Intel, and NVIDIA, all are integrating generative AI models in their products and services. So, why is generative AI attracting interest from all these companies?
While generative AI and ChatGPT are both used for generating content, what are the key differences between them? The content generated can include solutions to problems, essays, email or resume templates, or a short summary of a big report to name a few. But it also poses certain challenges like training complexity, bias, deep fakes, intellectual property rights, and so on.
In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, hostMaurice Klaehneis joined by Counterpoint Associate DirectorMohit Agrawaland Senior AnalystAkshara Bassi谈论生成人工智能。讨论了topics including the ecosystem, companies that are active in the generative AI space, challenges, infrastructure, and hardware. It also focuses on emerging opportunities and how the ecosystem could evolve going forward.
Shipments declined YoY for the third consecutive quarter amid weak consumer demand.
Android smartphone shipments declined 38% while Apple shipments fell 6% YoY.
Consumers hesitated to purchase smartphones amid economic uncertainty.
Google and Motorola launched new foldable models during the quarter.
Low smartphone upgrade rates are likely to persist in Q3 2023.
Denver, Boston, Toronto, London, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Beijing, Taipei, Seoul – July 28, 2023
USsmartphone shipments declined 24% YoY in Q2 2023, according to Counterpoint Research’sMarket Monitordata. This was the third consecutive quarter of YoY declines. Android brands like Samsung, Motorola and TCL-Alcatel saw the steepest declines in shipments, while Apple’s shipments were more resilient. As a result, Apple’s share of shipments increased YoY.
US Smartphone Shipment Share byOEM
Commenting on the decline insmartphoneshipments,Research Analyst Matthew Orfsaid, “Consumer demand for smartphones was tepid in Q2 2023, with the summer slump in sales coming early. Despite inflation numbers falling through the quarter and ongoing strength in the job market, consumers hesitated to upgrade their devices amid market uncertainty. We expect this trend to continue through Q3 2023, but the expectations from the upcoming iPhone 15 remain bullish.”
Despite the overall drop in shipments, certain segments of the US smartphone market saw important signs of life in the quarter.Senior Research AnalystMaurice Klaehnesaid, “In spite of declining smartphone shipments, the foldable market reached important milestones in the quarter.Motorolalaunched the Razr+, its first foldable device in the US since 2021, andGooglelaunched its first-ever foldable, the Pixel Fold, providing alternatives to the Samsung Galaxyfoldables. With new Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold devices coming from Samsung in Q3 2023,foldable shipments could reach their highest level ever in the US in Q3 2023.”
Associate Research Director Hanish Bhatianoted, “Despite fewer shipments from Apple compared to the same quarter last year, the brand’s share of shipments was still up 10% YoY. Apple’s resilience was driven by strong promotions across postpaid and prepaid. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile continued to offer $800+ promo credits for the iPhone 14 while old-generation iPhones were also steeply discounted across prepaid. We are seeing no weakness in the overall promotional activity. In fact, we observed new highs for trade-in credit with Verizon offering up to $1,100 for the Pixel Fold. Google’s Pixel also grew from a small base and launched its old-generationPixel 6ain the prepaid channel for the first time to compete with the iPhone 11. Both devices were heavily subsidized in prepaid channels.”
Director of North America Research Jeff Fieldhacksaid, “AT&T and T-Mobile reported positive net adds, but Verizon reported negative net adds within its consumer segment for the second consecutive quarter. The net-add activity remains comparable to last year, but the upgrade rates have been lower, causing overall weakness in demand. Near-record low churn has also had a dampening effect on new device sales. Weakness is likely to continue through the start of Q3 2023, but stronger iPhone 15 demand could offset weakness across Android.”
Background
Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the technology, media and telecom (TMT) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.
Cloud service providers’ capex is expected to grow by around 8% YoYin 2023 due to investments in AI and networking equipment.
Microsoft and Amazon are among the highest spenders as they invest in data center development. Microsoft will spend over 13% of its capex on AI infrastructure.
AI infrastructure can be 10x-30x more expensive than traditional general-purpose data center IT infrastructure.
Chinese hyperscalers’ capex is decreasing due to their inability to access NVIDIA’s GPU chips, and decreasing cloud revenues.
New Delhi, Beijing, Seoul, Hong Kong, London, Buenos Aires, San Diego –July 25, 2023
Globalcloudservice providers will grow capex by an estimated 7.8% YoY in 2023, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’sCloud Service. Higher debt costs, enterprise spending cuts and muted cloud revenue growth are impacting infrastructure spend in data centers compared to 2022.
Commenting on the large cloud service providers’ 2023 plans,Senior Research Analyst Akshara Bassisaid, “Hyperscalers are increasingly focusing on ramping up theirAIinfrastructure in data centers to cater to the demand for training proprietary AI models, launching native B2C generative AI user applications, and expanding AIaaS (Artificial Intelligence-as-a-Service) product offerings”.
According to Counterpoint’s estimates, around 35% of the total cloud capex for 2023 is earmarked for IT infrastructure including servers and networking equipment compared to 32% in 2022.
Source: Counterpoint Research
Source: Counterpoint Research
In 2023,MicrosoftandAmazon(AWS) will account for 45% of the total capex. US-based hyperscalers will contribute to 91.9% of the overall global capex in 2023.
Chinese hyperscalers are spending less due to slower growth in cloud revenues amid a weak economy and difficulties in acquiring the latestNVIDIAGPU chips for AI due to US bans. The scaled-down version – A800 of the flagship A100/H100 chips – that NVIDIA has been supplying to Chinese players may also come under the purview of the ban, further reducing access to AI silicon for Chinese hyperscalers.
Source: Counterpoint Research
Based on Counterpoint estimates, Microsoft will spend proportionally the most on AI-related infrastructure with 13.3% of its capex directed towards AI, followed byGoogleat around 6.8% of its capex. Microsoft has already announced its intention to integrate AI within its existing suite of products.
AI infrastructure can be 10x-30x more expensive than traditional general-purpose data center IT infrastructure.
Though Chinese players are investing a larger portion of their spends towards AI, the amount is significantly less than that of the US counterparts due to a lower overall capex.
The comprehensive and in-depth ‘Global Cloud Service Providers Capex’ report is available. Please contact Counterpoint Research to access the report.
Background
Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the technology, media and telecom (TMT) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects, and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.
Over the past few weeks, tech giantsMetaandGoogleannounced that they will no longer be publishing Canadian news on their platforms within Canada following the passage of Bill C-18, or the Online News Act, due to concerns over financial liability imposed on them by the Act. The new law requires large news aggregators operating in the country to pay for the news links they post on their platforms. Meta has already informed news outlets, including The Globe and Mail and The Canadian Press, that their contracts will end at the end of July and that Meta will no longer post the news outlets’ content.
What is Bill C-18 and what is the goal it intends to reach?
Section 4 of theOnline News Actstates the purpose of the bill is:
“…to regulate digital news intermediaries with a view to enhancing fairness in the Canadian digital news marketplace and contributing to its sustainability, including the sustainability of news businesses in Canada, in both the non-profit and for-profits sectors, including independent local ones.”
In layman’s terms, the government wants to increase the visibility of smaller local news outlets to expand the portfolio of news sources and to avoid the dominance of the few large news publishers who have contracts with large media aggregators like Meta and Alphabet (Facebook and Google). The way this legislation intends to reach its goal is by imposing a ‘link tax’ on these large media aggregators, which means they will have to pay for the news links that they post on their platforms. These media platforms will be expected to keep a roster of the ‘eligible journalists’ that are posted on the platform to ensure there is transparency on the news outlets and to ensure there is enough representation from underrepresented groups. These regulations aim to hold the media platforms accountable to ensure they are giving more news sources an equal opportunity to be promoted on these large platforms.
Tech giants’ concerns with Bill C-18
Despite the goal of equal news source opportunity, these tech giants are choosing to blockCanadianheadlines rather than comply. Google announced concerns that led it to pull from the Canadian media market:
Subsidizing and promoting ‘Bad Actors’ and strict media control from the government
谷歌在声明中解释说,definition provided for ‘eligible news businesses’ is very broad with low standards for journalistic integrity, which could risk the spread of propaganda and fake news. This gives rise to the issue of Google having to pay these outlets and provide them with profit and a platform to peddle poor information. This is currently prevented through qualifying criteria for journalism tax credits to be considered in Canada.
As Google pays proportionally for these headings, the act also stipulates that there is no ‘undue preference’ in the rank of relevant searches that Google currently uses. This means that there is a chance these bad actors could achieve a higher ranking in the searches and therefore reach Canadians a lot easier than with the current Google algorithm, which aims to return the most reliable and relevant sources.
另一方面,加拿大无线电视d Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) will be responsible for qualifying who is considered an ‘eligible journalist’ and will be able to control the content that Canadians have access to. Although this could help control the foreign ‘eligible journalist’ who may peddle propaganda, it will also give more control to the government regarding what news Canadians will have access to that could eventually create a bubble. There is little information about the checks and balances that are in place by the CRTC to moderate these eligible news sources.
Lose-Lose business deal for Google and Meta
The new bill would require Google to pay news outlets for the links they provide, but ultimately the link is driving visitors to the publisher’s website. This means that instead of free marketing of the news article on Google (which is currently happening), the news outlet would get free marketing plus a pay cheque from Google. Aside from the journalistic morale that Google outlined before, from a business perspective, it makes very little sense for Google to participate as they would be paying the client and also providing them with a free service.
Status and the expected implications
This is past being a bluff from these large tech companies; the media industry has seen the power these giants have, as a similar legislation change happened in Spain which caused Google News to shut down for almost seven years, although ultimately it ended up returning after there were changes to the law. The CRTC announced this week that the ministry is drafting regulations that will address the concerns these media platforms have with the legislation. The ultimate fear of these tech giants is that there is an undefined financial liability that they will be responsible for, so the goal of these drafted regulations is to answer exactly how much these tech giants will be expected to pay if they do decide to keep their services in Canada.
Despite the turmoil this has caused in the Canadian Media market, other governments are also aiming to find ways to limit the media control these privatized media platforms have over the spread of news within a country. US states are exploring similar ways to enforce more competition in the news. Meta and Alphabet’s revenues would take a harder hit if the two companies follow the same course of action in the US as well.
Weekly Newsletter July 13, 2023 Why Are Foldables So Hot In China?
Our Senior Analyst,Anshika Jain, recently addressed the Indian wearables market during her appearance on Business Standard. In her discussion, she highlighted the positive impact of government policies, the competitive price points offered by Indian brands, and the strong demand for wearable devices.
Google announced the launch of the Pixel Fold device at theGoogle I/O developer conferenceon May 10. The device features a 5.8” display when closed and a 7.6” OLED display, powered by the Google Tensor G2 chip, when opened. Google is calling the device the ‘multi-tasking master’. As the I/O developer conference left viewers with an excited buzz about a second viable player in the foldable smartphone space, Canadians were once again left in the cold. The device will be launched in the US, UK, Germany and Japan, with no indication yet of further expansion, though there are rumors of the device reaching other markets later in the year. Sounds familiar? In 2019, Samsung launched its firstfoldabledevice, the Galaxy Fold, and yes, Canada was not on the list of lucky markets to receive the device.
Although it feels like Canada is once again put on the sidelines of the tech innovation fun, it is the OEMs’ strategic planning that is behind the decision to leave a mature smartphone market like Canada out of the new launch mix. The Canadian smartphone market can be summed up in two words – small and stable. Canada’s population is now 38 million, less than the population of California. This restricts the reach that companies can use to get substantial feedback for a new smartphone in the market. The country does have stable growth due to immigration, students, and work visas that cause a steady flow into the smartphone market, but this demographic is not looking to spend CA$2,000 as soon as they begin to settle in. The UK, whose population is double that of Canada, sold 50% more foldable devices than Canada in Q1 2023.
来源:马对位技术rket Research
Along with the issue of a small population, the Canadian market is not a good ground to test a device due to theretail channelsand additional costs. Without a few iterations of a device to prove the durability, the trends of foldables in Canada are not as strong as in other regions. With a small population and macroeconomic headwinds weakening the Canadian dollar, the market retails devices at comparatively higher prices. This in turn has resulted in a longer holding period for devices to avoid upgrade costs for a new device. And when a device has a hardware change like a hinge that can evoke doubts over its durability, Canadians are left hesitant on shelling out the cost.
Samsung had already considered these problems in 2019. The Galaxy Z Fold was released in South Korea on September 2019, seven months after the February 2019 announcement. The limited release in Canada started in December 2019, after there was much chaos over the hinge’s durability that already had Canadians clutching their wallets with concern. After Samsung also overcame carrier certifications, marketing costs and other hoops to put a new device in the Canada market, the Galaxy Z 2 series had a smoother launch in September 2020. It was not only launched in Canada but also made available exclusively through Bell.
Along with dealing with the uncertainty over new hardware, Google also needs to partner withCanadian carriersto achieve the greatest reach in the population and make the device affordable through trade-in offers, bundle plan discounts or device-return leasing options that Canadian carriers often push.
Due to its small population, high data costs and closing of ranks between carriers, Canada is not a feasible market for OEMs to launch a ‘test’ device. One perk that Canadians can look forward to is that once these devices do reach the market, often the bugs are worked out and the user experience has already been enhanced due to initial feedback from other countries.
Google has been making news in the automotive industry this year. First, with the announcement of HD Maps to support assisted driving and then with a partnership with Mercedes Benz to develop Mercedes-branded navigation.
Google’s deal with Mercedes is interesting. Google will be licensing services including YouTube and map data to Mercedes but without the automotive OS, and it will not control the data.
Apple sees the growth potential in the auto industry and likely wants a piece of the pie. This is hinted by Apple’s move to introduce next-generation CarPlay, which will deeply integrate with the vehicle to take over interior screens and instrument cluster.
Since the beginning of 2023,Googlehas been making news in the automotive industry. First, with the announcement of HD Maps to support assisted driving and then with a partnership with Mercedes Benz to develop Mercedes-branded navigation. The nature of this partnership is unfamiliar to Google; the company usually wants to be in control of the data. So, the question is why Google chose to form this uncommon partnership. To answer this, we have to look at Google’s automotive journey.
Google’s entry into automotive industry
Google is ubiquitous insmartphonesthanks to the strong Android user base. The company wanted to bring the same Google services experience to the car through in-vehicle infotainment (IVI). Android Auto bridged the gap between smartphones and cars and allowed its customers to use Google-based apps for navigation, entertainment and communication, as well as Google Assistant. Over time, Android Auto started gaining popularity as users liked being able to have a similar experience across their phones and vehicles, and additionally use free services like Google Maps. According to Counterpoint Research estimates, around 90% of car models sold in the US in 2022 support Android Auto.
Source: Counterpoint Analysis
This is a strong performance, but it was not an easy road for Google/Android Auto to get accepted by auto OEMs as data privacy concerns always loom around Google. Companies like Hyundai, Kia,Volkswagen,GM and Honda were early adopters of Android Auto, while others, including BMW, Toyota, Lexus, Jaguar Land Rover and Infiniti, didn’t introduce Android Auto compatibility until 2018-2020 after getting repeated requests from owners. In the US, the Android installed base is slightly close to 50%, whereas in Europe it is over 70% and close to 80% for the global market. Therefore, it is not surprising that most drivers from these brands own phones running on Android.
Source: Counterpoint Analysis
Google’s ambitious plan to capture automotive market
Google set its sights beyond IVI to take on the challenge of autonomous vehicles (AV) and software-defined vehicles (SDV) with the 2016 formation of Waymo, which started as a self-driving research project, and the announcement of Android Automotive OS, an expansion of its Android Auto initiative. Android Automotive OS (AAOS) is an open-source OS, somewhat replicating Google’s smartphone OS strategy. Running directly on in-vehicle hardware (i.e. head unit), it is a highly modular and full-stack open platform and supports apps built for Android as well as those built for Android Auto.
One standout feature is that AAOS has a suite of applications and services called Google Automotive Services (GAS), which is often marketed as Google Built-in by automakers. The GAS suite offers options to carmakers to integrate different services from Google, like Maps, Play Store and Assistant, directly into the vehicle without the need for an Android smartphone. Automakers can obtain GAS through a licensing fee on top of Android Automotive.
Currently, there are around 20 models available with Android Auto. The latest addition to the list is the 2023 Honda Accord. Several other automakers have announced plans to move to AAOS, but not every automaker is interested in GAS. We list below some major automakers and their plans to use Android Auto and Google services.
Volvo and Polestar:沃尔沃品牌北极星,北极星2,the first automaker to adopt Android Automotive with GAS integration. Volvo’s first all-electric XC40 Recharge was also the first car to run on Android Automotive. In 2022, Volvo announced from 2023 onwards would be equipped with Google infotainment.
Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi:In 2018, the alliance announced a partnership with Google to run its infotainment systems on Android Automotive. Renault’s Megane E-Tech was the first car to run on Android OS with GAS. In 2022, the Renault Austral was launched based on Android Automotive. Nissan and Mitsubishi have not announced any plans to launch models based on Google.
General Motors:In 2019, GM announced that its in-vehicle infotainment system would be powered by Android Automotive and feature Google apps and services for vehicles starting 2021. The GMC Hummer EV became the first GM car to be run on Android Automotive with GAS integration. Later, in 2022, mainstream models like the Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra and GMC Yukon were launched with Google Built-in.
Stellantis:Before the merger between PSA and FCA, PSA Group announced that Android Automotive would be powering its in-car infotainment system starting from 2023 models. In a different approach, FCA launched the Uconnect 5 based on Android Automotive but without GAS. But after the merger of both brands into Stellantis, the whole group is integrating AAOS for the IVI system.
Ford:Joining its US rival GM, Ford announced a partnership with Google in 2021 to run its SYNC infotainment system, which currently runs on Blackberry QNX OS. Ford plans to integrate GAS into its vehicles from late 2023 onwards.
Honda: The Japanese company was one of the early adopters of Android Automotive OS for the in-car infotainment system with its Honda Connect, based on NVIDIA’s Tegra processor. In 2021, Honda announced the integration of GAS into its vehicles from H2 2022. The 2023 Accord is the first Honda car with Google Built-in services.
BMW:The German brand took a different approach, announcing in 2022 that its new BMW OS 9 would be built on Android Automotive OS. But due to data privacy concerns, it is reluctant to integrate GAS. BMW is also an investor in navigation services providerHERETechnologies.
Lucid:The American company adopted Android Automotive OS for infotainment but did not integrate GAS.
Porsche:The Volkswagen brand was one of the few carmakers that only offered Apple CarPlay but not Android Auto for many years. Porsche released its first car with Android Auto only in 2022. The VW group is facing a lot of criticism due to software issues that are delaying the launch of electric models from its brands Porsche, Audi and Bentley. Hence, Porsche is looking at a strategy shift by taking into account Android Automotive OS and integrating GAS, which will include Google Maps, Google Assistant and Google Play Store, into its IVI.
Google’s road ahead
Google’s deal with Mercedes is interesting. Google will be licensing services including YouTube and map data to Mercedes but without the automotive OS, and it will not control the data. This shift in Google’s approach shows that it is willing to change its strategy to build trust with automakers, especially the Germans who are known to be apprehensive about data privacy.
With the major trends of electrification andADAS/Autonomous Driving(AD), and some of theEVmodels already equipped with Google Maps, Google has been adding EV-related features such as EV routing and searching for charging stations in in-vehicle Google Maps. Besides, Google has announced HD Map support for Level-2 hands-free driving and Level-3 driving systems. HD Map will roll out first in the Volvo EX90 and Polestar 3.
Google Maps is challenging the territory of established players like HERE andTomTom.我们预计谷歌将进一步发展其in-vehicle navigation to make EV use easier and support higher levels of automated driving.
Lastly, the next-generation vehicles will be software-defined vehicles. This will allow companies to generate various recurring software revenue streams. As a result, the car software market will grow. Apple sees this growth potential in the auto industry and likely wants a piece of the pie. This is hinted by Apple’s move to introduce next-generation CarPlay, which will deeply integrate with the vehicle to take over interior screens and instrument cluster, and allow users to control climate and radio. So far, 14 automakers have confirmed to integrate new CarPlay, which is set to launch in late 2023. Therefore, in the future, we may see Apple developing complete software that runs on the vehicle without a partner iPhone, similar to Android Automotive. There are reports that indicate Apple is working on its ‘Apple Car’ as several patents related to cars have been filed by the company. This will allow Apple to replicate its strategy of using its software and services to monetize its hardware.
Therefore, in the era of software-defined vehicles, we may see the next round of battle between tech giants Google and Apple, this time for supremacy in the automotive OS, which will be the heart and soul of the car.
Googleheld its annual developer conference, I/O 2023, at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. The company’s biggest event of the year was attended by developers, media, and partners. At the conference, Google offered a glimpse of new features powered by generativeAI, and how it is changing the landscape of core products from Gmail to Sheets, Slides, and Google Photos. The company also showcased the advanced capabilities of its chatbot Bard. Google also made hardware announcements by launching its firstfoldable smartphone, the Pixel Fold, an affordable Pixel 7a smartphone, and the Pixel Tablet. There is a lot to talk about, and here are some key highlights from Google I/O 2023.
Generative AI takes centerstage
“AI is having a very busy year, so we’ve got lots to talk about,” said Sundar Pichai, as he started his keynote address. Google spent over one hour talking about AI and the company’s “bold and responsible” approach.
Gmail getting a new “help me write” feature
After features like Smart Reply and Smart Compose, Gmail is now getting a new feature called “help me write.” It is a simple feature that can help you save time and effort when composing emails. Say your flight was just canceled and you want to write an email asking for a refund. The new feature can grab flight details from the airline cancelation email and compose a draft email for you. If you think it is too small, there is an option to “Elaborate” to make it more compelling, or you can even click on “Recreate” for a completely new email. The feature will start rolling out as a part of Google Workspace in the coming weeks.
When using Maps for navigation, users can click on the “Immersive View” option to get a photorealistic view of the route. But that’s not all, it will also show you the air quality index (AQI), real-time weather updates and the weather forecast as well. The feature will be rolled out to 15 cities around the globe by the end of 2023.
根据谷歌的数据,17亿张照片edited on Google Photos every month. After introducing Magic Eraser which lets you remove unwanted objects and people from photos, Google is now taking photo editing to the next level with Magic Editor. It uses generative AI and semantic engineering to help you edit and enhance your images.
除了删除不必要的对象,东方三博士c Editor can also fill in parts of the image that are not in the photo. Google showcased this feature with an example where you can move the subject in the photo and other objects too. Magic Editor can then add cropped-off parts like balloons and even extend objects such as benches, like in the examples below. Though the results are not perfect, as clearly evident in the below examples, it is still amazing what generative AI can achieve. The feature is coming to Google Photos later this year.
PaLM 2, Google’s latest LLM announced
The latest large language model (LLM) from Google, PaLM 2, can perform a broad range of topics from natural language generation to writing code, reasoning and even multilingual translation. It even supports over 100 spoken languages. More than 25 Google products are now using PaLM 2. Available in different sizes named Gecko, Otter, Bison and Unicorn – Gecko is small enough to run on a smartphone, even in offline mode.
Google is also deeply invested in AI responsibility, where AI-generated content will have metadata and watermarking to identify the content.
Google Bard gets better
Google’s AI chatbot, Bard, can now perform coding and debugging in over 20 programming languages including C, C++, JavaScript and Python. You can ask Bard for must-see places, write funny captions based on photos, or even ask for suggestions for colleges and the different teaching programs they offer, thus helping with career advice. Bard replies can also be exported in Docs or in Gmail. The company is also opening Bard access to users in over 180 countries in English.
2️⃣ We’ll also make it easy for you to prompt Bard with images, giving you even more ways to explore and create.#GoogleIOpic.twitter.com/jWi9Ac68Mz
Google is also bringing generative AI to Workspace, including Docs, where it provides writing help. For instance, you can ask AI assistant to write a job description for a sales representative position, covering letter, a video script, product descriptions, invitations and more.
In Slides, you can create and add auto-generated images, video and audio clips to add flair to a presentation. In Google Sheets, you can ask the assistant to create a roster with rates, or pull out insights and analysis from raw data, and more.
Google Search supercharged with generative AI
Lastly, Google also talked about bringing generative AI to Google Search which can answer queries by summarizing text information found online. Users can then ask follow-up questions to get even more specific answers. Google demonstrated with an example of a search query for e-bikes. The algorithms can list and summarize product reviews from various websites and offer a link to purchase online. Interested users in the US can give this a try with a new feature calledSearch Labs, but it will not be activated by default for all users.
Commenting on Google’s generative AI announcements at I/O 2023, senior analystAkshara Bassisaid, “Google is integrating all its core products with AI which will make AI more reachable to the masses and integrated into their lives. The reinvention of basic tools such as Gmail with the introduction of ‘help me write’ feature is possible because of AI. The AI-powered immersive Google Maps promises to enhance the journey and plan it better. Google promises to become a one-stop destination across all its services from Photo editing to Google Search and integration of AI in all those services will accelerate the trajectory of AI as a ubiquity in our lives.”
With these announcements, Google is showing it can respond to the threat posed byMicrosoft. Google had previously seemed to be taken by surprise by the completeness of Microsoft’s offerings and appeared defensive in the face of the competitive threat. However, during the I/O event, Google seemed more composed, and its array of AI-based applications and services shows it has likely headed off the threat to its core search business for now.
Google Pixel hardware announcements at I/O 2023
As usual, Google also made hardware announcements starting with the affordable Pixel 7a smartphone, the Pixel Tablet, and the much-awaited Pixel Fold. All these devices aim to offer the best of Google’s hardware and software experience. Under the hood, all three devices are powered by the custom Google Tensor G2 SoC which brings features like Pixel Call Assist which helps avoid long wait times, navigate phone tree menus, and more. On-device Machine Learning also enables enhanced speech features like live translation and transcribe. The devices also offer enhanced security with Titan M2 security chip, secure face unlock, VPN, crisis alerts and car crash detection among other features.
Google Pixel 7a: Price, key specifications, and more
The Google Pixel 7a is available for $499 and comes with 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage. The smartphone comes with dual SIM options (physical SIM and eSIM) and supports Wi-Fi 6e and 5G. It features a 4385mAh battery and is capable of wireless charging.
Source – Google
The smartphone has a 6.1-inch FHD+ OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, a 64MP primary camera with OIS, a 13MP ultrawide camera and a 13MP front camera. Users get all the Pixel camera features as the Pixel 7 Pro, including Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, Long Exposure, Top Shot and more. In terms of videography, there is support for up to 4K 60fps for the rear camera and 4K 30fps for the front camera. Stereo recording, wind noise cancellation, and speech enhancement features are also present.
Commenting on the Pixel 7a launch, associate directorHanish Bhatiasaid, “For Google, the US market accounts for a significant share of the overall Pixel sales. Although Google has a low single-digit market share in the US, it is significant when we look at the overall premium ($600+) Android market. The key focus with Pixel 7 and 7 Pro was to plug the flow of premium Android users into iOS. But iOS has also gained in the sub-$400 prepaid market in the US with the iPhone SE and subsidized iPhone 11 series. This is where the “Pixel A series” is key. However, the Pixel A series still focuses on post-paid rather than prepaid.”
Google Pixel Fold: Price, specifications, and more
The Pixel Fold, Google’s first foldable is here, and while Google is late to join the foldable race, it has learned from existing foldable products from other OEMs. For its first device, Google has gone with a book-type foldable with a compact form factor like theOPPO Find N, rather than the taller form factor like theSamsung Galaxy Z Fold4. Our recent consumer insights study revealed that28% of US smartphoneusers are likely to opt for a foldable as their next purchase, and it makes sense for most OEMs to focus on foldables as an important revenue driver.
Available for $1,799, which is the same as the Galaxy Z Fold4, Google has sweetened the deal with a pre-booking offer where users will receive a free Pixel Watch worth $349 (Wi-Fi), or $399 (LTE).
Source – Google
Google claims it is the thinnest foldable smartphone in the market, and it comes with an IPX8 rating for water and dust resistance. In terms of specifications, the Pixel Fold comes with a 5.8-inch wide FHD+ cover display, and a 7.6-inch internal foldable display. Both feature OLED panels and come with a 120Hz screen refresh rate. There is 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage, a 4821mAh battery with fast wired charging and wireless charging.
In the photography department, the foldable smartphone is equipped with triple rear cameras – a 48MP main sensor, a 10MP ultrawide camera and a 10MP sensor with a telephoto lens that supports 5x optical zoom, and 20x super res zoom. The front cover screen has a 10MP selfie snapper. There is also a fifth 8MP camera on the inner folding screen for selfies and video calling.
Commenting on the Google Pixel Fold launch, senior analystMaurice Klaehnesaid, “Foldables are increasingly becoming an important revenue stream for OEMs as sales continue to grow. The Pixel Fold will help Google’s share in the ultra-premium segments in markets such as the US where Samsung has been the de facto market leader as there is no other competition. The EU market is similar but has a slightly wider selection of foldables. In Asia, having a foldable is now table stakes. At $1,799, the Pixel Fold is priced in line with the competition, but Google can better optimize the experience with the latestAndroid 13, which builds on the tablet-focusedAndroid 12L.”
Google Pixel Tablet: Price, specifications, and more
Lastly, Google’s Pixel Tablet, which was announced last year, will soon be available for purchase. The device is priced at $499 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage model, and $599 for the 256GB model. Google is also bundling the magnetic charging speaker dock for free with the tablet.
Source – Google
The Pixel Tablet features a 10.95-inch WQXGA (2,560×1,600pixels) LCD screen with an aspect ratio of 16:10. It also supports the USI 2.0 stylus pen. The tablet comes with quad speakers and three mics for calls and recording. The Google Pixel Tablet features an 8MP camera in the front and an 8MP camera at the back. With a 27Wh battery, the tablet supports 15W wired charging.
与磁码头使用平板电脑连接Pogo pin connector, which then doubles as a charging device and an additional 43.5mm full-range speaker. This way, it can become a smart display or a smart speaker with a display, just like the Google Nest Hub. There is also a built-in Chromecast feature in the tablet, allowing you to stream music and videos right from your phone to the tablet and enjoy an immersive audio experience.
Key Takeaways:
• Google is going all-in with generative AI to enhance the overall experience on its range of products and services. It has likely done enough to neutralize the perceived threat from Microsoft – for now. • Features like immersive view on Google Maps and Magic Editor on Google Photos are valuable additions to popular apps. • The Pixel Fold launch shows Google’s ambition to grab share in the ultra-premium segment and staunch the gradual bleed of Android users to iOS. • The Pixel Tablet is a clever addition, showing Google’s renewed interest in large-screen devices and supporting the company’s ambition in smart homes. It can also help in the development of Android OS for different form factors. • With the Pixel 7a, Google is looking to attract more users to the platform while showcasing its hardware and software capabilities. Again, it is responding to the threat from Apple that has been winning users over to iOS with its iPhone SE and older number series, e.g. the iPhone 11.
The entire world is going through digital transformation with connectivity at the center intelligently bridging the edge-cloud gap. The data emanating at the edge, whether it is telemetry data from the sensors or location, has been pivotal in adding intelligence, context, and analytics to the connected asset to enable quick, accurate, informed, and timely decision-making.
If we look at the entireIoTor location value chain, it spans from the endpoint/edge (possibly a device/sensor/gateway) to the network infrastructure, enabling connectivity between the edge and the software or API-driven cloud and analyticsplatforms. While connectivity is the glue, location also provides important context to the asset and the data emanating from the asset.
WATCH: Qualcomm Aware Platform Explained
Power of connectivity and location
We have extensively researched and talked about the IoT market and the importance of end-to-end control, fromchipsets,modules, and devices toconnectivityto the platforms, including both IoT and location. TheIoT landscape, which has been fragmented, is now undergoing consolidation as there is a significant mismatch between the value being created and captured. However, the success in IoT lies in a player which can be integrated and offer end-to-end capabilities while also remaining open and flexible to work with different partners across the value chain at the same time. This should allow the player to create and capture maximum value opportunities for everyone and accelerate thedigital transformationjourneys of different companies.
Qualcommhas been the leading and largest “connectivity” chipset provider in the IoT and automotive segments, shipping hundreds of millions of chips every year. While connectivity and IoT are natural to Qualcomm, the San Diego-based systems company has also realized the importance of blending the power of location andconnectivity. Therefore, Qualcomm hasacquiredits long-time partner Skyhook, a Boston-based company that has been a leader in the development of location technologies integrating into thedevices, and PoLTE, a Dallas-based company focusing on cellular-based accurate positioning technology for mobile devices to IoT applications such as fleet management andasset tracking. Driving location-based intelligence right from the chipset via APIs reduces a lot of integration-related difficulties for companies trying to connect their assets to the cloud securely and seamlessly.
WATCH: Qualcomm Aware Platform Use Cases Demo
Qualcomm Aware SaaS platform – API-driven chip to cloud connectivity
With its important position in the IoT value chain and leveraging itslocation和连接技术,高通最近劳恩ched Qualcomm Aware, an API-first platform offering secure and out-of-the-box chip-to-cloud integration. Qualcomm is doing this via an intelligent software on top of the chip to help solution makers optimize, configure, and transmit location and telemetry data from the edge to the cloud simply via APIs integrating with partner solutions.
Source – Qualcomm
Initial capabilities: Location data, connectivity management, security and more
The Qualcomm Aware solution can be tailored to specific verticals, applications or use cases. It comprises of following capabilities:
• Location data GNSS, cellular, Wi-Fi, hybrid location, geofencing, etc • Power-optimized, configurable hardware and software components • Security – edge to cloud, Silicon Root of Trust, provisioning, etc • Connectivity management – cellular, roaming, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc • Devices – With Qualcomm Aware low-power embedded chipsets
In our opinion, the platform for a particular use case, such asasset tracker, might offer the full solution to start with. But when the need to scale up arises, the platform will have to become more modular so that the end customers or system integrators have more options to choose from. For example, just leverage location APIs or with connectivity management or the off-the-shelf Qualcomm Aware partner devices or not.
Initially targeted use cases: Asset tracking
Source – Qualcomm
Since it blends location and connectivity well, asset tracking is the lowest-hanging opportunity for Qualcomm Aware.
Qualcomm has partnered with Quectel, Ikotek, Thundercomm, and others to build Qualcomm Aware-ready asset trackers to help customers kickstart with the offering as the previous-generation chipset-based devices cannot be upgraded to become Qualcomm Aware compatible. While the solution comes with bundled connectivity (via partner), Qualcomm does not aim to become an MVNO and step on its partners’ toes. For the mapping, routing and location data, Qualcomm is partnering withMapboxandTomTomin this initial phase. Larger players such asHEREandGoogleare expected to be on the partnership roadmap eventually.
Source – Qualcomm
Therefore, transport and logistics is the initial target segment, followed by retail, manufacturing, construction and utilities.
Success will be in partnerships and moving to self-serve model
Qualcomm is thus expanding its capabilities and offerings to become a strong enabler with a platform play in this high-potential,fragmentedbut consolidating market. The timing of the launch might be questionable for many considering the ongoingconsolidation, but we believe this is the best time to enter the market with a unique and highly scalableplatformto invigorate this market, especially with a strong position in theedgemarket.
Source – Qualcomm
To be successful with a SaaS approach, being open and striking the right partnerships is paramount. It is great to see Qualcomm striking partnerships across the value chain, from module and device manufacturers, software and middleware players, and location and mapping vendors to system integrators andcloudplayers. Qualcomm will have to invest in and empower dedicated pre-sales, consulting and post-sales teams to make headway into these markets. Moving to a self-serve model would be critical to further scaling the SaaS business.
Key takeaways: Chip-to-cloud partner-driven IoT and location platform approach
• No vendor other than Qualcomm enjoys a strong position when it comes to the edge of the market. • As intelligence moves to the edge, a secure edge-to-cloud connectivity offering can help simplify integration, portability and provisioning of IoT solutions, catalyzing the IoT ecosystem. • Qualcomm Aware helps the company broaden its portfolio beyond hardware to a recurring and scalable software/services business, which investors and partners would welcome. • Further, Qualcomm Aware can help crack the significant but complex and fragmented IoT market to make a play in the $700-billion connected intelligent edge opportunity. • The platform’s future success will depend on how Qualcomm expands its partner ecosystem across verticals and geographies while also moving to a self-serve model.
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