Bolaji - Yeah, he said it during the Q&A, and FWIW, he sounded sincere. It sounds like car guys are finally realizing how important technology is going to be in saving their own industry. He even had interesting things to say about increased possibility for car-sharing business models, and how individual car ownership will significantly change in the near future.
It was, what's the word, refreshing, even promising... but, yes, it took a long time.
Jenn, I couldn't but wonder if Ford said those things after reading the statement. Really? The automotive industry is now going to start listening to its high-tech suppliers and no longer insist on a 5-year design cycle? It's like they've become anachronistic in a light-speed economy. It's a good start but, by heck, they sure took their time getting here!
Ford's speech was pretty good, all things considered (end of the day keynote, but on day 1 when everyone is excited about the possibility of a hyper-connected world). And, yeah, I liked his idea of having vehicles talk directly to the highway system to get traffic flowing better. Admittedly, though, I did simultaneously also visualize a bad movie scene where Stephen King's Christine meets a Bruce Willis-style crash'em-up thriller to cause global traffic chaos.
And - good question what do we call a voice tweet? Maybe we should come up with something and trademark it so we can royalties when it becomes famous.=)
Ford's point about using connectivity to help gridlock is the best possible use of mobile technology. Getting lost was the main reason behind GPS and people that are lost drive slower and snarl traffic up. By the time you hit a traffic jam, it's usually too late to do anything about it. If you know your fellow commuters, and anyone that works in an office probably does, tweeting about a traffic jam is a great way to help out a colleague. The tweets would have to be voice-recognition driven, but I can see how that would work. Status updates about being stuck in traffice is another tool. Again, these would have to have an interface that doesn't require reading while driving.
If a tweet isn't text, though, is it still a tweet?
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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