LAS VEGAS – Pioneer said at a Wednesday press conference it will make its
Platform for Aggregation of Internet Services (PAIS) for connected devices
available to other manufacturers.
“This is about consumers
having one account with many services, many devices,” detailed Ted Cardenas,
marketing director for Pioneer’s mobile business group. By opening the PAIS
platform, Pioneer plans to address the reality that consumers want their devices
to work together, regardless of manufacturer. The PAIS platform, a device
portal that lets myriad Internet services and connected devices to work
together, is designed to handle multiple device and application types including
in-vehicle telematics, and smartphone apps.
Pioneer will open PAIS
to early access device partners by midyear, targeting third-party products with
first customer shipments planned for fall 2010.
Additionally, Pioneer
reviewed its 2010 marketing strategy identifies its complete line of in-vehicle
entertainment and navigation products. The company’s “Stage” strategy slots
Pioneer’s mobile products into four distinct levels, providing a simple way for
consumers to determine which products best fit their needs. “The new program should
make it very easy for our customers to understand the broad range of in-vehicle
products we offer, from the upgrade buyer to the most demanding audiophile”
said Cardenas.
The four levels include
Stage 1 for the replacement customer and will feature entry-level products for
the consumer seeking to upgrade their original manufacturer (OEM) system. Stage
1 products will include a variety of single CD players with iPod connectivity
and TS-G line of two-way speakers.
The meat of the lineup,
noted Cardenas,
is in Stage 2, for upgrade customers – those who want more advanced features,
higher performance and better sound quality for their vehicle. Add-on
navigation options are offered here as well as audio/video receivers, single CD
players with Bluetooth and HD Radio options, amplifiers, the TS-A line of
component and full-range speakers, and conventional and shallow mount
subwoofers.
Stage 3 is aimed at the
enthusiast consumer. Options here include advanced in-dash navigation systems,
large-screen audio/video receivers, high-efficiency digital amplifiers, the
high performance TS-D line of component and full-range speakers, and a variety
of high-output conventional and shallow mount subwoofers.
At the pinnacle is the
Stage 4 customer with a line of exclusive, ultra-performance audio
products. The Stage 4 products are
geared toward advancing the art of music in the car environment, said Cardenas, and are designed
purely for car audio and music enthusiasts who value the highest sound quality
and performance possible. Stage 4 products consist of the DEX-P99RS reference
single-CD/digital media player, five high-performance amplifiers, the new 2010
PRS series of component speaker systems and PRS subwoofers.
All Stage 4 products are
said to be engineered and manufactured using advanced materials and innovative
technologies with the goal of reproducing the ultimate in-vehicle listening
experience.
Pioneer also launched
Wednesday its new interactive FitGuide (
), which allows
consumers to virtually build, component-by-component, their ideal “custom”
system, quickly and easily sorting through the expansive selection of Pioneer
in-vehicle products and filtering only those which provide the features,
performance, and price they are looking for.
The FitGuide uses Pioneer’s
new FitFotos collection, which shows actual installation photos from authorized
retailers. Shoppers can view
professional installation capabilities of retailers to provide a visual idea of
how products fit in different vehicles.
Once an ideal system is created a summary sheet can be printed and taken
to their local dealer.
