CONFERENCE SPOTLIGHT
CONFERENCE SPOTLIGHT Flash-Back to Keynotes IFA International Keynote by Andreas Westhoff (Navigon) The merging of mobile phones and navigation The linking together of mobile phones and navigation systems is the way forward. This was the basic message from Andreas Westhoff, Chief Sales Officer of Navigon AG, speaking during the series of International Keynotes at the IFA 2007. Both of these areas are demonstrating dramatic growth, with annual sales of mobile phones exceeding 200 million in Europe alone, while the number of mobile navigation units sold has risen from twelve million in 2006 to some 80 million this year. According to Westhoff efforts to combine the two systems have been hampered until now by a lack of integrated GPS receivers and uncertainty about the volume of data required to calculate routes, leading to insufficient clarity regarding the network operators’ price structures. In his opinion, the first generation of combined phones and navigation units now coming onto the market does not have ideal GPS chips and is somewhat lacking in functionality too. The Navigon executive expects to see an improved second generation by the middle of next year, with the introduction of the necessary data flat rate by 2009. Westhoff believes there will be a similar upsurge in the numbers of mobile cameraphones, whose share of the market has risen from ten per cent in 2003 to a current level of 90 per cent. Navigon estimates that GPS mobile phones will increase their share of the market from 20 per cent in 2009 to 80 per cent by 2013. Their role has changed from merely navigating between two points and they are now incorporating additional information specifically intended for the user. Westhoff believes that a decisive break-through has taken place in free navigation by mobile with Skobbler, a Beta version of that is being introduced by Navigon in Germany in the final quarter of this year. This is being financed through advertising. Users searching for a particular filling station or restaurant can be provided with alternatives in the form of advertisements, and can receive instructions on how to get there by clicking on a button. In association with a Web 2.0 community, the service will be expanded to include personal recommendations from subscribers with the possibility of selecting the required peer group in order to only receive suggestions from like-minded people. The target group for Skobbler consists of young people aged between 14 and 35 with strong technical leanings, who are also price-conscious and community-oriented, and who do not necessarily need to own a car. This group is also the focus of attention for all the leading brand name manufacturers, said Westhoff. After tests have been carried out in Germany in 2008, Skobbler will initially be made available in France, the UK, Italy and Spain, and throughout Europe during the course of the year. IFA International Keynote by Guerrino De Luca (Logitech) Focus on the consumer “Convergence has not taken place in the way that people thought it would”, claimed Guerrino De Luca, President and CEO of the world’s largest computer mouse manufacturer Logitech, during his keynote speech at the IFA. At one time it was thought that all the various applications would be combined in one device, but this has not been the case. Consumers might watch television on their computers, or use their TV sets as computer screens. Today’s CE products are a mixture of hardware and software with a web-based background. The IPod owes its success to ITunes, and it is a similar situation with the hard drive recorder and Tivo, says De Luca. The industry is concerned less with the hardware itself than with the individual ways in which it is used. That is why the focus is no longer on the equipment but on the consumers, the intention being to make it easier to use these items. With this in mind, Logitech has developed a whole range of innovations, such as the three-dimensional Space Navigator Controller, the MXR laser mouse, which also offers hands-free operation, and the Harmony universal remote control which can be programmed via the internet, and can be used to activate complete processes rather than just individual items of equipment. IFA International Keynote by Norio Niwa (Seiko Epson) A great future lies ahead for projectors One of the future possibilities of projection technology enables a car salesman to produce an image of a particular car, matching the colour and the equipment to a customer’s requirements, and then present it in a full scale display. In his keynote speech at the IFA Norio Niwa, Executive Vice President of Seiko Epson Corporation, envisaged a future with hand-sized devices that can conjure up pictures on a wall instead of wallpaper, or serve as an outsized “screen” for a home communications centre, combining the internet, e- mail and entertainment. Niwa also mentioned games, which are becoming more like interactive films and represent an area of increasing importance to projector manufacturers. For this reason Seiko Epson is introducing joint promotions on the German market with Nintendo. Epson has been the world market leader for the past six years, with a 17 per cent share and output amounting to 3,500 units per day. Four new models are making their world debut at the IFA 2007, including the EMP-TW2000, which has full HD capability. In the course of ongoing cooperation with Disney, the new Home Cinema and Entertainment Centre, the EMP-DM1, will be available for a limited period from mid-October as part of a package with a special edition of the classic “Jungle Book” on two DVDs. This year’s presentation by Epson at the IFA focuses in particular on the company’s projector division. “We are constantly striving to surpass what we have already achieved”, is how Niwa describes the group’s philosophy. 24 IFA International • Tuesday, 4 th September 2007
TRADE NEWS Panasonic & The Olympic Dream As an official worldwide Olympic partner, Panasonic is now gearing up to offer the entire games in HD for the first time in 2008 as part of its Living In High Definition campaign. The company is also significantly expanding its Viera PDP range to 28 models and the LCD offer to 15. “We are also working to vertically integrate our products in order to pursue the Panasonic dream of a networked living room,” Joachim Reinhart, COO & President, Europe, said. “Stand-alone products are very important but in the future all of our products in the home will be linked together. With the Viera Link technology, consumers will also be able to avoid the chaos of cables and wires.” Reporting continued growth in sales and an overall global sales figure of €61 billion, Reinhart also revealed that PDP and LCD sales were up by 49% and 55% respectively. “But the star of our sales growth is Digital Stills Camera whose sales grew by 76%.” More good news comes from a study by Synovate. “The study was conducted this summer and found that 61% of respondents across seven major European cities prefer PDP to LCD screens,” Yorihisa Shiokawa, MD of Panasonic Marketing Europe, said. “We expect to have around 20% of the large screen market in Europe this year.” IFA International • Tuesday, 4 th September 2007 25
