車載互聯網即將迎來4G時代

????即將抵達美國經銷商手中的2015款奧迪A3轎車將提供一個奧迪汽車(Audi)家族其他車型所不具備的選擇鍵：4G LTE。事實上，目前在售的所有車輛都沒有這個功能。

????奧迪A3是第一款提供車載4G LTE網絡接入服務的車型，預示著一個全新汽車時代的來臨。在這個時代中，駕駛員和乘客可以傳輸視頻流，音頻，還可以使用各種各樣在3G網絡下根本不可能運行的應用程序。這家公司稱，其他奧迪車型可能會在大約一年后提供更高速度的互聯網接入服務。

????通用汽車(General Motors Co. )已經宣布，它旗下的車型將在今年晚些時候開始提供寬帶服務，預計其他公司也會陸續跟進。

????這項功能之所以首先在奧迪價格最低的車型推出（奧迪A3轎車的起價大約3萬美元），原因在于，相較于更大、更昂貴的奧迪車型（比如A8轎車）的消費者，入門級車型的消費者更年輕，往往對先進的網絡連接功能更感興趣。

????再見，調頻廣播。你好，《紙牌屋》(House of Cards)。A3的導航系統將啟動谷歌地球(Google Earth)和谷歌街景(Google Street View)，從而允許駕駛者在車載顯示屏上查看以圖片形式（而不是紙質的地圖）展現的目的地，建筑物和地標。

????采用導航模式搜索興趣點時，配備4G網絡連接的司機可以像在筆記本電腦或平板電腦上那樣，使用谷歌的搜索功能。

????數字技術在人們家中，酒店、飛機航班以及星巴克(Starbucks)這樣的零售場所變得越來越無處不在，而基于轎車的互聯網接入代表著這種技術合乎邏輯的下一個發展趨勢。與此同時，汽車寬帶也可能進一步分散司機的注意力——許多司機已經在使用智能手機導航，發短信，打電話。汽車制造商已經做好了準備，迎接批評的聲音，甚至是來自監管的阻力。

????奧迪公司項目經理菲利普?布拉別克說：“車載4G LTE讓乘客有機會在行駛途中享受無縫的數據連接，在自己的各類設備上瀏覽更多的內容。所有的轎車服務自然也會快捷很多?！?/p>

????這項服務將為奧迪及其合作伙伴美國電話電報公司(AT&T)創造一個新的收入來源，它們已經同意共享源自轎車寬帶帶來的收入。為期6個月的試用期結束之后，AT&T將向A3車主提供兩種流量套餐，一種是6個月6GB流量，收費99美元；另一種是30個月30GB流量，收費499美元。奧迪公司聲稱，每月的平均成本大約為16美元。

????布拉貝茨指出：“數字技術和創新的發展速度比汽車技術快多了?！币虼?，對于那些現在就迫不及待地想擁有最新信息娛樂功能的購車者來說，新車型通常4到5年的推出間歇期實在太長了。奧迪公司聲稱，新款A3是第一輛攜帶自包含模塊的轎車，模塊中包含了使用寬帶和其他信息娛樂系統所需的硬件和軟件。由于以前的汽車信息系統都是包含在轎車的電子網絡作為一個整體進行設計的，因此，想要在重新設計整車之前更換信息系統，是不切實際的。

????布拉貝茨說，有了這個新模塊，奧迪就能夠根據自身意愿，在2016款A3轎車中推出全新的數字功能，同時無需對汽車系統做出重大改動。

????汽車業似乎即將迎來一個寬帶和馬力同步驅動的新時代。（財富中文網）

????譯者：葉寒

????The 2015 A3 sedan soon arriving at U.S. dealerships will offer a key option not available in the other models in Audi's lineup -- or, in fact, any vehicle now on sale: 4G LTE.

????As the first vehicle with 4G LTE connectivity, the A3 portends an automotive era in which drivers and passengers will stream video, audio and use a wide variety of apps that weren't possible with 3G. Other Audi models may offer the higher-speed Internet in a year or so, the company says. General Motors Co. (GM) has announced that it will begin to offer broadband in its models later this year; others are expected to follow.

????The feature is being offered first on Audi's lowest-priced model, which starts in price at about $30,000, because younger and entry-level shoppers are expected to have more interest in advanced connectivity than shoppers for larger, more expensive Audi models, such as the A8 sedan.

????Good-bye, FM radio. Hello, House of Cards. The A3's navigation system will enable operation of Google Earth and Google Street View, allowing drivers to view destinations, buildings, and landmarks on the car's display as photographs rather than as representations on maps.

????When searching points of interest in navigation mode, drivers with 4G connectivity will be able to use Google's (GOOG) search function in the same manner as on a laptop or tablet.

????Car-based Internet represents the next logical step for a digital technology that has become increasingly ubiquitous in homes and hotels, on airline flights, and at retail establishments like Starbucks (SBUX). At the same time, broadband in cars could also pose an additional distraction to drivers who already are using smartphones to navigate, text, and conduct phone conversations. Carmakers are bracing for criticism and, possibly, regulatory pushback.

????Filip Brabec, Audi program manager, said "4G LTE in the car is an opportunity for the people who are coming along for the ride to have a seamless data connection and the ability to enjoy much more content on their devices. All the services in the car also naturally get a lot faster."

????The service will provide a new revenue source for Audi, as well as for its partner, AT&T (T), which have agreed to split revenue generated from car-based broadband. After a six-month trial period, AT&T will charge A3 owners $99 for 6 gigabytes of data over a six-month period or $499 for 30 gigabytes of data over a 30-month period. Audi says the cost averages to about $16 a month.

????Brabec noted that "digital technology and innovation is moving much faster than automotive." Thus, the usual four to five years between new vehicle introductions is too long to wait to introduce infotainment features that carbuyers want now. Audi said the new A3 sedan is the first with a self-contained module that holds the hardware and software needed for broadband and other infotainment systems. Previous systems were designed within an electronic network throughout the car and, therefore, were impractical to replace until the entire vehicle was redesigned.

????With the new module, Brabec said, Audi will gain the capability of introducing entirely new digital features -- if it wishes -- in a 2016 A3, without other major changes to the car.

????The automotive industry appears on the brink of being driven as much by bandwidth as by horsepower.