The AOAM Aftermarket team once again traveled to Las Vegas right after the New Year to attend the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES). This year’s show was held from January 7-10 and again served as the launching point for product debuts and announcements from many companies.
According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), who is the producer of CES, this year’s show featured a record 1.85 million net square feet of exhibit space with over 2,700 exhibitors. The initial attendance tally was 130,000+ attendees, although final audited attendance figures will be released in the Spring. Of these attendees, over 25,000 of them were from outside of the U.S., supporting the notion that CES is a truly an international event. Nonetheless, all these numbers prove to show that CES is big and is where the world expects to see the newest products and technologies.
Alpine debuted many key products at the show. Upon entering Alpine’s 6,000-sq. foot booth, visitors were greeted with a large wall featuring the Alpine Corporate Domain Message for “Driving Mobile Media Solutions,” with the five icons for Audio, Video, Navigation, Driver’s Assist and Communication. This wall also housed the five Innovations Award plaques awarded to Alpine for the eX-10 Advanced iPod® Controller with Bluteooth®; TUA-T550HD HD Radio Tuner; SPX-17PRO 6.5-inch Component 2-Way Speakers; KTP-445 Head Unit Power Pack with PXA-H100 IMPRINT Audio Processor; Marine Sound System. A large wall held all the 2008 1-DIN head units and was designed as a large chart, for visitors to compare the features on each of the head units. OEM integration products were also on display and were exemplified in a 2008 Toyota Highlander, whose system was based around the PXE-H650 OEM System Integration Audio Processor.
Next to the head unit wall were five kiosks focusing on five of the key AFT products for 2008: eX-10; PND-K3msn Portable Navigation Device with MSN® Direct service; iDA-X100 Digital Media Receiver with TUA-T500HD HD Radio Tuner for accessing iTunes Tagging; IVA-W505 Mobile Multimedia Station, and the PXA-H100 add-on IMPRINT Audio Processor.
The opposite wall was devoted to the three AFT navigation options: the fixed NVE-N872A system, the PMD-B200 Blackbird Portable Navigation System, and the PND-K3msn. Down the middle of the room was a curved Plexiglas wall that held the entire speaker, subwoofer and amplifier lineup. Visitors could see both the front and back of these products by walking around both sides of the Plexiglas wall.
A popular demonstration area was the V-Power Experience. This was a sound-proof chamber that was designed to showcase the new MRP-M2000 2,000-watt amplifier. To make a big impact with this powerful new amplifier, the chamber was designed to have one MRP-M2000 supplying the power to sixteen 10-inch Type S subwoofers! An Alpine employee was stationed at the chamber explain the instructions, to help visitors get in, and put on the protective head phones. The Alpine employee then would close the 400-lb. door, which was made of 1-inch thick acrylic Plexiglas with extra reinforced cross bracings! When in the chamber, the visitor could turn the system On/Off by pressing a button, while the Alpine employee outside the chamber slowly increased the chamber’s volume. A flat screen monitor posted outside of the chamber showed the SPL level that was being reached in the chamber. The V-Power Experience was an instant hit, and visitors were lined up each day to take a turn at reaching the highest SPL.
To the right of the V-Power Experience was a display to show Alpine Future Technologies. On display were a prototype HD-DVD navigation unit and a HD-DVD entertainment system, to show Alpine’s leadership in perusing upcoming technologies and their application to Alpine products.
The far end of the booth held the 2008 demo vehicles, a 2008 Mercedes Benz GL550 SUV and a 25-foot sport boat, both made by AOAM’s Advanced Application R & D team. These vehicles were paired together to showcase Alpine’s new Marine lineup. The GL550 was positioned as an elegant tow vehicle for the boat. An IVA-W505 Mobile Multimedia Station serves as the base unit for the GL550’s system, which includes a TUA-T550HD HD Radio Tuner and KCA-SC100 SIRIUS® Satellite Radio interface. A PMD-B200 Blackbird Portable Navigation System provides navigation guidance for the GL550. A PDX-5 5-channel amplifier powers the SWX-1043D 10-inch subwoofer and two sets of SPX-17PRO component speakers. Custom fiberglass fender flares and running boards accommodate the 37-inch Toyo tires and TIS wheels give the GL550 an elegant, yet rugged silhouette.
The sport boat has an extravagant installation featuring products from the new Marine lineup. The boat has a 3,600 watt system and is completely outfitted with SPR-M700 Marine speakers and SWR-M100 Marine subwoofers. Eight PDX amplifiers are installed in custom amp racks that motorize out of the boat’s dome canopy windshields. There are four custom fiberglass seats for the driver, plus three passengers in the front, while six more people can fit in the rear lounge area. Thanks to several MC1 wireless remote commanders installed in various areas of the boat, passengers can control the sound system from anywhere in the boat. Other custom modifications include a motorized boarding step and foot wash, and a dual built-in cooler area protected by a hydraulic hatch cover. This custom boat was a loud, and eye-catching, crowd-pleaser.
Overall, CES 2008 was a success and proved to be an exciting kick-off point for the 2008 product lineup. The Aftermarket Team will use the momentum started at CES to carry into successful sales numbers for the year.
