I have a Avic-D3 in my truck which still works great a yr plus so far and bought a new F90bt for our new truck that has yet to be installed but it only costs about $600 (amazon) now I go to Newegg.com and see the F900bt for $600. What gives? Is Pioneer coming out with something new? Heck you can't even find the F90bt's on Crutchfield or various places like that and even though Pioneer still has both models up they still advertise them as $1200/$1100 MSRP. Anybody have a clue? I thought the F-seris was supposed to be the latest and greatest....

*update, looks like Crutchfield just got the F90bt's and they have them marked as new and $1200*

My best guess here:

When the F series came out they had horrible boot up times and got really crappy reviews because of them. So when 2.0 came out and solved* those problems pioneer had to sell them with a slimmer profit margin so they would be attractive to buyers.

I was wondering the same thing. This is pure speculation on my part, but I'm wondering if the problems that seem to be so prevalent in the F-series are the driving factor in the low prices. I first came along a photo of the f900 in another automotive forum. Some googling of "f900bt review" brought up some pretty horrible reviews. Granted, many of the issues people were having were cured, or at least improved with the 2.0 update, and the hours of hard work by some of the dedicated modders here have made the F-series an even more impressive product, but most people do not want to buy a product that needs to be extensively modded to perform at what they perceive as an acceptable level.

I read many reviews before deciding to purchase the f900, and there are many people who went so far as to say Pioneer made a shitty product. While I don't agree with this 100%, I am inclined to agree that Pioneer released a product that should have still been in it's beta phase. Simple features were left out (no "track up" in 2D mode, etc.) that are included on even the most basic portable GPS units.

I have to admit that the lower price was a key factor in my deciding to purchase my f900. My new came with factory Sirius, and I have been a long time XM subscriber. I decided to drop the factory stereo and get my XM back. When I found out that I could purchase a nav system for almost the same price I paid for my original XM setup (I was a very early XM subscriber, and the "new" technology was still quite pricey), I decided to go for it. The Kenwood systems were nice, but a little bit more than I was looking to spend.

And as far as "Is Pioneer coming out with something new?".... You bet they are! Do we have any idea what it might be? Nope. The integrated hard drive concept is nice, but most people looking to have a consolidated music collection on hand already own an iPod. Given the option of iPod vs. busting out my entire CD collection and re-burning it to another hard drive, the iPod adapter wins hands down in my book. I don't see the hard drive technology catching on until the head unit comes with software allowing the owner to connect the ipod once via USB, and transfer the music collection automatically.

If I had to place money on the future of car audio, I would say the next widely adopted technology will be integrated wireless internet. A common operating system would allow developers to release applications for car audio receivers similar to the iPhone app store. Internet radio could potentially kill off satellite radio if implemented effectively. Just think about the money major corporations would pay to have their commercials played at exactly the moment your GPS senses you are about to drive past one of their retail locations!

But I digress. That's a topic for another thread entirely!

If I had to place money on the future of car audio, I would say the next widely adopted technology will be integrated wireless internet.[snip]

 

But I digress. That's a topic for another thread entirely!

Allow me to continue the digression...

This capability is not possible with existing "3G" cellular technology and will require "4G" infrastructure including WiMAX and/or LTE. The former requires entirely new infrastructure and is based on IEEE 802.16 standards and is currently ahead of LTE in standards, development, and deployment. Simplisticaly, LTE is a "retrofit" of existing infrastructure (i.e. more cost effective) but still requires a substantial investment for CDMA/GSM carriers.

Consequently, wide-spread deployment won't likely be for years...

I agree with the post above along with the fact the internet just seems crazy in a vehicle. They TRY to lock down the DVD while driving capabilities but DVD while driving makes more sense than trying to browse the interent while driving especially without a keyboard. I could really care less about internet, any type of radio and to be honest once I install the new F90 I'll have a stronger opinion but it seems like it has enough already but they could always make the Navigation better such as real time upadtes for construction, etc...

I would agree that the F-Series is so cheap so that Pioneer can get them in as many hands as possible, now that 2.0 has made them acceptable for most people. If they can flood the market with them enough to kill the bad taste of 1.0, they may be able to charge a premium for its successor.

You need to dilute the 1000's of people who paid $1000+ for a broken head unit with tens of thousands of people who paid $600 for a head unit that does a lot, if still a bit buggy.

I agree with the post above along with the fact the internet just seems crazy in a vehicle. They TRY to lock down the DVD while driving capabilities but DVD while driving makes more sense than trying to browse the interent while driving especially without a keyboard. I could really care less about internet, any type of radio and to be honest once I install the new F90 I'll have a stronger opinion but it seems like it has enough already but they could always make the Navigation better such as real time upadtes for construction, etc...

When I refer to in-car internet, I'm not talking about giving the driver the ability to check his facebook page or watch a youtube video while driving. Not the internet as we currently use it. I'm thinking more along the lines of software that will read you your emails on your way to work, and voice recognition software that would allow you to compose a response. Customizable audio news feeds would allow you to choose which stories you want to hear. Stock tracking software could tell you exactly how much you gained or lost in the market yesterday. Web based maps would allow street data to be updated as information is received, instead of just once a year.

You're right, trying to browse the web as we currently know it from behind the steering wheel would be insanely dangerous, as is trying to watch a DVD. However if you take existing technologies, and change the format from text and video (how most of the web is currently utilized) to audio, and add in decent voice recognition software, there is very little on the web that cannot be enjoyed safely while driving a vehicle.

Ah, I see. We seem to be on about the same wavelength. I'm used to browsing my Truck forums where people just randomly say things like that but would mean exactly what I was thinking earlier, nice to see this forum has some logical thinkers

I do have to say that if we did have the traditional "internet" in vehicles could you just imagine the videos of people getting into accidents and news reports. "Guy crashes into fudge factory while Goggling Fudge".

See, this internet radio digression is a BIG reason why I was / am hoping for A2DP integration in the rumors 3.0 release. I can stream internet radio through my phone, being able to play that through my car stereo would be gravy, and would offer up a new world of options.