In 1997 I drove a beat up Honda to meet with major record labels to show them the PC would become the center of people's music life. Those I met with scoffed, saying 'most PCs don't even have speakers!' But I knew the PC would displace the home stereo.
I have the same feeling today about the car radio getting steamrolled by the smart phone. Today's smart phone has a virtually unlimited audio catalog. DAR.fm now allows everyone to record AM/FM radio and have it automatically downloaded to any smart phone or tablet.
More than half of adults 18-24 have used a portable MP3 player or phone for audio in their car. 41% are interested in rewinding, fast forwarding and pausing. Radio purists dismiss smart phones as a threat to AM/FM, but there was a day when every house had a home stereo too.
--MR
