Parrot quietly cancels highly anticipated, Android-powered RNB6 car stereo
Parrot cancels plans to sell its Android Auto- and Apple CarPlay-compatible media receiver to the aftermarket.
- North American Car, Truck and SUV of the Year (NACTOY) Awards Juror
Parrot is cancelling plans to sell its Android-powered RNB6 car media receiver to the aftermarket, the consumer electronics manufacturer announced in a statement on its blog. The receiver was originally slated for release this fall.
One of the most exciting car tech tidbits of this year's CES was Parrot's unveiling of the RNB6 receiver. We couldn't wait to get this receiver, with its Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, into our test car's dashboard -- as well as Parrot's own suite of Android 5.0-powered software and apps.
CE Outlook spotted the announcement hidden away in an July update to a blog post dating back to January. "As of today there is no plan to sell RNB6 in aftermarket channels as RNB6 embedded technologies require deep integration with car series and manufacturers," Parrot said. In other words, getting the RNB6 to pull off some of the complex vehicle diagnostics and climate-control functions demonstrated at CES is too tricky for a universal application.
After the lukewarm reception of its Asteroid series of Android-powered receivers, who could blame Parrot for being hesitant to step back into the car stereo aftermarket?
Fortunately, the RNB6 will live on. According to Parrot's update, "This infotainment system was selected by several automakers who envision to integrate it in their next-generation car models next year and beyond." So while the RNB6 won't be making its way into your current car's dashboard, it could end up powering the tech in your next ride.
Exactly which automakers have chosen to use Parrot's RNB6 tech has not been announced.