The CEA's Universal Docking Standard: Its for the Cars, Honest

Up to now, over 40 companies have sent out more than 60 people to sign up and be a part of the CEA working group that is to come up with a new, 'universal' standard for docking devices.
The list includes Creative Technology, iRiver, Sirius, Belkin, Best Buy, Bose and Nokia. Any of you recognize some of those names? I do... most of them were at some point iPod killers, now on the verge of extinction.

Apparently the big reason that is being pushed forward is automobile conectivity. "Having 15 different connectors on the dash of your car doesn't seem like a good experience. I'll give credit to Apple; they've done a really good job there," said Chad Hodge, a group product manager in Microsoft's Windows digital media unit.
Which is exactly why this entire thing smells rotten. A standard for docking devices? How many docking devices are there?

"For a consumer buying a new car, considering the lifespan of a car, it's a risk for a consumer to buy a car that has a connector for a specific type of device," said IDC analyst Susan Kevorkian.
Although Apple has done well and held its own, a lot can change in the 10 years that someone might own a vehicle. "Consumers run the risk of having a dock in their car for a device that's obsolete," Kevorkian said. "Any kind of universal industry solution would be more palatable to consumers. It helps them future-proof their car purchase."

The problem of compatibility over time seems a weak argument seeing as how the industry is in a state of constant change, in ten years there will be totally different standards altogether. And as for an industry standard, we're not seeing this being pushed for mobile phones or the plethora of other portable devices.