Altia - An Unknown Company Until Now

An article about Altia, a company that produces GUI for vehicles and what they are about.

Charles North VI posted in North's Auto Reviews

22w ago

1.1K

Altia is a company that was founded in 1991 that creates graphical user interface technology (GUI) and puts the software for use in the display screens in cars. Now, "Altia has grown to 60-plus employees and recently relocated its headquarters to downtown Colorado Springs to be better connected to the city’s growing tech and business sector and a workforce that is eager to work and play downtown." And recently, Forbes just featured the company and their "work in auto GUI and the future of semi-autonomous cars." So, what can we expect from Altia in the future? Well, here are their plans.

Where Are They Now?

"...influencing the likes..."

At the present moment, Altia technology has been influencing the likes of the all-new Ford F-150, as seen in the photo. At the moment, the Ford F-150 is the best selling truck in the "Top 10" pickup trucks in the U.S. that CNBC shared and discovered. The famed truck Ford has marketed sold over three-quarters of a million F-150s last year. So, if you want to see this technology up close and personal, go to the nearest Ford dealership and check out an F-150. "Altia’s complete GUI solution makes it easy and efficient for designers and developers to create optimized GUIs for embedded devices," says Altia's website. "Altia partners with the best hardware, software and embedded ecosystem companies in the industry. Working together, we can make your next generation UI the best it can be." "Altia is extremely pleased to have assisted Ford Motor Company and their Tier 1s in the cluster redesign of the F-150. The capability of the Altia framework to drive a complex array of design demands makes it an excellent choice for this application. Ford Motor Company was one of the first global automotive OEMs to utilize Altia’s prototyping technology in the 1990s. The versatility and cost-efficiency of our solution continues to prove itself with the 2021 F-150,” says Mike Juran, CEO and Co-Founder of Altia. “While you’ll find Altia driving the graphics in the cluster of the Ford F-150, Altia can be applied in any display of the vehicle cockpit. Companies all over the world leverage our software and engineering services to build clusters, head-up displays, infotainment systems, rear-seat entertainment screens and complete integrated cockpit systems. Designed into over 100 million vehicles, Altia is a production-proven solution for designing and deploying beautiful, high-performance vehicle displays.” I wish to have the opportunity soon to test drive an F-150 to report back what it looks like and let you know how it is. But I will certainly let you know when that happens.

What To Expect In The Not-So-Far-Future

"...some vehicles are..."

In the future, we can see this company designing and creating very detailed and intricate artwork that is unique to most of what other manufacturers have to offer. Sure, some vehicles are ahead of the time with their displays (Mercedes-Benz as an example) but some are way too complex to figure out. Here we have different scenarios of the interface system and how it shows the information we may request from it. I think it is simplistically beautiful by design. It is a shame not every car has this to be admired by those who buy it but it may help the appeal for those looking for a new car. This could be the reason they buy it. Altia even offers a demo website page for those interested in what is to come and see what they offer. "Altia is on a mission to improve display screens in cars and other products that utilize IoT, emphasizing the importance of streamlining screens in cars so drivers are less distracted on the roads and the overall experience for passengers is simplified. The company is using technology that has enabled the production of 4.2 inch and 8-inch digital screens that will be added to the pickup trucks, upgrading the driver environment in the best-selling pickup truck in the United States. Altia has already helped design and develop solutions for more than 10 million Ford Motor vehicles to date," says Altia.

What Else We Know About Altia

We do know now Altia works with "OEMs and suppliers for automotive, healthcare, white goods, consumer and IoT markets." (Altia). Altia does also "offer software tools, services, support and expertise to build innovative and custom UIs." "Altia’s GUI development tools are the key to designing and developing pixel-perfect GUIs for production embedded devices. Our workflow engages all stakeholders in the UI development process for clear communication and optimal results." (Altia)

My Thoughts On Altia

"...call me old-fashioned..."

From what I have speculated with the information I have seen with Altia, I can say I am quite intrigued with their work. The design and craftsmanship are unique and has characteristics that are not seen in other vehicles. This means, in my eyes, that they are not only original but genuinely above the boring sights, we get to see in a car when we drive. The most interesting piece I love looking at is the cluster group itself and how it is formed. 3 separate pieces with one overlapping the other instead of one big piece. Call me old-fashioned, but I like originality. Especially in today's world.

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