Clarion Joyride
A look back at the first ever car PC
Would you believe as early as 2001, Clarion already launched a car PC? Back then, what people would eventually call “carputer,” was labeled by Clarion as an Auto PC. It had a whopping $2,300.00 SRP price tag and was powered by an Intel Pentium (with MMX) processor. It could play “MP3s” back then and other digital media formats, as well as all the DVD and CD types.
We now find out that the Clarion Joyride was offered with three different package options—Level One, Two & Three. Level One had a 6.4″ monitor and a wireless remote control; it was sold for $2,999.00. Level Two included a GPS system and a 6-disc changer for an additional $1,099.99. Level Three replaced Level One’s standard LCD monitor with an RGB LCD, again for an additional $1,899.00.
When it came out, it nearly played almost every available format except for the then newly developed SACD. It used Microsoft Windows CE for its operating system, and could also decode 5.1 Dolby Digital formats. It had a voice activated control, 6-channel RCA outputs, a compact flash card slot and a rating of 45 watts x 4.
Today, you could buy a used unit for around $400. So back then, how did the Joyride fair with car audio critics? Well, the normal consensus would be, to sum it up, insanely priced just because it was first to attempt such a thing. But anyway, in a future post, we’ll try to summarize some reviews of the Joyride, so watch out for that.
Clarion Joyride
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