Your Next Car Will Be Connected

The auto industry is on the verge of disruption. Not by Tesla or other innovative electric car makers (though they play their parts), but by the mobile software industry. So much so that in the coming years, your next car will be connected, or you won’t buy it.

At the recent Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, Android Auto product manager Andrew Brenner said, “Consumers are finally starting to shop for cars with the expectation that the vehicles operate with the technology, design and pace of innovation that they are used to with their mobile phones.”

In years past, automakers provided their own navigation and entertainment systems in the cars they sold, continually striving to one-up the competition in an already expensive business. The iPhone changed all that, as our smartphones quickly evolved to provide better navigation and entertainment than the car companies ever did, in a much more elegant and user-friendly package. Now, we demand that technology plays nice with our cars, and we’re certainly not wrong to do so.

The leaders in the space are no doubt Apple and Google, with CarPlay and Android Auto, respectively. Now the question is how app developers can capitalize on this new platform. Streaming audio like Pandora and Spotify is a no-brainer. How about Netflix in the back seat for the kids? Duh. On-demand audio books, voice-dictated texts… all of this is happening now, and growing fast.

Chrysler, Ford and GM have already incorporated some combination of WiFI hotspot or 4G LTE connections in many of their newer models. The opportunities for innovation are ripe, too. It won’t be long before your car has a smart windshield with a heads-up display, using augmented reality for navigation, lane change assist — even possible video calls (as long as driver distraction is minimal)

Where things really get interesting is the self-driving cars being pioneered by Google right now. Experts are already predicting a pay-per-mile approach versus traditional ownership. Simply pull up your GetMeACarNow app, or whatever, hail a car, jump in, enjoy an episode of Game of Thrones streaming on HBO Go, then enjoy your merry little day. Then you’ll be free to turn that empty garage into the home-gym you’ve always dreamed of, my out-of-shape little friend.

If you’re an app developer, you now have to ask yourself: what is your app experience going to be when you’re on the road? Think fast, because the opportunity may just drive right on by.

Learn more about our San Francisco developers at Appstem today!