According to USA Today, General Motors (GM) has announced a technology agreement with AT&T to bring 4G to all of its vehicles starting in 2014. According to Gartner's Thilo Koslowski, "It shows that GM is serious about the connected vehicle. It's a pretty big commitment."
The idea is that every GM vehicle will soon be a 4G hotspot. You can connect multiple devices to your car so your kids can stream videos, play games or stream music while you drive across the country to visit grandma. While this sounds cutting edge it is, at best, a pretty silly move.
First of all, most people that are buying new cars already have a smart phone that can do what these future GM vehicles will do. Then there is the fact that the 4G bandwidth won't be free. Expect to pay at least another $30/month (or $360/year) for your car to be 4G enabled, and factor in that GM is one of the nine car companies that has already committed to building a Siri button into its cars which will bypass all of this need for 4G. Finally, in 2019, only five years after this technology is implement, the current 4G is going to be old and slow technology, but the car will be tied to it. Therefore this 4G connectivity will be of little value to the owner or used car market. Cars last a lot longer than a particular technology cycle does.
The real answer is for car companies to quit trying to be technology companies. Instead they should make it easier for people to use their smart phones. Smart phones are constantly improving and should be the center of the car's technology system. The car then just needs to help the driver access the smart phones power and connectivity. While the Siri Button is a start, an even better idea is a touch screen that mirror's the display of an iPhone or other smart phone OS. This way you can leave your phone in your pocket or purse, but access everything needed via voice commands or larger touch screen. Consider it Airplay for cars if you will.
Nice try GM, but once again NOT the right move.
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