Why are all Electronic Giants suddenly getting into the Cars Business?
Software has eaten up the World. And that’s by no mean any new realization. However, I think we’re still undervaluing the impact it’s having in our lives. Look around, it has already consumed everything indoors. Heck! You don’t even have to touch a switch to turn on the lights… And now it looks ready to get more real estate in your car as well.
Will Software eat up the Cars Industry too?
Short Answer: Yes. For the longer answer though, I’d like you to first have a look at Software’s journey in our World thus far…
The idea of software taking over the World started a bit too early.
It reached mass realization in the late 90s. What were your thoughts on technology back then? I for one was still learning how to ride a bicycle and considered a landline as the only way to talk to someone far away. But the Western Stock Market was already witnessing the hype people had in the tech industry.
What followed was called the dot-com bubble in the United States. Well that crashed just a few years later, because euphoria got too strong too soon (Like now with Bitcoins?).
However, the impact of Software has been very much real!
And we all have seen it too! Software first shaped how we use our computers. When it saturated the PC industry, it started shaping anything else it could find. The mobile phones were the catalyst. It gave us the smartphone: The magic tile which incorporates in itself MP3 player, Camera, Compass, Alarm Clock, a Gaming Console, the full fledged Computer!
And Mobile Phones have evolved a lot in the past decade.
Phones earlier were being bought as a portable solution to have remote communication.
Then came the iPhone with its Apps Library, that could make your phone do what you want it to do, to feel like how you want it to feel like with the iOS’ App Store. Behemoths like Nokia, Blackberry failed before they started to realize the impact Software would have on the mobile phones!
Software… Before Apple disrupted the market, we had tons of different looking devices with their own aesthetics. Fast forward to now: all of the customization is limited to the UI of your device.
And yea there’s purple iPhone too… Be Hue huehuehue.
Pun Intended.
Cars right now are exactly where mobiles were before the Smartphones era.
We now have different engines that feel different to drive, different chassis that would suit the particular character of the engine. It should be noted that software is already up and running on our gasoline cars. However, It is with the advancement of Electric Vehicles that we’re ready to utilize the true power of software in this domain.
Want to know how software will change our perspective with our beloved vehicles?
Well… No more comparing Mechanical Components of the cars. That means no more pros and cons for Inline and V-Types. With the new breed that runs on the electric power, Point of Differentiation will be found in, you guessed it, Software.
To give you an idea, let’s for a moment think you’re in 2024 and ready to buy a new car. Here’s what you’ll most likely be considering in the future:
- “Does the car support wireless charging?”
- “How much Resolution is the Windscreen Dashboard? Is it Retina?”
- “Will my car support the CarOS that’s to be released in 2025?”
- “Does it come with Deca-Core processor? That YouTube video specifically said I’d need at least 10 core processor for a better experience.”
- “Should I opt for the ads-free experience?”
…
You get the idea. Software is going to become the cornerstone in Consumer’s Buying Factors when it comes to cars.
Just like it’s now the case with the mobile phones.
What will be changed is not the fact that cars are essentially a mechanical machine that will help you to get from Point A to B.
No!
But the experience it will give to you while going from Point A to B.
The Mobile Phones can only give you so much immersion with their small flat screens. It’s going to be a whole different game when the phone makers start making cars as the extension to the device you have in your back-pocket.
When you consider all this, it becomes easier to grasp what is to come. And it becomes clear why Apple is considering its move to the Automobile Sector.
It’s not that Apple is going to the Automobile Business. The Automobile Business is simply becoming another part of its domain.
So it’s no wonder Electronic Giants are all scrambling to get involved as your vehicles start to become the personal assistant on 4-Wheels!
What do you think of the future of Electric Cars? Did you find more similarities with the story of Smartphones?
