Apps are becoming an increasingly popular part of our daily lives and some might even say that they will remain so long into the future. But where do apps stand in terms of vehicle integration?
Technologically speaking, our society seems to be pointing toward an increasingly integrated one, where not only vehicles but also computers and everyday objects will communicate with each other and also humans in an increasingly interactive way. It's exciting to be living in a time where we may soon be able to access a lot of the basic information we need just by keeping on a pair of glasses.
Vehicles, however, pose somewhat of a separate question. Some suggest that vehicle apps may indeed become a vital component of our car experience, both in and out of the vehicle.
As OnStar's Nick Pudar told iTech Post, "I see apps becoming a core component of how our digital lives are evolving and so in my life I have a lot of digital solutions; I have apps in those various digital solutions and I am expecting that they're working seamlessly in all aspects of my life. So what we're doing at GM is helping bring customers' digital lifestyles into their vehicle and also, by providing the tools for the developers, an opportunity to bring the vehicle into their digital lifestyle and providing some single solutions."
OnStar has both in-vehicle and remote APIs for app development geared toward both in and out of car usage.
Thanks to the folks at Google, however, soon cars may not even require drivers, let alone apps to be used by them.
In that same vein, many of the vehicle apps we're seeing right now just aren't that exciting. You know something may be wrong, for instance, when BMW adding Glympse, Audible, Rhapsody and TuneIn to its iPhone app roster makes big news. And how about the iBeetle? It kind of just sounds cooler than it really is, given that its main selling point is how packed it is with iPhone 5 integration. How about an iCar made by Apple? Wouldn't that be something to get excited about? I mean, they've done pretty good stuff with computers, right?
I'm not saying vehicle apps are a bad thing. I'm just saying that perhaps more could be done, or at least we could at least get some clarity on what people are driving at with these things.
