Oh those products that come so close to being magical … but have one thing about them that just absolutely opposes the stated purpose.
That’s Spotify’s new cool gadget: Car Thing. From my latest post at Forbes:
Why yes, Spotify did just launch a physical product. And, yes, it is whimsically called “Car Thing.” And it does look sort of like an old iPod Touch, except with a massive dial glued onto (and over) the screen. And it is also free (if you chip in a little for shipping and handling).
But there’s a fatal flaw in this hardware product from a services and software company.
Let’s start here: a bit about Car Thing. Most importantly, Car Thing offers voice control over your music in a car. Move over Hey Siri, Alexa, and Hey Google. Now there’s Hey Spotify too.
In other words, if your car doesn’t support apps and have a modern infotainment system, you can still control your music just by talking. (And, of course, by turning that massive knob.) There are over 70 million driving-related playlists on Spotify, the company says: now more people can access them.