We’re not too far away from modern vehicles becoming more and more akin to our smartphones. Soon, one day, our phones will have wheels, and airbags, and seats. And our cars will be able to fit in our pockets, take Instagram photos, and send text messages. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Who knows. But in any case, the line between cars and phones will become blurred even further when General Motors begins offering apps in select vehicles, which will reportedly happen by the end of this year.
Early indicators that GM would begin to offer apps in vehicles were the trademarking of the “App Shop” name for the Buick, Chevrolet and GMC brands. Then there was GM’s official announcement of an in-vehicle app catalog at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, featuring concept apps from iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Slacker and The Weather Channel.
Now, according to CNET, GM will begin offering apps in select vehicles by the end of the year at the latest. In doing so, the move will mark the early stages of its in-car app store. To make this happen, GM will debut a framework in appropriately equipped cars that will enable the download of these apps, which is almost a dead giveaway to be called App Shop.
Comments
Exciting news! I hope they make this freely available to as many existing CUE/MyLink/IntelliLink customers as possible (those who have head units that support this).
It would be cool if XM released an app that would allow on-demand access to their content directly through the car. It would also be nice to have an official GM “Diagnostics” app that could read/explain codes, keep track of maintenance needs, show efficiency info., etc. (similar to the OnStar app).