As the discussion about vehicle connectivity gathers momentum, we get the perspective from the software development side. Michael Prichard is founder and CTO of WillowTree Apps, a company that specialises in the development of mobile apps.
What do you see as the major challenges impacting in-vehicle infotainment at the moment?
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I believe that there are two significant challenges for the automotive industry when it comes to vehicle infotainment. First, it takes a long time to get technology to a point where it is released in cars. The obvious reason for that is, of course, because of safety. For example, have you ever had your car reboot? No. The amount of time it takes for tested, bullet proof technology to reach the car is a lot slower than the pace of change for connected things, the challenge is finding a balance between the speed of innovation and bringing it the consumer in a constructive way in the car.
The second major challenge is finding a way to build a vibrant and rich developer ecosystem. The majority of innovation in the world of mobile comes from developers but there are really only one or two major platforms to focus on. And there is also a viable marketplace for developers to make a living innovating. If the automotive industry does not embrace this opportunity by standardising, either through a single platform or open standards, they will be left on the sidelines while others capitalise on the medium. A perfect example is the TV manufacturers who are so fragmented that a developer community cannot take root.
How are other industries and stakeholders viewing the opportunity in the connected car space and what needs to be done to capitalise on the opportunity?
Right now, we are trying to understand what the opportunity really is for us. I believe that if we can make our cars more connected, in terms of being able to easily interface with the devices we are carrying around, as opposed to putting proprietary software on the car itself, we would be very interested, as developers, in investing our time to innovate on this platform. However, without a unified platform and marketplace, there will be little to capitalise from, at least from the point of view of software providers.
How do you envisage in-vehicle infotainment developing over the next decade as customer and regulatory requirements increase?
The car will truly be a connected device in all aspects of our lives. As an integrated and connected machine, the opportunity to create software that can be used to improve the experience will be unprecedented. In fact we should be able to not only improve safety for the driver but also offer contextual, localised assistance when and where you need it most.
If we do it right your car would become part of your network and truly part of your life. The days where our car will tweet us when we left our windows open before it is about to rain are closer than we think.
Michael Prichard is founder & CTO, WillowTree Apps. He will be presenting at the Connected In-Vehicle Infotainment Global Summit 2013
