Electronics industry news loves to cover the software that makes driving around easier, but it rarely focuses on those elements that might eliminate manual driving altogether. Driverless, electric cars are going from potential to reality very soon, and they may fundamentally change our relationship to the road and our phones. This may be why major technology companies are lining up to be the next organization associated with automotive excellence. From Uber to Lyft to Google to Apple, there are a variety of big names in the field or revolutionizing road-based transportation.
Uber currently has the upper hand in app-based taxying in that it’s fairly ubiquitous around the world, and has successfully made itself into a common brand name over just a few short years of intense marketing war, but it is not impervious to attacks, according to Forbes. Lyft challenges Uber daily in cities like Chicago. It is likely that other competitors will come along. There are more Lyfts out there, one of which is will probably be Google, the 600-pound gorilla of all things tech. Even without Google as a direct competitor, there may be heavy competition from the rise of driverless cars, which could completely revolutionize the urban landscape.
Apple Also Interested In Electric Cars
Even if Google doesn’t wind up unleashing a set of new electric cars, Apple might. A patent was recently granted to Apple Electric Car, Inc., according to CNN Money. While this could be anything, and is essentially highly speculative, it does raise the idea there will be more technology companies seeking to deliver electric cars than there used to be, in unexpected places. What this ultimately means is that there will be more opportunity for applications that allow workers to use their connected devices with their cars. It is the kind of renaissance that the Internet of Things is trying to bring about.
What will happen when we can hook upour smartphones to our cars? Will it be the rise of a new kind of car-to-car chat service, like the old days of CB radios? Will there be apps that allow you to rate other people’s driving on the fly? Will there there be more road rage due to the previous app idea? The possibilities are endless. While many organizations focus on the hypothetical future of Internet-connected lamps and washing machines, few are focusing on the biggest mobile technology – cars – finally getting connected to the Internet.
