MyFord touch interface as shown on Mashable. Having a set of Internet applications is probably more useful than standard web browsing in cars.
This story on Mashable (’The Connected Car: Ford Introduces MyFord Touch’) got me thinking: when will we see the first store for Internet car applications?
Car manufacturers could provide an open platform for (approved) car Internet application that provides access to in-car functionalities and features in a safe way. Applications, developed by third parties, can be sold through a web store, for instance, via the in-car interface.
I can imagine a flourishing market for such applications, especially for the ones that use features that are native to the car platform. Think, for instance, about applications that somehow use sensors in the car and relate to the specific context of cars.
You might wonder why third parties should develop these applications and not just the car manufacturers themselves? Simple, because it will more easily surface the most innovative & useful applications, which a hand full of car manufacturers could never think of. A community of developers can create a whole spectrum of applications. Further, sales through a web store will show which applications consumers like to have most in their cars.
A car web application store will of course need a more rigorous acceptance policy: what applications are safe to use while driving, which not? Maybe this is a show-stopper for an open Internet platform and web store for cars: who is to blame if an approved application causes accidents? On the other side, I could imagine clear terms of use could circumvent this problem.
What car native web applications can you imagine? I think there are tons of possibilities & new opportunities!
Tags: application platform, automotive, innovation, Internet car applications, web application store
