Spotify is launching for the first time in the sale of hardware with the Car Thing, a touchscreen for cars that allows quick access to all the content of the application. It will be offered in the United States for $ 79.99 and will require the activation of a premium account.
Spotify made sure at the end of the years to consolidate its position as leader in the music streaming market by regularly offering new features to its users. The Spotify application, for example, has recently been available on WearOS, while it is possible to download songs via Spotify on the Apple Watch, to listen to them offline.
But this time, the company takes a symbolic course by borrowing for the first time the way of the hardware. Indeed, Spotify announced this Friday, October 15, 2021 the imminent launch of Car Thing, a player for cars. After a long phase of testing with handpicked users in spring 2021, Spotify is launching sales of its touchscreen. It will be offered at a price of $ 79.99, in the United States only.
Spotify offers an alternative to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
“With Car Thing, you can listen to your favorite music faster, so you can already listen to that hit or the latest episode of that podcast before you even leave the aisle. […] Our aim is to make our entire catalog of music and postcasts available to a greater number of users and to an even wider range of vehicles ”, Spotify explains in an official blog post.
As you can see, Spotify wants to offer Car Thing an alternative to users who cannot use the application via Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. It is also about convincing users to trust a dedicated physical player, for an optimal experience, rather than using their smartphone or the on-board computer of their vehicle.
Spotify has opened a waiting list for US users, accessible to all subscribers (free and premium formula). However, you must have a Spotify Premium account to take advantage of Car Thing. The company specifies that it has already released several software updates for Car Thing, and ensures that it will continue to do so. For now, impossible to know if the Car Thing will be offered outside the American borders, and in particular in France.