Automobile as a Platform

Although not a spectacularly new idea, the Automobile as a Platform will hopefully be the new killer app in the near future.  General Motors is apparently thinking along these lines for all models from 2015 and beyond. But will some day all manufacturers use this approach and if so what operating system will they use?  Will it be compatible with other vehicles on the road?  I will explore these ideas and questions in this post.

At the beginning of 2015 at the Consumer Electronics Show it was apparent that Google and Apple are hot on the ideal of the Automobile as a Platform. Or more specifically the control of an automobile as a platform.  Both Android Auto and CarPlay are targeting the inner functionality of the vehicle.  But it's not just the ideal of the Sat-Nav and Media, but just about everything.  And now with Apple (rumoured) to be joining the fray for Autonomous vehicles, we're in for a decent show in the near future.

Compatibility would seem to be a simple concept. It is fortunate that at least a few regions have decided to allow semi-autonomous vehicles on the road.  As for compatibility, it is now a question of whether Google and Apple can or will work together.  I've even heard that Ford is dropping Microsoft for Blackberry,

The future certainly seems bright, and interestingly enough, this isn't so much a of Mad Tech Idea after all...