The device is $89.99 and requires a Premium subscription for you to be able to use it in your car, but you no longer need an invite to buy it.Īs a refresher, Car Thing essentially a Spotify box for most cars - so long as you have an aux jack or Bluetooth connectivity. Today, Spotify announced that the Car Thing is available for anyone in the States to purchase directly from the company. In October, the company expanded its invite list for all users in the US, but there was still a queue to wait in. Back then, you needed to be part of a select few to get one. This fact makes Car Thing seem like both smart and necessary move for Spotify, even if the company never ends up rolling out its own hardware.Spotify's Car Thing, a dedicated player for the streaming service, first debuted last April after breaking from cover nearly two years prior. I rely on the Apple Music skill to get the job done, but do wish it was better at serving up what I’m asking for.Īpple Music is one of Spotify’s largest competitors and while Siri is far from perfect, HomePod incentivizes Apple to focus on constantly improving its voice controls.
Playing music is probably the second most popular way Alexa is used in my home, beaten only by controlling smart home devices. Having written several Echo Dot Diaries now, it’s no secret that I’m a fan of voice as an input. Until then, get in line for Echo Auto, or order Anker’s Roav Viva or Bolt today. Given the potential to add another source of revenue, it wouldn’t be shocking if the company releases this or a similar products at some point in the future.
Instead it’s merely a way for the company to explore how its users listen to music and podcasts. Spotify has painted a clear picture that it has no intention of making a consumer-ready version of Car Thing at this time. Spotify also mentioned that it may roll out other devices like ‘Voice Thing’ and ‘Home Thing’ in the future, but that those too would be primarily focused on gathering data to improve its streaming service. It didn’t provide a specific number of customers, but we can only hope that its test audience is large enough to yield a dataset that ends up being useful. Spotify is testing Car Thing by inviting a small group of its Premium members to try it out. Spotify has been quick to work with several voice assistants, but with its investments in Car Thing, the company is looking for ways to make voice interactions even better. While this is not an easy task, it’s a natural progression towards simplifying technology.
With nearly every major tech company out there having its own voice assistant, every company is feeling the pressure to support it.
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