Apple won’t be the only company entering the car market; Microsoft also wants a piece of the action.
The Redmond giant has already tried to do this in the past and has even teamed-up with few auto-makers such as Ford, Fiat, Kia, BWM and Nissan. Alas, Windows is still not present in many cars, leaving room for improvement. Plus, now that the CarPlay has been officially announced, Microsoft can’t just watch from the sidelines.
So a new initiative was born with the idea to bring a Metro-style interface to modern vehicles. As you would imagine, the technology will rely on touch and voice input, providing drivers with quick access to navigation, music, local business directory and other services.
Unlike Apple, Microsoft will rely on the Mirrorlink standard, which has been accepted throughout the industry. Not only did car makers accepted this standard, but also aftermarket car radio manufacturers such as Alpine and Pioneer. Furthermore, the same technology was promoted in Nokia’s old Symbian phones and Sony Xperia Z.
Alas, just because Microsoft is using the standard-based tech, that doesn’t mean it will win this battle. Apple with its “cool” factor has a strong chance of capturing a significant portion of the market. And we’re sure Google is also eyeing this sector… At the end of the day, we expect that an increased competition will bring prices down, eventually making every car smart in the next few years.
[Via: TheVerge]