The ubiquity of 4G wireless broadband access has created an opportunity for GM autos. Although many consumers already have smartphones, there is a demand to have that technology integrated into the car itself. GM will be using wireless provider AT&T make available weather reports, road construction alerts, the ability to stream movies for back seat passengers, and stream internet audio. GM is attempting to bring new innovation to the market place, no other car manufacturer brings these offerings to the public at this time. If successful this would position GM as a market leader in consumer technology. As an IT professional I found this article interesting because I specifically look for the technology options available in a car. An entire generation is growing up with smartphones, laptops, and other technologies, if GM caters to the younger audience they might be able to build brand loyalty from a customer base in their early to mid twenties.
http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2013/02/25/is-connected-car-really-coming-gm-to-offer-4g-next-year/?KEYWORDS=gm+plans+smartphone+on+wheels
What an interesting post! It sounds like GM is really taking into consideration the most important aspects of the smartphone's capability and integrating that with the car in a way that (hopefully) is safe for drivers. I have a Garmin NUVI that I use for GPS and then if I am on the highway and it turns into a parking lot, i check out the traffic feature on google maps on my iPhone. To integrate these capabilities into the car so there's no fiddling with devices while behind the wheel sounds really promising.
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