Google and Apple have a long-standing rivalry in the tech world. Between iOS and Android – and Google Play and the Apple App store – there is no shortage of comparisons between the two major mobile players.
But their next battle looks much bigger than smartphones…
Connected cars. George Anders, in Forbes, notes that Apple and Google are already gearing up for car-based smart devices:
“In fact, Google alone has 310 U.S. patents relating to areas such as car-based smart devices, navigation and route guidance. Apple has another 35. Meanwhile, five other smartphone players have a total of 617 additional U.S. patents with automotive implications.
Those numbers leap out of a new report on smartphone companies’ rapidly growing interest in the car market. The report was carried out by EnvisionIP, a patent-analysis firm in New York City. The study identifies seven tech companies that have been briskly filing patent applications in a bid to become ‘leading innovators in the smart vehicle and hybrid/electric vehicle space.’”
Car-based smart devices will open up a new market for app developers, but their onset will also throw a wrench in every aspect of the app development life-cycle. Developers, QA, IT… everyone involved will need to adapted their processes to an entirely new form factor. It took a long time to figure out mobile, and there are still many things about mobile that dev and QA teams haven’t figured out.
This is why in-the-wild testing will be critical when it comes to developing for connected cars. There will be even more scenarios to test under and even more at risk – which is why automated and lab testing won’t be enough. Certainly something to think about as we gear up for the next Apple-Google battle. Anders adds that smart-cars will be a big focus this year:
“Expect to hear a lot more this year about the convergence of smartphone technology and the car of the future. As The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week, Google and Audi are expected to announced next week at the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas that they will be working together on developing in-car gadgetry based on Google’s Android operating system. Apple and its iOS operating system already have won interest from BMW, Ford Motor and Daimler AG’s Mercedes car business.”
What do you think will be the next Google v. Apple Rivalry? Share your thoughts in the comments section.